Anupam- The Dreamer

Of all the basic instincts that takes us humans closer to the animals- hunger is among the biggest! Hunger of food can make a person do crazy things. An empty stomach does not remember the laws of civility and morality, and all it understands is only the language of food! If you have ever tried to reason with a hungry person, it will fail logic, because when the person is hungry, then his/her animal instincts resurface which can make him/her agitated, angry and even rebellious.

The same thing is happening in the protests in Iran right now, and even in other countries in the past. Whenever, a country is reeling under the food crisis, hyperinflation, corruption, lack of employment, lack of water etc., the conditions become ripe for the emergence of civil war and nation-wide protests. The people can tolerate non-adherence to laws, they can tolerate inefficiencies in the system, they can also tolerate what is promised to them and what is actually delivered when it comes to goods and services delivery, but they can never tolerate hunger! If the prices of food and water (among other basic essential things for survival) skyrocket like anything, then years of savings also cannot buy you a single piece of bread and butter. And when you don’t get to eat anything, turning violent is the only consequence, which is seen in the countries like Iran, and earlier in the Sub-Saharan Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Zimbabwe etc. There will be widespread instances of looting and shop-lifting. If the government of the day does not intervene immediately, decisively and massively, then the protests and civil wars spiral out of control, which can threaten the very existence of the government itself.

Even historically, it can be observed that the foundation of human civilization and even the massive kingdoms is agriculture only! If there is enough food production, then there will be surplus, then some people will be spared from growing their own food, then they can engage in other occupations like trade etc., then there can be standing armies to guard the kingdom, and so on. If the king cannot fill the stomach of his army, then he cannot fight wars! So, the base of a strong army is also the food! This is the reason when India came under huge security and food pressure during the testing times of 1960s, the then Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the clarion call of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisaan”. He understood the importance of both of them in safeguarding the interests of the countrymen. This leads us to the conclusion that without adequate food, the country cannot become prosperous and safeguard its security.

Having said that, let me give you another food for thought. One can say that hunger can be controlled to some extent, and there have been extreme examples of restraint in food and water intake practiced by some individuals. For example, fasting is a very crude example of control over hunger. But, to overcome physical hunger for food requires a lot of mental strength and determination. This is not just temptation over food, but the temptation over the quantity of food, type of food, the sources of food, the taste of food, the number of times one consumes food, etc. It is easier said than done. But, one thing is definite that some sort of food is essential for the continuance of life and to elevate humans above the levels of being mere animals. Without food, one cannot achieve enlightenment. It is for this very reason Swami Vivekananda once famously said that you cannot teach the lessons of holy Gita to a hungry person. Only when the stomach is full, you can talk about enlightenment.

It would have been a different world altogether, if everyone had an “Akshaya Patra” at his/her disposal, which could produce never-ending supply of desired food! Then, the structure of society would have been very different, with people even preferring not to work for anyone but for themselves. But, in reality, this is not the scenario, that’s why people can be heard saying “paapi pet ke liye karna padta hai”! 😀

Till next time…..