I was facing a crisis in the run up to world food day. Green Thai curry  or gobhi manchurian, singhara khurchan or savoury moong daal, maal pua or kesari kheer, golgappe or dahi paapri  ….and if the former, which masala pani filling… sweet or sour ? It was a problem of plenty and I risked finding the weight I had diligently lost. 

I was attending the wedding of a friend’s son. Three days of revelry to celebrate him tying the knot with his childhood sweetheart. The event itself was perfect for more reasons than one. Every ritual methodically planned, every custom religiously carried out. Amid folk dances and traditional banna songs there was just enough activity to keep guests busy,  allowing some time to soak in the peaceful environs. The venue tucked away in the middle of Corbett park was truly Jungle mein mangal. The cuisine was cosmopolitan,  the flavours irresistible and meals planned so that no dish was repeated. As I stuffed my face with the seamless supply of food, suffering pangs of guilt about the inevitable weight gain I tried to recall the last time I had eaten for sustenance, the reason food is meant to be eaten. 

The truth is I eat when I am frustrated, I eat when I am elated. I eat in company for celebration, I eat when alone out of boredom. I eat due to habit, because it’s meal time and I also eat automatically, on autopilot. Some foods I eat because I think they are good for me and others out of plain greed because they taste so good.  I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten because I was hungry.

If all this has made you hungry,  here is some food for thought. Although there is enough food in the world every ninth person sleeps on an empty stomach. Of the 820 million hungry people in the world a quarter live in India. Fishermen, small farmers and livestock owners produce about two thirds of the global food supply, yet are most vulnerable to food insecurity. More than half of the undernourished people live in conflicts zones. A 2018 census estimated that worldwide 17 million children under the age of five  suffer from severe acute malnutrition, causing wasting, yet only twenty percent  have access to lifesaving treatment.

Meanwhile obesity too, has reached epidemic proportions.  Globally 41 million preschool children are overweight. Unhealthy diet is the major cause of death due to non communicable diseases. Corpulence and overindulgence kills 2.8 million people every year. 

World Food Day is an attempt to explain that both situations are ironically, two sides of the same coin.  It is celebrated on 16th November by 150 nations to commemorate the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) and to emphasise optimal food utilisation.  The objective is to eradicate hunger by reducing food wastage. 

Think about it,  when was the last time you were hungry? Truly hungry? With that emptiness in the pit of your stomach, heat gnawing at your interiors. I doubt any of you have experienced it in the recent past, unless you are on a crash diet trying to fit into that beautiful dress for your school reunion.  

It would benefit us all if the next time we have too much on our plate we share it with someone less fortunate. It would be a step towards achieving zero hunger in the world . And we could save two lives… one being our own. 

( published in my column in the Tribune on 23/11/2019)

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