President’s Message
FEED THE HUNGRY
We are taught from a very young age that Food is a Basic Human Right. Words that we just parrot in school and then accept as adults to be true. We have no actual appreciation for the privilege of never knowing true hunger.
Hunger, if we skip a meal, makes us cranky or fussy or angry or makes us unable to concentrate. These are all symptoms of privilege.
True Hunger is a condition where one does not get one’s basic nutritional needs. We see so much of it around us that it’s become part of our daily lives and unfortunately we ignore it completely and we become immunised to it.
But when one sees close-up a hungry human – man, woman or child – the desperation so deeply etched in their eyes (as I did a couple of weekends ago at the Khadi slum, in the upscale Cuffe Parade area), it is but natural to feel sympathy (we can never feel true empathy having never been in their place).
Along with hunger, the living conditions are so pathetic and miserable that one seems to just give up on life and accept it as fate. But give them a simple meal or even just a small snack and see the smiles radiate from their faces and I guarantee that a feel-good shiver will run through your body and your heart will swell with joy.
The recent District Food Distribution Drive has been an experience that has added as much value to my life, as it has helped feed the hungry.
Framroze Mehta
President