Things fall apart, WE must hold...

Covid-19, Food Crisis & We: A Vision

Hey! What’s up…quarantined buddies, how’s your Josh! for stuffing yourself with the tempting culinary experiments; relishing your taste buds while cherishing the Dearest-fats and cholesterol. Felt  the urgency to discuss, after noticing the hiking fad for this everyday meticulously designed devouring process by the majority of folks! Naah! don’t get me wrong that now I’m going to deliver a monologue on healthy eating habits but given the current situation there is something more crucial we need to mull over which may take an ugly turn if not taken the clarion call seriously. Not scaring you, what more is left to be scared in this deadly Covid-19 time, just a humble call to attract your attention over the impending doom, looming large over the creation.

Today, the world is in constant fear of food shortage but India is claiming its privileged position of having enough storage of food for the next one and half years. Good News! But what if, those hunger stricken countries would see India as a ray of hope for fulfilling their demands, Is then India competent enough to fight the food war alone? let’s say; it can never happen (But Anything Can Happen!) then too, there are many ifs and buts. Now, I feel that running out of patience, you are going to berate me for going so high and expecting to remain in the domain.

Yes! Mera Pyara Bharat…

So, let’s discuss the scenario of the availability of food in India now and then. While pondering over the current peak-harvesting season of huge production, contrastingly I'm reminded of the epic line from Eliot’s poem ‘The Waste Land’ that “April is the crulest month”, as farmers are rendered helpless to leave their ripened winter crop at the mercy of hail-storms or rain when no option is left in the unavailability of labor, since many have migrated and afraid to step out. Anyhow, if farmers manage to get their crops harvested then the next impediment is to find any suitable storehouse to store such large quantities given several grain markets are not operating at their full capacity. Reports of farmers dumping their produce after being unable to deliver them to mandis or use the staples as animal feed, is unfortunate and damn scary. Although the agriculture markets (mandis) are reopening now but the process is gradual and situation is still far from normal.  Business Standard report; dated 01.04.2020, quotes Mr. Rohit Chawla of Chawla Fresh Vegetables at Azadpur market, “Business in Azadpur mandi is down by over 50 per cent. The bulk of our supply comes from Maharashtra and over the past week there has been a significant drop in the number of trucks coming from the state”. The Azadpur mandi is Asia’s biggest agriculture market. The situation seems similar in the neighboring states too. The absence of casual workers is going to discourage the financially well off growers to step up for the harvesting and selling process. If this happens, the summer planting is going to get badly affected as land will not be adequately ready for the next cultivation (if not harvested) and the small farmers will have no optimum profit to invest leading to the disruption in the chain of food supply. The gravity of the situation can be gauged by what Mr Suresh Aggarwal, president of ‘All India Dal Mill Association’ says “The current inventories with retailers will dry down if we don’t run our units.”

If it is assumed that after the termination of lockdown everything falls into place then we should not forget the history that it takes years to get over any pandemic, especially from people’s minds and moreover this one is highly contagious so things will take long term in coming on the track. On top of this, still there is no vaccine, though researchers and scientists are working round the clock to prepare it but the procedural phases are rigorous. The situation is Catch 22, to end the lockdown for producing more food is to become highly prone to the fatal Corona and if the lockdown is continued then the food shortages are more likely to happen, our discretion and compassion is a way to cope with the grave chain of events.

In any possible condition, the certainty of the food crisis in coming circumstances is almost undeniable. To be prepared for the worst is pertinent but by our little proactiveness and preparedness, the catastrophe can be lessened or possibly avoided. As we all know the fact; no pain, no gain, so how about if we save our available food by skipping one meal everyday which is a boon in disguise as the fasting boosts our immune system by renovating the cells which ends up in eating/destroying the present bacteria and viruses, if food is not available (Process of Autophagy).  

In addition to physiological advances, fasting enhances our will power and endurance, hence transforms us into an empowered being. In this way a month’s ration can go for one and a half or two months along with our improving health.

At this critical juncture, Can’t we share our one time morsel for someone who needs it the most? It’s the time when every individual should enact his part by ensuring that no being in his reach, should die of hunger as seeing the population, many are still out of reach from the government’s various disaster management plans. Daily-wage earners and the employees working in the informal sectors are among the worst hit ones, some are stuck in different states and others, however, at their home but utterly dependent on the generosity of some humane enthusiasts and that too if they are in reach of these Good Samaritans and easily identified, there are many who seem well-to-do but actually hand-to-mouth personas, never extend a begging hand and no BPL card or bank accounts (Government sponsored), remain inconspicuous. So, here the problem is two-forked, those poverty-stricken folks who are beyond the reach and the common folks belonging to the lower middle class strata. The heart-rending stories of the migrant workers who are being treated as criminals and ostracized by their own folks due to the perilous panic of the infection, needs our concern.

Since the major machineries i.e. industries and insane transporting has been put to a halt, we also need to come out of our mechanical consumptive mode and recall our true identity as a human, who has many dimensions other than animalism. It is humanity and our vision which enables us to experience the elevated aspects of our status. Fasting is one way to recycle our energies physically and spiritually which Nature is demanding now. Yeah, it’s in our hands to gear up our humanity by recognizing that we all are interconnected. On our level we must make it sure that nobody in our vicinity, should suffer from hunger which can be done efficiently if we are efficient enough with our savings by minimalizing our needs. Remember, indiscreet food-distribution would be an add to the woes, we need to handle the situation by lowering the burden on over-all food stock which can be actualized if each individual turns towards minimal consumption and sharing the saved segment with the one who needs it the most, considering the lurking future-uncertainty is for everyone.

Skip Meal, Be Humane!

Let’s come together, for the sake of life. Things fall apart, WE must hold…

#Ru_A_Seeker🍁

Note*:  If you are on medication, consult your doctor before implementing this.