A tragic paradox is that even while democracies are apathetic to mass starvation, they downplay and ignore the fact that the hundreds of million children and adults continue to lead lives of severe undernutrition (hidden hunger) since it hardly provokes a public outcry. A democratic government cannot afford to ignore the public outcry. Hence, India’s success in preventing a famine during the period since 1947 can be attributed to the inherent force of democracy.

But its overall record in fighting hunger and malnutrition seems to be quite abysmal. Indeed, the “hungry India” situation is characterized by high levels of undernutrition and child malnutrition, particularly stunting and wasting, with its Global Hunger Index (GHI) ranking in the serious category. For millions of people in India, hunger is an unremitting way of life; insidious, furtive and unforgiving. It lurks not just in the teeming countryside but also in the shadows of glittering cities.

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The poor response of governments is well documented. The cruel irony is that widespread hunger is reported in parallel with abundant foodgrains. Citizens get deprived of their due share while food stocks rot in the absence of proper storage facilities. Between 190 million and 200 million people in India go to bed hungry every night. Pathetically, when the wailing of hungry infants gets too much, their hungry and hapless mothers give their fingers laced with tobacco or natural intoxicants to suck, and to help them sleep at night. The painful paradox is that while wedding halls and restaurants see food wastage every single day, children in classrooms struggle to focus with their empty stomachs and hunger pains. According to the National Family Health Surveys, India has constantly been flagged as a country where nutrition gaps remain alarming despite it being one of the largest producers of food in the world.

© The Statesman