Birthday Party

I was invited to a birthday party of a ten-year-old. The excitement was palpable in that I shopped excitedly for a nice dress, a thoughtful gift for the little one as well as a few accessories to compliment my attire. My family never finds my fondness for birthday parties strange; in fact, they are so aware of my love for such gatherings that they make each year’s birthday extremely special for me. When I was a ten-year-old, we did not have fancy themes and elaborate parties like the kids of today’s generation have. Therefore, I was all the more enthusiastic about participating in the Christmas themed birthday party of my little neighbor.

After the cheerful cake cutting ceremony and a host of performances, all the guests gathered at the dining hall. I saw that there were numerous items on the menu. The first ones to make it to my plate were mostly desserts and then came the starters and the main course.

As I enjoyed my dinner, I talked to other guests casually. Alongside this, I happened to notice a certain practice in people, including me. Our plates were loaded with food, so much so there was hardly any room for even a single additional item. I totally am with the idea of feeding ourselves to our hearts’ content. However, it also irked me that, we had filled our plates as if we did not have a second chance to do it. We may all have done it without our knowledge or simply because we were lazy to walk to the counter. The critical point was, we were unable to finish what we had brought. Invariably, I saw a few guests wind up even before 50% of the food on the plate was over. This hurt me and I felt ashamed of my own behavior too.

I kept eating as much as I could; to make things easier I decided to walk around and then eat. To my pleasant surprise, I saw two men who were exclusively hired to request people to take as much food as they want and also, importantly, take care not to waste food. Whoever went to the exit to throw away plates with a lot of food, the two men encouraged them to take quality breaks and eat. I saw boards that put up facts on hunger issues, food wastage, and the value of good food. I was touched with such an arrangement at a fun party.

That night, I was satisfied that I did not waste my food. I also took pictures of the board to share with my contacts among family and friends. Such gestures may not solve the problem entirely across the globe. But, they are a prominent step that forms the foundation of a solution. After all, only small drops of water make an ocean.

“Annam Parabrahma Swaroopam.” Food is almighty and divinity. We must all be thankful for the food we have, the food we eat and the food we can afford. It is indeed a blessing.