Childhood Hunger

Hunger is the part of life. The role of empty stomach is having more importance compared to other hungers of life. If the stomach is full, one can imagine the other hungers of life. Without food in the stomach, the fire of empty stomach is intense.

It is the time to be hungry. It is eleven in the morning. Nothing is taken so far. Stomach has started to burn. In the mean time, my son comes and says "it will be a little late to get the mornings diet"

Sitting next to me with a mobile phone, he started to look my face and at last asked, "Dad , have you ever been hungry and nothing with you to eat?"

Listening the the question, my past days of hunger encouraged to tell the true definition of hunger.

Without thinking much, I explained my own words.

There was a weekly market on Sunday which was about six Kilo meter from my home. Sometimes I have to go that market with my father to purchase the essentials.

On the way to that market, there was a government high school with hostel facility for SC ST students. Pointing to that school, my father uses to tell something for my higher studies from class eigth. I was also happy to continue my studies in that school as most of my village friends were studying there.

Time passed, I was admitted to that school for my higher studies and joined in class eight. On the first day itself, I felt the pain of hunger.

Usually I was eating four times everyday at home from waking up in the morning till going to bed at night. But in the hostel, I was offered to eat twice only , by nine in the morning and nine in the evening. I have to continue for four years.

I informed my parents about my sufferings of hunger. They provided the wheat and ragi powders for two to three months, and forgot to continue further. I also remained neutral to recognise the effects of hunger.

As the inmates had to prepare the food themselves, most of times the food was not in the state of balanced diet. To fill the empty stomach , it is must to take by heart. The food available to eat was neither tasty nor palatable.

    In the Sunny evening , there was strong south wind. With empty stomach and sleepiness, it was better to sleep with the book in hand till bell for meal by 9PM.

     Though I was first in the class, most of my classmates were surprised of performance because of my sleeping nature in the hostel.

Sometimes two students share one meal in the morning time and keep another for afternoon. But that formula did not last long due to curfew by the school authorities. The same situation relating to hunger continued.

As most of students were from my Village, I was ashamed of my hungy .

Any way, I learned a lot about the effects of empty stomach. So I tried to reach the target, and became a book worm . At last I qualified in the 11th board exam with flying colours.

That hunger encouraged me to do something for future. Accordingly, I became successful in my life in every sphere of life.

I still remember the pain of that hunger when some begs before me in the name of hunger.

When I finished my story, my son found asleep thinking as a story.

It is difficult to understand the definition of hunger without a taste of it.

In the meantime, a call from the kitchen informed about the readiness of meals. let us go for eating, hunger is at its top. . . . . .