The Contentment and Malnutrition

In his acceptance speech of Noble peace prize, the executive director of World Food Programme, emphasized that the food is”the pathway to peace. “

Hello friends, hope you all are fairing well in your respective fields. If you find something bumpy on your way, don’t ever loose your heart or patience. Eventually you will ride it through. So have a big smile and confidence in your disposition and let’s get going!

Recently I got first hand experience of rural life. The simple yet disciplined way of living of the village people impressed me immensely. I was sweetly surprised to see so much warmth, innocence and unadulterated, natural smile in their faces. Despite having far lesser comforts and luxury, we city dwellers get to enjoy. They all looked happy without having major complaints with their lives.

I witnessed a young woman engaged in drying the paddies in an open space, her small baby, playing nearby and eating only boiled rice from a bowl. She was wearing faded and mended clothes. When I smiled, her face gleamed and a shy smile hovered on her lips. There was no strain of hardship or complaint for her life of constraint.

Can we, living in big cities claimto be so? Most probably not. We’re unhappy with our lives on one pretext or the other. Why so is the case? To be precise the answer is the lack of contentment, which is the root cause of this inherent disparity of mindset.

Getting to malnutrition,the first phase data of the National Family Health Survey 2019-20, indicates that though child mortality rate has fallen, the problem of malnutrition is the cause of concern for most of the states in India. As the researchers say that 90% of the brain grows by the age of five.

By adequate awareness and enablement, if proper nutrition could be provided in the early years of childhood, it has the potential to make future decade 50% more productive. You might be wondering why I’m mentioning this to you, its the job of the government to look into such matter. But can’t we, as an individual affect any change in the present circumstances?

Friends, I’ve observed even in some educated family also, that they don’t bother to include all the nutrients in right proportion in the meals of their children. And for the poor rural folks and daily wagers in the city alike, its more the quest of filling up the tummies of their children than worrying about the balanced diet.

Mulling over both the aspect, if we start to incorpoare some corrective measures, by stealing some times from our respective schedules can do wonders on both the counts. Here are some suggestions which can bring contentment and happiness to us and improve the lives of many:

1. On some weekends we may visit nearby slums and villages and have meaningful interaction with them. Make them understand the necessity of balanced diet.

2. We can inform them about easily available and cheaper source of protein, vitamins and minerals to include in the diet.

3 If possible, provide packaged wholesome nutritious food to the children depending upon your capabilities.

4. Make sure the children don’t dropout from school by counselling the parents on the hindsight.

5. We can distribute our old and not in use clothes, in good condition, to them

Indeed there are many NGOs doing precisely that, yet we, as individuals, can do something worthwhile,to bring some positive changes in us and the world. There is whole lot of benefits on the receiver’s part and satisfaction on our’s. It has the potential to keep depression at bay, from our respective lives. As we get less time to brood over our circumstances Because all lives matter!

I end it here, keep smiling. Adieu for now.

Advertisement