hearing on 'Living with Hunger' is a major attempt to
place various aspects of the invisible and
unconscionable situation of pervasive hunger within
the public eye and conscience. A panel of women and
men from vulnerable communities, with economist
Amartya Sen and writer Mahasweta Devi among others
will listen to testimonies of people living with
hunger, as well as the perspectives of experts.
Particular attention will be given to recent instances
of "starvation deaths" in different states. First-hand
testimonies of these events, and of the living
conditions that prevail in the affected communities,
will be presented at the hearing. Going beyond this,
the gathering will focus on the enormity of hunger in
contemporary India, and the diverse ways in which it
blights people’s lives.
The public hearing will primarily focus on three
aspects of the problem. First, a look at utterly
impoverished communities, which routinely live with
hunger.
A second theme of the hearing will be the debilitating
impact of drought, especially on already vulnerable
communities.
A third thread of the hearing will be on the
consequences of the collapse of livelihoods of poor
people, and its effects on chronic hunger.
As you know, despite 50 million tonnes of foodgrain
sitting idle in public warehouses, India has one of
the highest rates of undernutrition in the world. The
prevailing drought (now in it’s third year in some
parts of the country) has exacerbated the already dire
situation, with reports of extreme hunger and even
starvation deaths becoming increasingly common. This
reflects the failure of the State. The hearing seeks
to put this in perspective and put hunger on the
political agenda.
The programme is being organized by the Support Group
of the 'Right to Food Campaign' . The Right to Food
Campaign is a decentralized network of groups and
individuals across India, committed to realizing the
'right to food' through a variety of democratic means.
The Support Group consisting of Colin Gonsalves, Jean
Drèze, Harsh Mander and Kavita Srivatsava got together
to facilitate a public interest litigation [PUCL Vs
UoI and Ors] in April 2001.
Please join us at this public hearing. If you are
interested in covering the event, please contact us
for a media kit. More information on the campaign is
available at our website: www.righttofood.com
Sincerely,
Reetika Khera & S Vivek
(For the Support Group of Right to Food Campaign)
C O N T A C T D E T A I L S
Support Group of the Right to Food Campaign,
C/o. Centre for Equity Studies
C – 88, South – Extension – II
New Delhi – 110 049
www.righttofood.com
Contact Persons:
Reetika Khera (O) – 27666533-5
S Vivek (R) – 26341925 (O) – 8640571
e-mail:
right2food@yahoo.co.in