All things great and small.
I have a friend who thinks big. Really big.
It's just one of the reasons I am glad to call him my friend. He's been in the NDA, done an MBA from one of India's top institutes, worked with an IT company and been all over Africa; he's now studying International Relations at Georgetown in the US and is currently on an internship with the global microfinancing agency FINCA in Kabul, Afghanistan. And that's just off the top of my head - his other activities, attributes, and experiences are just an embarrassment of riches.
This is his latest idea.
"
As you know, the world is facing a major food crisis, possibly the worst ever. There have been hunger riots all over the world from Haiti to Bangladesh with increasing prices and shortfall of food supply. Where I am, I see its impact more than anywhere. With rising oil prices, the crisis deepens. I'll skip the politics of it and the statistics. But in essence, it's a calamitous situation. We know this.
Then comes the question: What can we do about it?
Here's one answer to it.
On June 14, Saturday (one week from now), together, we will Fast. Nothing more, nothing less. For one full day, we will eat no food made of staple grains (wheat, rice, corn or barley which form the basic food for most the world's population). Wherever in the world we are.
From 1 am on June 14 till midnight that day, we will eat no food based on staple grains. That's it. As simple as that. The food saved from our individual consumption will create a minor but important savings in national food supplies. The more of us do this fast, the more the savings. And you'd have done your little bit to remedy the food crisis and save a hungry family.
Yes, it works. Most of us fast for Navratri, Ramadan, Tisha B'Av or Lent anyways. Treat this in the same spirit.
Think about it. No monetary contribution, no time or effort. A simple Act. And best of all, it'll be OUR action.
A few basic rules for June 14:
1. No food made from grains. This means no Rice, no Bread of any kind or cereal.
2. Pass on this message to any and all your colleagues. Feel free to explain why you're fasting. Feel free to discuss the causes, consequences of the food crisis and world hunger. Think of how the oil price rise could add to the misery of the poor.
3. Believe in it.
More reminders and dietary tips will come to you closer to June 14. Only plainspeak, no spam.
Inevitably, some people will laugh at this. Some will ignore it. Some will fast. The third category will make the difference. To us and others.
Can we do it? Yes. Will it make a difference? YES.
One day of our lives for all those too hungry to ask. Let's do it.
"
I am in, of course.
*************
Speaking of being in, in other news, I understand that if Oxford University has a college anthem or some such, I might be required to learn it.
Fast.
:-)
^
It's just one of the reasons I am glad to call him my friend. He's been in the NDA, done an MBA from one of India's top institutes, worked with an IT company and been all over Africa; he's now studying International Relations at Georgetown in the US and is currently on an internship with the global microfinancing agency FINCA in Kabul, Afghanistan. And that's just off the top of my head - his other activities, attributes, and experiences are just an embarrassment of riches.
This is his latest idea.
"
As you know, the world is facing a major food crisis, possibly the worst ever. There have been hunger riots all over the world from Haiti to Bangladesh with increasing prices and shortfall of food supply. Where I am, I see its impact more than anywhere. With rising oil prices, the crisis deepens. I'll skip the politics of it and the statistics. But in essence, it's a calamitous situation. We know this.
Then comes the question: What can we do about it?
Here's one answer to it.
On June 14, Saturday (one week from now), together, we will Fast. Nothing more, nothing less. For one full day, we will eat no food made of staple grains (wheat, rice, corn or barley which form the basic food for most the world's population). Wherever in the world we are.
From 1 am on June 14 till midnight that day, we will eat no food based on staple grains. That's it. As simple as that. The food saved from our individual consumption will create a minor but important savings in national food supplies. The more of us do this fast, the more the savings. And you'd have done your little bit to remedy the food crisis and save a hungry family.
Yes, it works. Most of us fast for Navratri, Ramadan, Tisha B'Av or Lent anyways. Treat this in the same spirit.
Think about it. No monetary contribution, no time or effort. A simple Act. And best of all, it'll be OUR action.
A few basic rules for June 14:
1. No food made from grains. This means no Rice, no Bread of any kind or cereal.
2. Pass on this message to any and all your colleagues. Feel free to explain why you're fasting. Feel free to discuss the causes, consequences of the food crisis and world hunger. Think of how the oil price rise could add to the misery of the poor.
3. Believe in it.
More reminders and dietary tips will come to you closer to June 14. Only plainspeak, no spam.
Inevitably, some people will laugh at this. Some will ignore it. Some will fast. The third category will make the difference. To us and others.
Can we do it? Yes. Will it make a difference? YES.
One day of our lives for all those too hungry to ask. Let's do it.
"
I am in, of course.
*************
Speaking of being in, in other news, I understand that if Oxford University has a college anthem or some such, I might be required to learn it.
Fast.
:-)
^
spouted by Non-Sensei at 6/07/2008 11:14:00 AM
9 Comments:
oho its "his" doing eh?
hau.
:)
NDA and then b-school??
keedhar se laa ku hain ji, yeh item logaan?
and what is with oxford talk??
@CE : hehe. ab mai kya bolna. aisich dostaan hai merku. :)
Yeh kaalej ke logaan bularein katte merku. jaake dekhinge sochroon mai. utta ich :)
Not meaning to undermine this noble idea, but I think what's more useful is to abide by the self-imposed rule, each day of your life:
Never to waste a morsel of food. To take only as much as you know you can polish off.
A day of fasting expresses an ideological standpoint, an admirable display opf solidarity for a cause... but what really counts is what you do each day for that cause, isn't it?
@H : oh yes, totally agree. i do, in fact, do that everyday. putting it up here was my contribution to my friend's efforts in involving as many people as possible.
hello??? where have you been? number's changed?
and i am off your list?????????
p.s. man! your posts are long!!
oh dear...missed this one.
any idea how it turned out?
@obscured : hello!! yes number changed. yes, off list cos i thought u'd abandoned the blog. yes, some posts are long.
u doing ok i hope?
@tangled : turned out decently actually. in fact, i think i will post the update next.
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