Dealing with the hidden hunger of our children

New Delhi :  A recent article in the New York Times by Somini Sengupta points out that despite galloping economic growth in India, we have one of the worst malnutrition rates in the world. Sub-Saharan Africa, which conjures up images of famines and emaciated babies, has almost half our percentage of underweight children.

So why is there little discussion in the Indian media on the whole issue of malnutrition? When you speak of malnutrition, the response is often glazed eyes and a bored look. In journalism slang, subjects which excite a reader's attention instantly are termed "sexy", those which do not evoke immediate interest are termed "turnoffs". For instance, people respond immediately when they read about starvation deaths during famines and disasters. But it is less easy to evoke sympathy and support when the plight of the victims does not hit you squarely in the face. Ninety per cent of malnutrition cases in India are of the chronically undernourished, where there are not necessarily obvious outward symptoms. Nevertheless this malnutrition doubles our infant mortality rate, making the child twice as susceptible to disease because of lowered immunity.

In India, we suffer largely from "hidden hunger" which does not always manifest itself in an emaciated appearance. It is a hunger caused by the constant or recurrent lack of food of sufficient quality and quantity. It is the deprivation of vitamins and minerals, essential micronutrients which are necessary for proper growth, physical fitness and mental development. Seventy per cent of Indian children suffer from anaemia (iron deficiency) and over 50 per cent suffer from serious vitamin A deficiency.

If hidden hunger is a not a sexy subject, debates on how to fight this malady are even more of a turnoff. This perhaps explains why articles on nutrition programmes in India focus generally on the only sexy solution, the need for hot cooked meals. There is a tendency to look with suspicion on other nutrition initiatives, acceptable worldwide, to combat malnutrition. Sometimes writers even hint darkly that other initiatives promoted by reputed international bodies are simply conspiracies to favour corrupt contractors or business interests.

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