According to international standardisation, the day called World Food Day falls on October 16 every year, and it is particularly notable that there is a unique theme for the World Food Day every year.
Thus, this year too there is a unique theme and it is somewhat questionable whether the Food Day is really a meaningful celebration. In other countries of the world, it may make sense to set aside a day for food and celebrate it in a special way. But for Sri Lanka, which is known as the "Granary of the Eastern World", today it is somewhat of a dilemma.
It is sad to say that most of the Sri Lankan people are suffering from the current food crisis in Sri Lanka and there are people who are living only on water for several days. There are children who bring only a pack of rice with a single leafy curry, while there are children who bring the empty lunch box to school for the afternoon meal. At a time when even the children are suffering with such difficulties, the day celebrated as World Food Day is not useful for the majority of Sri Lankans.
But it should also be said that there are people living in Sri Lanka who can celebrate this World Food Day. Many wealthy rulers may be celebrating this food day on the exact day. But the sad fact is that they have little or no feeling for those who are starving without food. In the parliament, which is considered to be a key organisation with power in Sri Lanka, it is a reasonable disappointment to think about how much curry, food and desserts are received by the ministerial powers and are wasted. Also, it is certain that they do not even think for a moment about the amount of starving people that can be satisfied with the food and the public money that is wasted every day in the parliament.
So, can Sri Lankans understand the true reality of the latest style of World Food Day celebrations? It is a question for everyone whether it makes sense to dedicate days for food this way.
Leaving something for all of you to think about, I pause to ponder whether it is meaningful or necessary to celebrate the day.
