An Atlas of Hunger

There is a great diversity in the in­equality of social, cultural, political, demographic and economic facets of the vast structure of Indian society. Mani­festations of many of the various indivi­ous modes of inequality, innate in this society, often make us appear to be a queerly ‘hierarchical breed’ of people. But, what may be regarded as inequality, perhaps finds its nadir in the stark diffe­rentials that exist in the varying levels of success to economic resources. Population—‘the basic constituent of a nation—and food—the fundamental means of survival—depict a miserable account of inequality when considered in absolute terms. On an average, from the several estimates of the supply and demand for food-grains, since the incep­tion of the five year plans, there has been a greater availability of food grains com­pared to the demand for it.