HUNGER STRIKE AND

(This blog is not intended to disrespect or support any hunger strike or any people)

Wt is Hunger Strike & its history in India?

A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not solid food. A hunger strike cannot be effective if the fact that it is being undertaken is not publicized so as to be known by the people who are to be impressed, concerned or embarrassed by it.

Those who think Late Mahatma Gandhi first did hunger strike are wrong. In Valmiki Ramayana ,in the Ayodhya Kanda ,in Sarga (section) Bharata decided to do a hunger strike when he had gone to ask the exiled Rama to come back and rule the kingdom but despite many arguments he failed.Reference

Gandhi engaged in several famous hunger strikes to protest British rule of India. Fasting was a non-violent way of communicating the message and sometimes dramatically achieve the reason for the protest. This was keeping with the rules of Satyagraha.

Jatin Das, Bhagat Singh,Potti Sreeramulu & many others are famous for their hunger strike.

Duration of hunger strike

1. Irom Chanu Sharmila, from the remote state of Manipur that borders Myanmar has 10 years record of hunger strike Reference.

2. While in jail, Bhagat Singh (Sept 1907– Mar 1931) and other prisoners launched a hunger strike, which lasted for 64 days, advocating the rights of prisoners and those facing trial.

3. In December 2006, Mamata Banerjee staged a 25-day hunger strike at Metro Channel in Kolkata, demanding return of land forcibly acquired from unwilling farmers of Singur. Reference

4. Though Mahatma Gandhi sat on many fasts one of his important fast was in 1943. He was on fast for 21 days as a “penance for deadlock” between the Viceroy and Indian leaders.

Medical view of Hunger Strike

In the first 3 days, the body is still using energy from glucose. After that, the liver starts processing body fat, in a process called ketosis. After 3 weeks the body enters a "starvationmode". At this point the body "mines" the muscles and vital organs for energy, and loss of bone marrow becomes life-threatening.

Reference

Do u think women are better hunger striker than men?

Because of the reason that women have generally more fat reserve in their body,they get more advantage than men to prolong their hunger strike specially when glucose reserve finishes.

( May be thats why Baba Ramdev became sick earlier!!! than Mamata)

How to go on hunger strike safely?

Then read this http://www.wikihow.com/Go-on-a-Hunger-Strike-Safely

Now i'll refer u to some articles

Hunger and Starvation Deaths In India: A Serious Concern

Rising starvation deaths in Shining India

INDIA: Starvation deaths ongoing due to administrative neglect

Murshidabad starvation death in West Bengal

Hunger Facts

1. 1/3^rd of the worldÂ’s hungry live in India.

2. 836 million Indians survive on less than Rs. 20 (less than half-a-dollar) a day.

3. Over 20 crore Indians will sleep hungry tonight.

4. 10 million people die every year of chronic hunger and hunger-related diseases. Only eight percent are the victims of hunger caused by high-profile earthquakes, floods, droughts and wars.

5. India has 212 million undernourished people – only marginally below the 215 million estimated for 1990–92.

6. 99% of the 1000 Adivasi households from 40 villages in the two states, who comprised the total sample, experienced chronic hunger (unable to get two square meals, or at least one square meal and one poor/partial meal, on even one day in the week prior to the survey). Almost as many (24.1 per cent) had lived in conditions of semi-starvation during the previous month.

7. Over 7000 Indians die of hunger every day.

8. Over 25 lakh Indians die of hunger every year.

http://www.bhookh.com/hunger_facts.php

When we are too much bother about Baba Ramdev's hunger strike we should not forget that huge number of common people are suffering from same pain for many years.

Though a blog in DH 'll not change the situation, but it can influence few doctors to stand beside poor people when ever possible.

To end with some quotes...

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."- Margaret Mead

"What the people of the world want most and have always wanted is bread and peace." - Patricia Young, UN General Assembly

Thank you,

Dr. Indrajit Rana