The food wastage myth

There is a photo widely circulating in the social media that advises the people to stop wasting milk by pouring it on a Shivling or other statues of Hindu Gods and instead give the milk to a poor child. Many ordent hindus are also sharing and circulating this message without thinking twice. No religion advises people to rob the poor and offer instead to God. In fact, there is this legend of Swami Rama Tirtha carrying the holy Ganga water from Kashi to Rameswaram to be poured on the Shivling there, and using it instead, midway, to quench the thirst of a dying donkey.

But is the milk poured on a Shivling or God's statue really wastage? These statues are made of special stones with medicinal values and also sanctified and enriched daily by the devotion of thousands of people who worship them and also the waves of Mantras chanted in the temples. The milk thus poured on these statues attains miraculous healing powers. And it's usually not wasted either. It's distributed among the devotees. I personally know people who were cured of terminal cancer and other diseases just by consuming such holy milk.

Compare that to the food wastage we Indians commit by other means everyday. How much food is wasted in our extravagant marriages? Why do we serve tens of varieties in the marriages just to show-off? No sane person can eat so many varieties in a single meal and most of this food gets thrown in the garbage. The supermarkets reject or throw out many vegetables and fruits just because of minor blemishes or deformities.

How much food is wasted in borrowed festivals like the Tomatina Festival? How much food is wasted by the movie industry in filming the fight scenes, just to create a visual effect? How much food is wasted in the high-end restaurants that don't allow you to serve a second time in the same plate? How many gallons of milk is wasted to pour on the statues of political leaders or the cutouts of cine heroes? How many eggs and tomatoes are wasted for throwing at the leaders or actors people don't like?

Instead of asking these difficult questions, some people take the easy route of targeting the Hindu customs, that ultimately try to benefit the ecosystem and preserve the harmony of Nature, by projecting them as superstitions or unnecessary wastage. Please wake up to this fact and start thinking rationally and protect our way of life.