A Satire Of Nasira Sharma's Hunger
Nasira Sharma’s Hunger is a satire on the socio economic condition that prevailed in Iran after the Iranian Revolution of 1978-79. The country’s fortunes surged but the masses suffered. The apparent prosperity of the nation with the ‘petroleum storehouse’ concealed the actual reality and the ordeals of the masses.
In the beginning of the story we see that things are expensive but people were buying them anyway. Huge investments were supposed to generate more avenues for employment but it’s ironic that there was large scale unemployment. Rizwan had received a job through an acquaintance in the Kihaan newspaper. He was supposed to submit the interview of five people along with their names and addresses. Seeing a middle aged rag seller Kasim,
Rizwan hastened to interview him. He tells Rizwan that the ‘new government’ had sent him to interview the poor, to help them, to talk with them and ascertain their problems so that they could live a better life. However, Kasim is aware of these electoral gimmicks. “Are you a tout or ...” questioned Kasim. It’s ironic that the political leaders are mostly successful in convincing the poor ones like Kasim to take part in processions, shout slogans all day and eventually sleep ‘hungry’ without a better tomorrow and their promises too are forgotten. It is not only Kasim who is suffering but his earlier generations too suffered. They had to die because of hunger pangs, cold. Neither the Shah’s regime nor the present policies have brought any development in the life of the poor. It simply widens the gulf between the rich and the poor. Their immense labour seems to be of no avail to them. There were sweeping land reforms but Kasim had no land. All these situations are ironic situations.
The sense of irony is further heightened by the fact that it is not only the uneducated lower classes that suffer but also the educated middle classes. Rizwan’s father had died two years ago, his mother was ill and his two younger brothers had to drop out of school. Rizwan’s pocket was devoid of any penny. It only had the bus pass. Owing to his miserable plight that was no better than that of a rag seller, Rizwan writes his own name on Kasim’s interview and submits it as this was the stipulated condition. Exhausted and famished with a stomach gnawing with hunger pangs, he desired to reach home as soon as possible.
In the beginning of the story we see that things are expensive but people were buying them anyway. Huge investments were supposed to generate more avenues for employment but it’s ironic that there was large scale unemployment. Rizwan had received a job through an acquaintance in the Kihaan newspaper. He was supposed to submit the interview of five people along with their names and addresses. Seeing a middle aged rag seller Kasim,
Rizwan hastened to interview him. He tells Rizwan that the ‘new government’ had sent him to interview the poor, to help them, to talk with them and ascertain their problems so that they could live a better life. However, Kasim is aware of these electoral gimmicks. “Are you a tout or ...” questioned Kasim. It’s ironic that the political leaders are mostly successful in convincing the poor ones like Kasim to take part in processions, shout slogans all day and eventually sleep ‘hungry’ without a better tomorrow and their promises too are forgotten. It is not only Kasim who is suffering but his earlier generations too suffered. They had to die because of hunger pangs, cold. Neither the Shah’s regime nor the present policies have brought any development in the life of the poor. It simply widens the gulf between the rich and the poor. Their immense labour seems to be of no avail to them. There were sweeping land reforms but Kasim had no land. All these situations are ironic situations.
The sense of irony is further heightened by the fact that it is not only the uneducated lower classes that suffer but also the educated middle classes. Rizwan’s father had died two years ago, his mother was ill and his two younger brothers had to drop out of school. Rizwan’s pocket was devoid of any penny. It only had the bus pass. Owing to his miserable plight that was no better than that of a rag seller, Rizwan writes his own name on Kasim’s interview and submits it as this was the stipulated condition. Exhausted and famished with a stomach gnawing with hunger pangs, he desired to reach home as soon as possible.