Religion, Hunger, and the Face of Politics

Religion, Hunger, and the Face of Politics

✍️ By Rupesh Ranjan

Religion is meant to be a moral compass — a symbol of purity, discipline, and spiritual elevation.

But when it stands before hunger, it falls silent.

Because hunger does not understand sermons;

an empty stomach does not need philosophy, it needs food;

and life cannot run on faith alone — it needs opportunity.

In today’s world, religion — once a reflection of inner strength —

has become a tool in the hands of politics.

Political parties divide faith and caste

the same way merchants divide goods for profit.

Every election gives birth to new slogans —

some in the name of gods and goddesses,

others in the name of caste pride.

But amid all these promises,

the poorest homes remain without fire in their stoves.

Hunger has no religion.

It belongs neither to Hindus nor Muslims,

neither to the upper class nor the lower.

It knows only one truth — it needs bread.

Yet society has managed to divide even hunger

into categories of faith and community.

As a result, the real issues —

education, employment, healthcare, and equality —

have been pushed into the shadows.

Politics has turned religion into a weapon

and caste into arithmetic.

Platforms echo with speeches, promises, and declarations —

but the emptiness in people’s stomachs still remains.

Leaders bow in temples and mosques,

but seldom step into the huts of the hungry.

Religion has ceased to be a path of service;

it has become a ladder to power.

The true essence of religion lies in humanity —

in compassion, empathy, and service.

But today, religion has been reduced

to a tool of propaganda and political identity.

When a poor man watches his children starve,

“religion” becomes just another word —

empty, distant, meaningless.

We must remember:

“An empty stomach cannot sing hymns.”

This is not merely a proverb, but a social truth.

Until every human being has enough to eat,

talking about religion is a luxury of the privileged.

The truest form of faith is not worship,

but service —

to feed the hungry,

to clothe the naked,

and to heal the suffering.

Politics must also learn

that nations are not built on religion or caste,

but on justice and equality.

We need politics of ideas, not identities —

where human dignity stands above all.

For ultimately —

true religion is the one that understands hunger,

and true hunger is the one that teaches the value of religion.

✍️ Author: Rupesh Ranjan

(Writer, Thinker, and Social Observer)