The Stomach that moulds life!

Rajan was getting ready for school, he was looking forward to it. The day before it had been a hard day for him, masterji had not been very kind....not kind enough to let go of his incorrect sums...maths was always a mystery to him, but he took it up as a challenge, a challenge to do his best to stay in school as long as possible, since his stomach fought a tough battle of patience and longing for the sumptuous mid day meal that was distributed in school everyday.
All his friends, kalu, meera, kabir, junaid, suresh, all of them had joined school for the same reason.
The lessons on the history of the nation did interest them, the various stories of the great warriers came as a boost for their not so easy life...Like brave warriers they too fought with their hunger and celebrated their victory when the mid day meal was served.
The dinners and breakfast at home were a rare sight, their mothers got their meals in the houses they worked for and sometimes saved a little for their kids and spouse and their fathers were labourers working day and night with a cloth tied to their stomach to stop the hunger pangs...they too were lucky to be given something to eat when the owner felt generous enough....life was not a bed of roses for Rajan and his friends, coming from poor families, their happiness rested in the school corridors.
It was late in the afternoon, Rajan had not had anything to eat since day before, he was extremely hungry and was waiting for the midday meals to be served...the wait got longer but there was no sign of the food lorry.
Time passed......The break got over..... masterji came in the class and started a new lesson.....weakened by his hunger, Rajan, with innocent drooping eyes asked his teacher...masterji aren't we getting food today?"
Masterji looked at him, and a shadow of sadness covered his face...no my boy didn't you hear the news.....the cooked meal program has been disrupted due to shortage of food grains, there are some problems going on. Rajan cried out, " what problems masterji!"...his teacher had a worried look , "you won't understand kid, the HRD ministry and the Department of Food and Public Distribution are locked in a payment spat...."
Rajan," no masterji, I understand it well..." those people are unable to understand my hunger!!!!"
With tears in his eyes Rajan started flipping the pages of his notebook....food was the reason why his father had allowed him to study and food would be the reason for him to drop out of school to earn his bread....
After all what would alphabets do if one doesn't have the strength to understand them????????