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thy hand, great anarch, originally uploaded by Sayantan Bera.

A malnourished child reeling under high fever is finally blessed with the magic touch of a retired doctor. At the primary health care centre (PHC), Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh.

WHEN THE Right to food campaign (RFC) submitted a list of 325 malnutrition deaths across four districts in Madhya Pradesh to draw the attention of the government to the seriousness of the issue, the response they got was a flat denial. Malnutrition, the government said, cannot be a cause for death; the cause was, in fact, other related illnesses.

According to the UNICEF, 2.1 million deaths occur every year in India of children who are under five, half of which are due to under nourishment. Thirty percent of new born in India are born with low birth weight.On October 14, 2008, the first-ever India Hunger Index was released along with the global Hunger Index by International Food Policy and Research Institute (IFPRI). It found that India ranked 66 among 88 countries in the index where Madhya Pradesh had the most severe level of hunger in the country, placing India between Ethiopia and Chad.

The story and photograph appeared as a part of a photo feature published in the Tehelka Magazine.