FROM LOCAL STRUGGLES TO GLOBAL INSIGHTS: MULTIDISCIPLINARY READINGS OF HUNGER, POVERTY, AND RESISTANCE IN SO MANY HUNGERS!

Abstract

Bhabani Bhattacharya’s So Many Hungers! (1947) is not only a story about famine and hunger but also a story about the human spirit, moral values, and social awakening. Set during the Bengal Famine of 1943, it tells how millions of people suffered and died not because of nature, but because of human greed and wrong policies. The novel shows how hunger, poverty, and injustice are created by systems that value power and profit over people. Bhattacharya connects the pain of local people in Bengal to the universal issues of inequality and human rights. This paper reads So Many Hungers! from a multidisciplinary point of view — combining literature, history, sociology, politics, and ethics — to understand how Bhattacharya turns a local tragedy into a global message. The novel reminds us that hunger is not just the absence of food; it is also the absence of fairness, compassion, and justice. Through characters like Kajoli, Devesh Basu, and Rahoul, Bhattacharya presents a vision of social change built on courage, awareness, and human dignity. His message connects deeply with the goals of sustainable development and transformative learning, teaching that real progress must include empathy and equality. Keywords: Hunger, poverty, resistance, human dignity, social justice, Bhabani Bhattacharya.