We do not want Manna wa Salwa (Manna)

When the Prophet Moses (may peace be upon him) led his followers to the desert after saving them from the clutches of the Pharaoh, they very shortly ran out of the food. Seeing the plight of his people, Prophet Moses prayed to the Almighty for food. And there descended the Manna wa Salwa (Manna), The Israelis ate the birds and the sweet beans for a while and then they complained to the Prophet that they needed onions, garlic and pulses as they had become fed up with the same food day and night. The Prophet Moses tried to convince his people not to displease the God by rejecting the heavenly food. But the Israelis were hard to convince. So the Prophet prayed for the food his people wanted and God obliged and stopped Manna wa Salwa. And from then on, the Israelis grew onions and garlic and pulses and denied themselves of the heavenly food they once ate without any effort.

The same situation is now being faced by the flood victims of Pakistan. In all camps they are given cooked rice day and night. Now that they have somewhat settled in their temporary tent villages, they have also started complaining of the the rice only food everyday. Instead they demand curry and bread, which mostly the food of our rural people. One can appreciate their plight to eat something that they are not accustomed to, it is also very difficult to cook bread in hundreds separately than the curry. So in order to get flour and other items, they have started selling the food packages, mostly comprising of rice and similar items.

Men in distress are always hard to please and to satisfy their demands as the do not understand the constraints and compulsions of the organizers. At this time the whole nation is collecting everything it can for the flood victims and obviously it is an uphill task to cater for demands of everyone. May be they will have to settle for Manna wa Salwa for a while till better arrangements are made for provision of other types of traditional cooked food for them.