Our India is a multi-linguistic, multi-cultured, multi- religious country. But one thing which is common throughout our beloved nation is Beggars. If you live in a metropolitan city or a place what could be called a city then you must be aware of what I am talking about. The moment you halt your vehicle at a traffic light, a bunch of people will approach you. These are no ordinary people. They are the ‘beggars of our free India’. They might be semi-clad or naked, bruised or handicapped, with small infants hanging from their arm or a 100 year old aged man or woman. Trust me; they have got some serious talent to freak you out while you are impatiently waiting for that light to turn green. They come out of nowhere, peeping inside your car window or cleaning your vehicle glasses with a filthy cloth, or simply knock repeatedly until they drive you crazy. If you are lucky enough and traveling by an open auto or cycle rickshaw, they get to touch you too or have a little ride hanging on the back seat of that rickshaw.
There are times when you refuse to pay them and they curse you and swear at you with the words you never have had heard in this lifetime. One time, during a similar rendezvous with these kids, a little girl of approx. 10 years swore at my friend saying ‘ tere ladoo futtey’ . What the heck does that even mean? May your balls burst, I reckon. Ha! Pretty clever no?
Anyways, I have said enough about the clan. The real dilemma comes the moment these people actually come up with those teary eyes, begging for money or whatever you have got them. I get real tense and nervous when they come. Since childhood the notion of ‘work hard’ and ‘god help those who helps themselves’ has made home in our mind. At times you have seen your elders or parents refusing to give any alms and arguing about how they should get a job and live a decent life instead of begging on the roads. I have so many times heard -not to give in and pity these people because they have no self-respect and choose the easy way out to earn their livings.
I admit. When we see these people, we loathe them, roll up our windows and ignore them. Try to look here and there pretending we are having a very important conversation. Instead of money try giving them free advice, which obviously they don’t need. I also admit, I have tried doing all the above things and crossed every traffic signal victoriously without paying them a nickel. But the post-refusing effect was always hard to handle. The Guilt. How do you get past that? How do you eat when some beggars, hungry or just pretending are looking at you with those hopeful eyes? Who are we to preach them about what they should do? Are we perfect or just too proud? Just because we are sitting on the other side of the window, does that make us decide that these people are nothing but fake and pretending to be poor? Even if they are pretending, how can we rate them? How can we say with surety that they even manage to get a single meal a day?
So, to get over this guilt I always spare some money for them. In a country of ‘Rich become richer and poor become poorer’, everyone is a victim. Who knows what they are going through? Who knows why they have to beg? Who knows whose blessings might change our life? And then end of the day if we think about it, they are not as privileged as we are. We should thank god that we are not on that side of the road. And if we can spend those ten bucks on a smoke, we can very well spare the same to someone.
There are times when you refuse to pay them and they curse you and swear at you with the words you never have had heard in this lifetime. One time, during a similar rendezvous with these kids, a little girl of approx. 10 years swore at my friend saying ‘ tere ladoo futtey’ . What the heck does that even mean? May your balls burst, I reckon. Ha! Pretty clever no?
Anyways, I have said enough about the clan. The real dilemma comes the moment these people actually come up with those teary eyes, begging for money or whatever you have got them. I get real tense and nervous when they come. Since childhood the notion of ‘work hard’ and ‘god help those who helps themselves’ has made home in our mind. At times you have seen your elders or parents refusing to give any alms and arguing about how they should get a job and live a decent life instead of begging on the roads. I have so many times heard -not to give in and pity these people because they have no self-respect and choose the easy way out to earn their livings.
I admit. When we see these people, we loathe them, roll up our windows and ignore them. Try to look here and there pretending we are having a very important conversation. Instead of money try giving them free advice, which obviously they don’t need. I also admit, I have tried doing all the above things and crossed every traffic signal victoriously without paying them a nickel. But the post-refusing effect was always hard to handle. The Guilt. How do you get past that? How do you eat when some beggars, hungry or just pretending are looking at you with those hopeful eyes? Who are we to preach them about what they should do? Are we perfect or just too proud? Just because we are sitting on the other side of the window, does that make us decide that these people are nothing but fake and pretending to be poor? Even if they are pretending, how can we rate them? How can we say with surety that they even manage to get a single meal a day?
So, to get over this guilt I always spare some money for them. In a country of ‘Rich become richer and poor become poorer’, everyone is a victim. Who knows what they are going through? Who knows why they have to beg? Who knows whose blessings might change our life? And then end of the day if we think about it, they are not as privileged as we are. We should thank god that we are not on that side of the road. And if we can spend those ten bucks on a smoke, we can very well spare the same to someone.
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