The Poor or Beggars.....??




The traffic signal falls to RED. I switched off my car only to look around the ‘not so interesting’ place. I wouldn’t look to my left as I didn’t want a ‘mouth watering’ session to happen as it usually happens when I see Mc.Donalds. So that meant I was empty enough to emanate a stare at two pretty girls passing by. Who said it’s a ‘not so interesting’ place.! Next, I would contemplate the side on my right and that is when I almost got lurched when I encountered the sudden sight of this woman begging, knocking on my window shield. She had a baby with her as well. She appeared awful& battered. It certainly appeared it wasn’t easy for the destitute woman & the child to fend for themselves and survive.

Her eyes had a story to tell, obviously ‘Poverty’ written all over it. I assume the eyes said – ‘ Look at me struggle in this heat. Homeless I am. I make a day with no more than what u spend on a single meal. And look at the pathetic state of my baby. Please donate something’.
Almost oblivious of her presence , staring at her, I was lost in another world of thoughts altogether. Assuming my silent stare to be supercilious ignorance her face began to wear a different look now. The story of her eyes was seeing twists now. I assume those eyes now said- ‘What is that stare all about? You rich, parsimonious people think about donating a negligible little amount so much.! How does it matter to you people anyway? What fulsomely atrocious people you are.! Curses to you’.

Well, if it was a month ago, I would have made a generous donation and felt ecstatic for having done a great deed. It was an article in a newspaper which ignited a thought on my perception towards beggars. I had read – Woman rent months’ old babies for begging to attract sympathy, which they hope materializes to ‘money’. How depressing.! That was when I took umbrage on beggars. Just a bunch of lazy brats is how I can describe them best now. Maybe the old are exceptions. I realize helping ‘beggars’ is different to helping the ‘poor’. I also realize that my past ‘apparent good deeds’ now reads as ‘Encouraging Beggary’.

Anyway back to the present, the woman still agonizingly staring, not willing to budge but yet hopeful. I downed the window shield hyping her hopes. But all I had in store was this innocent, irritating smile, the smile that I employ when I ask my dad for pocket money, the smile that pisses off one and all. If her eyes said stories, so did my smile. Done with the smile, unable to prevent a glance at the Mc.Donalds, with no more pretty girls to stare at, I drove off…..

Now tell me what should I do the next time a beggar approaches me...

34 comments:

  Lakshman Srikanth

May 14, 2008 at 8:53 PM

Your post talks about Indian Economy dude! , What the hell is government doing about this??? uhh, just fighing for POWER~!!????
I think we all should unite and help them out!

Next time you better tell them to join NGO's or private organizations who can help them out~! I hope it makes more sense in their lives!

  Manorath

May 14, 2008 at 11:23 PM

u better watch traffic signal (by madhur bandharkar).. its a business over there man.. but i cant jus say that all the beggars are sophisticated with their pre plans.. it was a good take on the peopl we shoo away most often.. but personally, i would give atleast 5rs if i come across any, particularly old peopl.. i jus cant leave them in that state..

  Arjun

May 15, 2008 at 10:47 AM

@ mano
I know the old are helpless and its worth if u can help them....
I'm talking abt the younger ones....Small children.. My question is - if u donate something to say a 10 yr old child, wont that be encouraging beggary...Will that child ever think of anything else in lyf....
Afterall finding a job for survival isn't impossible....
Thats where I accept wit Lakshman , the govt. has to step in... But tat sounds like a joke presently though....

  sunny_raju

May 15, 2008 at 11:12 AM

well go by ur conciousness, u can judge ppl asking for alms on roads, as u told if they r old, n handicapped do donate, not to ladies with small kids

  Sibz

May 15, 2008 at 11:29 AM

an eye opening post

  Gagan

May 15, 2008 at 11:46 AM

really nice !!!

  Arjun

May 15, 2008 at 11:57 AM

@gagan..

Wats nice?? U dont have to comment if u arent readin it....
How do u expect ppl to read ur blogs nd comment on it....??
Sick....

  Sanz

May 15, 2008 at 12:13 PM

hey...

this is pretty much the same way i feel about beggars... there is simply no way of demarcating how poor a beggar really is... not that i can come up with a fool-proof solution to this... but i never pay them... the last thing i want them to do is blow away my bucks on a cigarette...! well... as for next time you see a beggar... if you can... give them some food... poor or not, hungry or not... never hurts to feed a stomach (& well... your own vision beholding McDonalds gave me this hint!)

Good post!

  Arjun

May 15, 2008 at 12:17 PM

Wow...Well said...
Thanks for tat...

  CRD

May 15, 2008 at 12:22 PM

it is a bit confusing man.its difficulat to decide what to do. ive personally seen some beggars(young/middle aged women) carry kids for sympathy, and intentionally make em cry so as to garner more sympathy and eventually money. it makes ur blood boil when u see someone taking advantage of ur conscience.

i usually only help old beggars and lepers

  Arjun

May 15, 2008 at 12:31 PM

@crd
Tat's wat i usually do as well....
So, we r not showing arrogancy by neglecting younger beggars rt??

  Manorath

May 15, 2008 at 6:34 PM

hmm.. small kids?? then i would do the same.. it may encourage them to keep begging.. but i dont want them to start involving in stealing or anythin worse than that.. what i feel is that they must b forcibly taken care of by govt..

  Tina

May 16, 2008 at 12:57 PM

helping beggars is diff frm helping the poor.. i second this statement...It is true to some extent if nt more that ppl beg with kids by thier side..to create sympathy..the kids are beaten up too badly...i would go and donate the same money to an orphanage and not not beggars....

They are nasty i tell u...i had this enounter few months bak ...wen i was in the beach and suddenly thr was this gal...she will be abt 13-14 yrs..and she was begging..the min i declined frm offering her money..she started getin abusive....

So ya..dnt waste ur money on these beggars....

Gud post ari...u can get in a lotta views for this

Cheers
Tee

  Adijo

May 16, 2008 at 7:11 PM

Great write-up..
I never give beggars any money..as sanz said, give em food..we all feel bad for them..but ive seen beggards wasting away money on packets of goa, and so forth..

once i gave this beggar a packet of sweet bread..he refused it and said that he wanted money..doesnt that say it all?

  Arjun

May 16, 2008 at 7:14 PM

Hey gr8 to see different stories from all of u...
Thanks for the interaction to all... :)

  Nefariousoutlook

May 16, 2008 at 8:09 PM

well i am sure that a lot of people would face such a situation considering the fact that a significant percentage of indian population is still below the poverty line ...so i guess a lot would like to know what do so in such a situation

nicely written!!

keep posting !!

  Pranay

May 17, 2008 at 6:31 PM

hmm... u brought up a really sensitive and tricky matter.. u know, u cant really judge by their face whether they are faking it or not.. i hv even read that beggers intentionally amutate their limbs so as to attract sympathy and money..
but u know, sumtms when a small boy comes to u teary eyed, asking for a rupee, u cant help but give him that. Though i strongly feel that one shudnt promote begging like this, but at times ur heart goes out for them...
You know what, the next time if someone, especially a child begs money to u, then give her a pat on the back and ask a simple "How are u?"... u'll be doing a better deed than giving money.. He'll remember that for years..
ohh i can go on and on...

  abymittal

May 19, 2008 at 12:54 PM

quite honest introspection..i must say! there is a soft corner gor the beggars and needy but there is a flip side as well..u tend to encourage them by yielding to their badgering. the beggars are a menace but still they are an inseperable part of indian sociey

  Matangi Mawley

May 20, 2008 at 12:19 AM

personally, i dont give money whn a beggar approaches me. i dont earn right nw, afterall. bt if i see kids.. i get a biscuit packet frm sme nearby shop n give. i dont give money to kids.. for who knows.. evn if the kid is gettin to use it or nt..
i m nt very clear abt whether begging shd b encouraged or nt.. so cant samy more on it.

  Collection Of Stars

May 21, 2008 at 2:07 PM

I am with you on this one. I have heard/read such horror stories about people stealing babies and then disabling them to aid in their begging. Have you noticed that most of the babies that these so called beggars carry are most of the time injured and bleeding?

  Deepz

May 25, 2008 at 1:36 PM

there are many cramped beggars..there is nothing wrong in giving them the money..but not to imposers..

u have to judge em..

  i'm_alive

May 26, 2008 at 12:53 PM

To start with...nice picture! It tells the story what you've put in words below.

Your words have a sense of reality; as this situation is faced by many people everyday...

Keep writing :)

  my inner world

May 27, 2008 at 2:33 PM

i dont much believe in giving the money to the needy whether a beggar or a poor person, the best thing is to give them food and other things that are necessry. i try not to avoid any possible help from me whenever i see them.

whether they have rented the baby or not one thing is sure they are poor and we cant resist helping them :)

  keerthana

May 29, 2008 at 3:30 PM

Hey guys...

Its not that if we give food to them they be happy.. its that they'll be monitoring by their higher ups as begging has become a sort of business... But there will be some beggers they really feel happy as i have experienced that...


Arjun, i feel that ur way of bloggin is bit changed.. it would be good if u can change ur style..

Nice topic u chose..

Good keep going..

Keerthana

  sriram

May 29, 2008 at 5:41 PM

the best blog with best goodies in it good work arjun

  ArUn raFi

May 29, 2008 at 7:52 PM

even i feel caught in the same situation..sometimes i dont give bt then sometimes i do when i feel like..as it gives great satisfactin ,even if its not going fr th ryt cause..makes me happy..tht atleast i have tried to do whatever i can..sometimes u just cant say no as they keep on pestering u..
give them something in kind if u have time..so tht u dont feel guilty..

  mansi

May 31, 2008 at 10:28 PM

gud one ther...actually....a newspaper reporter worked on this beggar issue..n found out...they earn 40-50 bucks per hr begging.....
infct...i experienced this sometime bck.wen a beggar kid...was hit by a car...n was admitted to a govt hospital...wel the thng wch wil sound surprising is.....tht since he didnt like the hospt services...he gt himself admintted in a prvte hospt spendin 30,000 rs....
aint it surprising......!!!!

  arjun

June 2, 2008 at 3:26 PM

@mansi

Oh...amazing..!!
Out of the savings account i guess..!!lolz

  RINZU RAJAN

June 23, 2008 at 3:51 PM

these people on traffic signals are unreal...!!!

most of the time...

  Mads

June 27, 2008 at 11:33 AM

better to look at mcdonalds and suffer than be in such a dilemma, dont u think? :(

  Misty Rhythm

August 25, 2008 at 2:22 PM

sad, but true. i've even heard stories about how the "beggers" have a boss n most of wat they earn is taken by them. hhmm...i usually donate some food item (if i have any wid me at the time). i mean the whole point of begging is to feed themselves n their families right?!

  Dan*

August 28, 2008 at 6:36 PM

You give something to one person next day he brings his family :P

Same thing happened to my friend the next day and caught his legs so that he couldn't get away :D

  sandeep

September 11, 2008 at 10:46 PM

Has any1 seen the movie "traffic signal"??Most of u can find ur answers to this post "poor or Beggars"after seeing that....
These ppl are not actually so poor that they need to beg,but it has become more like a profession for them.....Easy money after all.
If some one really wants to help the beggars, help them by giving some food instead of money which most of them spend for their other uses(smoking,drinking)....
We cant change them,its the way they have chosen....ppl can say tht they have no other option,but if they really try,they will find many oppurtunities......

  Pretty Me!!

December 4, 2008 at 3:46 PM

good point ! i agree myself to this and refrain from giving anythign to beggars...