A friend of mine once narrated an incident from his home town Angul, a mid sized city in central Odisha. Not so long ago he was there to attend a marriage ceremony in his family. Following the normal custom, at the end of the reception they summoned the local beggars, asking them to help themselves with the leftover food. But this time the beggars sprang a surprise by politely refusing to take this offer. The reason, they have formed an association and have specific territories allocated to different groups as franchise. Now my friend's house belonged to another group. So they didn't want to step on the toes of their sorority fraternity by encroaching upon their territory, lest they face the Beggar Union's wrath. Nobody ever turned up. Not waiting any further and let the food perish, they dumped it outside to the delight of the pariah dogs, who did not have to consult any association and gladly feasted over it.
Who says beggars can't be choosers? These days they won't take anything less that 1 rupee. In some big cities due to inflation nothing less than Rs. 5 is acceptable. I know someone being rebuked by a beggar BHIKHARI SAMAJH RAKHA HAI KYA ( do you think I am a beggar), when offered a 2 rupee coin. We know how begging has been commercialized, becoming some kind of organised mafia. Do certain scenes from the movies TRAFFIC SIGNAL and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE ring a bell ?
In a scene from the former movie, a guy sympathizes and slips some changes into the hands of a beggar at a Traffic Signal. The same evening he had a surprise in store. The beggar, whom he saw earlier was standing next to him in a Multiplex Restroom (toilet). To his astonishment followed by chagrin, the well attired beggar started whistling while relieving himself and winked at him. Arguments ensued and the public watching the drama took the side of the beggar, admonishing the hapless fellow for his unsubstantiated accusation.
Another close buddy of mine narrated a funny event from years back in Bhubaneswar. His family used to give a liberal dosage of food and money to a lame beggar. For years he has seen him limping around. One fine morning he saw the beggar at another place, this time walking straight without any sign of limp. No sooner than their eyes met he started running, my annoyed friend giving him a chase. The beggar, now no more limping, scooted away sprinting at a lightning speed, melting inside the crowd. My poor friend unable to catch him, returned like the gasping Cheetah on National Geographic after a failed chase to catch its pray.
How to stop this menace ? I might sound rude, but the only way is just STOP giving alms, period. Unless you are personally convinced that the recipient is in dire need of some urgent help, you are throwing your money down the drain. Once the source of money dries up, it won't take long before they face drought, leading to the inevitable desert of their profession.
No comments:
Post a Comment