Our country is developing. We are driven to change the view of India as seen from the eyes of those dwelling elsewhere in the world. Thus, in the wake of the Common Wealth Games, we witness an overflow of metro lines and renovations of airports. We are also taking the animals away from the roads, working on maintaining cleanliness and doing much more.
From the stray dog on the streets to the participants of the Games, everybody has been thought of, with the exception of the beggars. For the purpose of our discussion, beggars are those who are found in public places asking for money or spare change.
That beggary needs to be banned remains undisputed, however no consensus has been attained on how to prevent it. A solution for the problem of begging is difficult to find because begging is not just an economic problem, it’s a social and psychological difficulty that is linked to law and order issues. Besides, there is a rising fear that begging has become an industry in nexus with the underworld
It is indeed a rather complex matter. There is this persisting tug of war, a dilemma, forming in my thoughts. Here is an attempt to put it into words. Imagine a man in rags asking for money at the traffic signal on the vast roads of Delhi. His body bears testimony to his unhygienic, unsafe and troubled life. Now, if you give don’t give him money, he will starve or get penalised for not collecting enough money, and if you do give him money, you add miles to the stride of the so-called industry. So what do we do?
Our generation knows that begging is bad and that it is to be abolished. Our plan of action is simple-avoid their existence and refuse to give them any money. But given their numbers, letting them starve is hardly a solution. In no attempt to glorify a beggar, one who lives not knowing whether there is a meal coming his way or not and yet does not kill himself, is doing no meagre task by living. It’s a battle for existence.
My stomach forms a tight knot when I see young ones naked on the streets wailing for their young mothers who are leaning on some pulled up car-window. Can I do anything? At the level of an individual, I think that it is important to give away in kind and not in cash. Also, remember that they are humans with dignity, offer a smile when you see them. They are not to be ignored, nobody who walks the planet, with whom you share space, is to be ignored.
It is a complex problem. But it that it is a problem is beyond deliberation. The law of the land is not going to bring about the required change in the situation. That is, putting beggars in juvenile homes or prison is not a good enough solution. Perhaps it is time for state bureaucracies, to join hands with voluntary organisations especially those run by youth and give them all the help and support they need. The purpose is to direct individual efforts in a productive manner and form a regional movement. If there is organisation and order, what NGOs are achieving today slowly, can be replicated widely.
Even while I say it, the abstract nature of this suggestion strikes me. I am also not unaware of the fact that begging is not all that easy to eradicate. However, we can not let a huge chunk of our population just call the roads their homes. It becomes the responsibility of each privileged person to do something for those who are challenged. From where I see it, our consolidated privileges due to discriminated exposure to opportunity and resources on the one hand; and the resultant unequal income distribution on the other hand, partly form the reasons why they are on the streets in the first place. But of course, the issue is bigger than that and the net of reasons must not trap our activity towards the cause of eradication of beggary (not merely the beggars).
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The Author is a I yr BA Journalism Honours student and an executive member of the Webteam of DevelopmentChannel.org
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