Is he the son ?

This boy, I presume, is the son of the lady in yesterday’s picture. The boy came up to me after his mother had, and stretched his hand out. I rolled down the window this time and asked him why he was begging, first in Tamil and then in Hindi. He didn’t open his mouth. I asked him if I could take a picture of his, he didn’t reply to that either. I then clicked this picture and he then put his hand out again, and I paid him ten rupees for it. I wanted to tell him that he should go to school and become smart, and that the ten rupees were not alms but just fees for modeling, just like the people in the hoarding behind him and maybe he would someday be a big film star. Just words of encouragement. But alas, he wouldn’t listen; the moment money exchanged hands he walked away towards the next car, leaving me think about the things that I wanted to tell him.

I am saying that that ladies son, but I couldn’t be sure about it at all. Beggars here generally don’t have any family. They just tag along together to earn pity. Father and daughter, mother and son. Man with old crumbled parents. More time than not, its all just a set up. They can change their families and blood relatives just for the sake of a few rupees, but if what I hear is true, it’s just not a few rupees. Begging is a multi million dollar industry.

A beggar and her son

Begging for alms, I presume, is the world’s oldest profession. I was driving from Egmore to Kilpauk via Ega Bridge, and while I was on the bridge waiting for the signal to turn green, I noticed this lady. She walked towards my car and asked for alms. I’m a little soft inside so I thought id give her a rupee or two. But my friend, who was sitting beside me started lecturing me on how I shouldn’t be encouraging these sort of people. I only had time to click a picture, and by the time I rolled down my glasses, the lady had moved on to the car behind mine.

Begging here in Chennai is like a disease. So many people do it. Some do it genuinely because they are incapable of doing anything else. Some people do it to specify a particular need; some lost travelers do it because they have been robbed or have lost their belonging and just need enough money to buy a ticket back home. Some do it, just because their parents did. Some are even forced to do it by the begging mafia i.e. their hands and legs are cut of and they are put on the street to beg. In a society like ours, people generally give to beggars so they will be rewarded in the hereafter and not out of pity for the beggars and their living standards. It’s quite common to see one person from a group giving a beggar alms, even when another from the same group has refused and tried chasing the beggar away. This is due to the fear of being cursed. Tomorrow I will show you a picture of this ladies son; or at least I think he is.

Homeless

I took this picture on my way back home from the office at about 4 am, stopped over at the pharmacy to pick up some stuff for my dad, I got into the car and turned on the lights and realised these people sleeping on the sidewalk outside a hospital.These people sit down and the sidewalk during the day and take alms and at night its thier resting place. Beggers in Chennai make more than what a normal man with a normal job makes, but they save everything, but I have never understood why they save so much. Its my birthday today, and it was great to come accross something like this, something that made me realise how lucky I am.

Taking a break!

We have local state election around the corner so I went in earlier today to get my Voter ID card done. In India, normaly the goverment uses schools and colleges for things like elections, drafts, issuing for other documents , ration cards , fund and relief distribution etc.THese girls are taking a break from class while Election Commision officials are distributing the cards inside thier classrooms. A nice Juice from this stall, though I'm not certain how hygynic it will be, would cost about 5 rupees i.e about 10 US cents. The lady has it all in that cart, syrups, ice, water , sugar and all the other stuff she needs to make and sell good juice!