The other day I was meeting my friend but she came a bit late. She said, “These beggars, one of them,a small boy, was literally chasing me, I had to give him 10 whole rupees, only then he went away, don’t know where these people come from,sorry I’m late.” That she was late, didn’t matter to me, I was wondering, what causes these beggars to send their own children begging like this, on the roads, I mean I fully respect the begging racket shown in movies and written about in newspapers, but are there some more reasons, which lead the poor strata of society to beg,borrow & steal??
Thousands of villagers migrate daily to big metro-politan cities in search of work, because they can no longer afford to earn a living by farming. Farmers are suffering day & night. By the way I thought that farming is the main occupation of India, but looking at the current situation of farmers in our country, I don’t think so, do you???
Well, eventually when they migrate to cities, they are attracted to the glamour, to the luxurious lifestyle & the delicious food over there…but they don’t have money to live such a lifestyle..so they resort to stealing,drugs & other such horrible crimes, to get what they want. In the process, they lose their village- morals, & get stuck up in a vicious circle of crime, dirt and violence. Either that, or they build roadside huts, beg when they can’t do anything else, or do small odd jobs like working as labourers in construction sites & stuff. This is the way they struggle in cities in order to earn a livelihood….
Okay this was just one aspect, I mean, as a person living in cities all my life & never actually living in villages ever, I am not perfectly aware of the life in a village…So even I hate the roadside dust, pollution, garbage littering, smelly people spitting & all that, which I get to see in my city…We living in Pune, travel in vehicles most of the time & even I am irritated at people begging at the “traffic signals” I mean, why should I give a rupee to someone when nobody gives me even a fifty-paise coin??? As it is, the traffic in our city is major problem & people are taking advantage of us even there…God..how worse can it get??!!!??
But yes, I don’t entirely blame such people, Raj Thackeray may shout hoarse that Biharis are ruining Mumbai, they maybe,considering the increasing filth & crime in the city,etc etc, but what has motivated them to come here?? Life in Mumbai or for that matter, in any other metro city is not easy, but to those villagers, this life is much better than the hell they are living in. So are they really to be blamed??
As a volunteer of the Art of living, having done courses like YES!+(Youth empowerment & skills seminar) I have realized that there are people in this country, who are actually working so that such people are benefited so that we all have a better India,& motivating youth like us, but more & more of us should become aware that just visiting Dominoes & high class restaurants & earning money & spending it isn’t called a life, we live a “REAL LIFE” when we can spread smiles to the people around us & do something for the society…the satisfaction of having contributed, even a little to make someone’s life better, is hundred times more than just hanging out doing nothing, gossiping who wears what or who smokes & who doesn’t!! Come on, live a life! Ultimately before we die, we should have the feeling of living life fully, because when we spread a smile, someone else makes it sure that we smile, that’s the magic of service! Wake up India!!!!