Often on the Indian road, most commonly in places with a lot of traffic, men, women, children moving around with a pitiful face, pleading the passerby for money. Hunger or cold or whatever the reason maybe, the sight of them is so much unpleasant that even a man like me can be great victims. Since the time I started getting my pocket money, to about a year ago when I realized the great beggar’s mafia that seems to be ongoing, I was a victim of this scam. I always handed spare change to almost any beggar I saw. At times I even gave larger sums of money to children whom I have a great affection towards.
The Plot:
The beggar’s mafia often goes in crowded areas. The ideal scene would be outside shopping areas, train stations, bus stops, etc. Trying to appeal to the general public to give them money by carrying and showing the most horrific scenes.
The Con’s Play:
This is often very easy and hard to catch. A Con normally manages to put a child with a disgusting looking person (no offence but often I never see the similarity between the child and their parent, probably because the kid was recently kidnapped maybe?). There were times when reports were of beggars carrying dead babies(SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE?). There is only one word to describe it – DISGUSTING. But if you think this was the only extent to which these mafias go, you are gravely mistaken. They also run the Shemale/Gay begging strategy. These Shemale/Gay begging strategy doesn’t target the “human conscious and pity for human life” but rather, the “fear and society’s disgust towards it” to extort money. This generally happens in trains and traffic signals.
The Story of a Girl:
So I was here at a tailor shop. While my mom gave her clothes for stitching(classic ladies, taking a day or two to get their work done), I stood outside and I was watching a beggar kid take help from a fairly well groomed and decent looking girl for counting the money he gained. To my utter shock and surprise, she separated the money into 100, 100, 100, 300. Being the usual myself, I approached the girl and asked what she was trying to do with this much money of the beggar. While she looked up, I could see the shocked expression of some random stranger coming up to her and asking her this question. But as she looked up, I smiled and offered her to join me for a cup of coffee in the near by cafe. However, hats off to the classic Indian Girl answer that saved my money, I was offered a seat next to this pretty girl and she continued to explain in Hindi,”I feel pity for these kids, but this is how it has to go. 100 for the policemen, 100 for him, 100 for their clothes(CLOTHES? YES CLOTHES! A BEGGAR’S CLOTHES) and 300 for keeping this place. For these children to keep in this location, they need to pay a few people. You might be thinking very low of me but this location is good for them and their families, and I am trying to help them.” At that instance the kid responds,”Jhoot mat bolo didi(Do not like Elder Sister)”. To which she suddenly gets up (in embarrassment) and says she had to leave and leaves.
The Victim’s Play:
As much as the victims being the beggars, we ourselves are also victims of this scam. However, the only reasonable thing I can think of to do is, AVOID PAYING THE BEGGARS. If the source of income for these thugs and goons are cut off from this type of scam, we can probably see these kids do some honest work and gain money. It is classic entrepreneurship lesson. If the business fails, the business will close and the workers switch jobs.