The sight of young boys begging on the streets of Pune is very distressing. Having resigned to their fates, I can sense the lack of motivation every time I walk past one of them. Do not they ever want to live with dignity? I question myself repeatedly. I come to conclusion that they have chosen their vocation because it comes easy. All one has to do is gape helplessly and beg for alms.
As I was crossing the over head bridge the other day, I heard a familiar voice. A half naked boy was frantically swinging his legs and pressing hard against his stomach with both his hands. He was begging for some food. I had seen the same guy outside the train station only a month ago .
All his limbs were functioning well:he seemed healthy. I was disheartened to find that he had not stopped begging since our earlier rendezvous. But this time, I walked past pretending not to notice him. I did not want to give him any further motivation to keep begging. I wonder why people encourage these children by providing them with easy food and money, when they are capable of earning their livelihood through hard work! Nothing is wrong in helping people who can not work due to physical handicap or senescence.These people indeed need someone to look after them. And I am not against helping the poor either. But lets not help make the children beggars for their lives.
Recently, another boy of 16 came to our house clasping a worn letter in hand. He was gloomy and irresponsive. On reading the letter, I learned that both his parents had passed away. Therefore, the letter said, the boy had to take care of his young brothers and sisters. His sorry face was enough to convince me that he was telling the truth. My mother sent him away with enough money to feed him for the very next day. But to my horror, the very next day, I saw the same boy with a’wad’ of mrijuana in his little hands .
This incident has made me indifferent towards all beggars. I have vowed that I will never again help young and healthy youngsters with undeserved aims. I do not want to see them on the streets forever. Nowadays, nothing but harsh words greet all young beggars to our house.
It is when these little things raise their own little hells that they attract my attention and I get annoyed to no end. Certainly, god has given these pint-sized creatures a pint-sized head. Had they got a big one, they would have known how precious a piece of paper and education could be and given second though before doing such activities. But God has probably miscalculated somewhere and given them a huge potential for mischief, much more than their size and brain can justify.
Pune is just the case here, the condition of those helpless hands is same in other metropolitan cities. I do not think there is single metropolitan city in India. Where are such things called’equality of all classes’ and is clearly divided into have and have-nots.