How to deal with the beggars

mira4bai4 · Oct 18th, 2004, 16:35

From what I have noticed there seems to be various levels within the beggars and depending on how one views it, it all seems to work.

So I have seen those with sores picking at them to make them worse and then showing them crying for pity - yeh right.

I have talked with those wearing jewellery at the traffic lights and had a good laugh with them.

I have been delight at the enthusiasm of a little one sent by his mother to beg and of course I rewarded him as his smile was a real joy.

I have given food that I was carrying to a women and she rejected it, well her loss.

There are those that through no fault of their own have no option, others forced into it by their family as otherwise they would die. For others it is a job and for some something to do when there is nothing else to do.

For me the bottom line is compassion, if the person that you give the money or goods to is the one to benefit and it will not be used for drugs or alcohol then your are perform a good service. My preference is to provide food for the person, if I am carrying it or by buying a bag of lentils etc so that they can make a meal for the family. My personal feeling is that if people go to India without budgeting for beggars then it is time to look seriously at who we really are. It is part of India, like Chai and Roti, like it or not, if there was enough work, enough land, enough housing, enough water and enough food then begging would be minimal. People do it to survive, they cannot line up for a government pay out, housing subsidy, child allowance, medicare, food stamps etc, no jet plans, iPod's, PDA's, big mac's, Chev's or VW's.

But the thing is this, that soon it will go for many of them as they will be no more, the glaciers are melting in Chinese Tibet and in 30 years the rivers will stop flowing and the heat will be greater, the deserts larger and the beggars, well each summer will see more of them pass away. Now of course due to the illness that the buzzards have due to the veteranary chemicals used on cattle and buffalo that have messed up their immune systems and so they are dying out very quickly there will be not much flying about to clean up these living corpses and so with the loss of the forests and the high price paid for timber for burning these bodies, then we won't be paying the beggars but maybe donating to huge piles of poor dead creatures that need cremating to stop the spread of disease caused by rotting flesh in extremely hot conditions caused by a complete lack of understanding for the impacts that our greed and stupidity have on those less fortunate.

So from the way that I see it, pay up and compensate these unfortunate people for the hundreds of years of being ripped off by foreigners invading their beautiful land and messing with a culture that is far more honourable than most in the west. Sorry, but if these things cause upset, then India is not the place to be, facts are facts and there is the law of cause and effect, leave a people with nothing and it is not a pretty sight.

agoraphobe · Oct 18th, 2004, 17:35

There's something distasteful about developing an elaborate personal policy on the giving away of minor amounts of money. Can you imagine yourself sitting down on the street and explaining it to a beggar?

mira4bai4 · Oct 18th, 2004, 18:38

There are always options, do nothing, give heaps or spread it around in a manner that has discretion, we have choices, others do not have the same advantage. I guess we have to look at each and every situation and decide how we would prefer to deal with it. A teaching that I follow, is if the people are hungry and need food, feed them, if the people are thirsty, give them water, if the people are cold, clothe them, if the people need shelter, house them and if the people are sick, provide medical assistance.

Obviously it is difficult for us to do these things properly but there are ways and if we have the right attitude then we can find a way and do what is right.

sadhuji · Oct 18th, 2004, 23:20

"....I deal with the beggars in India the way I deal with beggars in San Francisco -- I ignore them whenever possible. And I do not let them touch me...."

i agree with wonderwomanusa on this issue.

just ignore these characters. 99% of them are forced to carry out these dramas so that the kingpin behind them gets the cream.

Theon · Oct 18th, 2004, 23:48

In Toronto, I've realized that when a beggar talks to me, asking me for change, I don't even have the humanity to acknowledge that she/he exists. This troubles me--another human is talking to me and I don't even acknowledge them? I now acknowledge beggars when they ask me for change, but I see myself reverting to ignoring them when I get to India in an effort to avoid feelings of guilt, and to get along with my (selfish?) business of seeing the country.

Theon · Oct 18th, 2004, 23:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by sadhuji

"....I deal with the beggars in India the way I deal with beggars in San Francisco -- I ignore them whenever possible. And I do not let them touch me...."

i agree with wonderwomanusa on this issue.

just ignore these characters. 99% of them are forced to carry out these dramas so that the kingpin behind them gets the cream.

Where did you get the figure of 99% from?

And what terrible thing happens when these "characters" touch people?

seventies'hippy · Oct 19th, 2004, 01:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by mira4bai4

A teaching that I follow, is if the people are hungry and need food, feed them, if the people are thirsty, give them water, if the people are cold, clothe them, if the people need shelter, house them and if the people are sick, provide medical assistance.

Give a man a fish & he won't go hungry, Teach him how to catch fish & his family won't go hungry either,,,,,,,,,,
http://www.indiamike.com/india/attac...tid=14 62&stc

Karma Queen · Oct 19th, 2004, 01:58

i only give to people who are genuinly providing a service (eg clearing train carriages) and old or sick people. i will never give to someone who pesters me non-stop, as i find it intimidating and sometimes scary

pompui · Oct 19th, 2004, 05:06

like i expected the question was not answered.
yes i read the dealing with beggers thread
i got lots of bla bla bla on (to give or not to give)
but nothing on dealing with beggers
sorry forgot 1 answer ignore them
what a great ideas.
having children following all day for money
ya just ignore them
what a great way of dealing with beggers
so if any more good ideas on how to deal with begger
please let me know

Baldy · Oct 19th, 2004, 05:23

What do you mean "dealing with beggars"?! Kind of a pointless question really. What sort of solution did you expect? A magic spell to make them disappear

?

pompui · Oct 19th, 2004, 06:21

ok for the pointless question what do you do when you are mob by beggers
do you run hide yell take out the pepper sprayor the baseball back
do you chase them down the street
ho no you probably ignore them right

Baldy · Oct 19th, 2004, 06:26

I didn't mean to cause offense. You simply deal with them as you would people anywhere - tell them you do not wish to give and continue on your way. Do not be rude or shout - this can cause confrontation.

Baldy

pompui · Oct 19th, 2004, 06:45

ok good answer
but if been nice and polite does not work
and you have to confront
that is when i use the no no song
what do you do

pompui · Oct 19th, 2004, 06:49

i saw in bali this poor japenese girl brake down and cry like a baby
because she didn't know how to deal

wonderwomanusa · Oct 19th, 2004, 12:36

>>And what terrible thing happens when these "characters" touch people?<<

Well, you know, they are not allowed to touch Hindu people (that caste thing, you know) and so I do not see any reason to let them touch me.

How do you like being touched by strangers? Perhaps you enjoy it; I do not.

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Oct 18th, 2004, 16:35	#46
mira4bai4 Lost in Space Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: ND PaharGanj Permanently/Temporarily Posts: 1,188	From what I have noticed there seems to be various levels within the beggars and depending on how one views it, it all seems to work. So I have seen those with sores picking at them to make them worse and then showing them crying for pity - yeh right. I have talked with those wearing jewellery at the traffic lights and had a good laugh with them. I have been delight at the enthusiasm of a little one sent by his mother to beg and of course I rewarded him as his smile was a real joy. I have given food that I was carrying to a women and she rejected it, well her loss. There are those that through no fault of their own have no option, others forced into it by their family as otherwise they would die. For others it is a job and for some something to do when there is nothing else to do. For me the bottom line is compassion, if the person that you give the money or goods to is the one to benefit and it will not be used for drugs or alcohol then your are perform a good service. My preference is to provide food for the person, if I am carrying it or by buying a bag of lentils etc so that they can make a meal for the family. My personal feeling is that if people go to India without budgeting for beggars then it is time to look seriously at who we really are. It is part of India, like Chai and Roti, like it or not, if there was enough work, enough land, enough housing, enough water and enough food then begging would be minimal. People do it to survive, they cannot line up for a government pay out, housing subsidy, child allowance, medicare, food stamps etc, no jet plans, iPod's, PDA's, big mac's, Chev's or VW's. But the thing is this, that soon it will go for many of them as they will be no more, the glaciers are melting in Chinese Tibet and in 30 years the rivers will stop flowing and the heat will be greater, the deserts larger and the beggars, well each summer will see more of them pass away. Now of course due to the illness that the buzzards have due to the veteranary chemicals used on cattle and buffalo that have messed up their immune systems and so they are dying out very quickly there will be not much flying about to clean up these living corpses and so with the loss of the forests and the high price paid for timber for burning these bodies, then we won't be paying the beggars but maybe donating to huge piles of poor dead creatures that need cremating to stop the spread of disease caused by rotting flesh in extremely hot conditions caused by a complete lack of understanding for the impacts that our greed and stupidity have on those less fortunate. So from the way that I see it, pay up and compensate these unfortunate people for the hundreds of years of being ripped off by foreigners invading their beautiful land and messing with a culture that is far more honourable than most in the west. Sorry, but if these things cause upset, then India is not the place to be, facts are facts and there is the law of cause and effect, leave a people with nothing and it is not a pretty sight.

Oct 18th, 2004, 17:35	#47
agoraphobe Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Vancouger, BC Posts: 61	There's something distasteful about developing an elaborate personal policy on the giving away of minor amounts of money. Can you imagine yourself sitting down on the street and explaining it to a beggar?

Oct 18th, 2004, 18:38	#48
mira4bai4 Lost in Space Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: ND PaharGanj Permanently/Temporarily Posts: 1,188	There are always options, do nothing, give heaps or spread it around in a manner that has discretion, we have choices, others do not have the same advantage. I guess we have to look at each and every situation and decide how we would prefer to deal with it. A teaching that I follow, is if the people are hungry and need food, feed them, if the people are thirsty, give them water, if the people are cold, clothe them, if the people need shelter, house them and if the people are sick, provide medical assistance. Obviously it is difficult for us to do these things properly but there are ways and if we have the right attitude then we can find a way and do what is right.

Oct 18th, 2004, 23:20	#49
sadhuji Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: nasik, maharastra Posts: 1,261	"....I deal with the beggars in India the way I deal with beggars in San Francisco -- I ignore them whenever possible. And I do not let them touch me...." i agree with wonderwomanusa on this issue. just ignore these characters. 99% of them are forced to carry out these dramas so that the kingpin behind them gets the cream.

Oct 18th, 2004, 23:48	#50
Theon Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Toronto Posts: 146	In Toronto, I've realized that when a beggar talks to me, asking me for change, I don't even have the humanity to acknowledge that she/he exists. This troubles me--another human is talking to me and I don't even acknowledge them? I now acknowledge beggars when they ask me for change, but I see myself reverting to ignoring them when I get to India in an effort to avoid feelings of guilt, and to get along with my (selfish?) business of seeing the country.

Oct 19th, 2004, 01:58	#53
Karma Queen Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: England Posts: 365	i only give to people who are genuinly providing a service (eg clearing train carriages) and old or sick people. i will never give to someone who pesters me non-stop, as i find it intimidating and sometimes scary

Oct 19th, 2004, 05:06	#54
pompui Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: quebec city canada Posts: 5	like i expected the question was not answered. yes i read the dealing with beggers thread i got lots of bla bla bla on (to give or not to give) but nothing on dealing with beggers sorry forgot 1 answer ignore them what a great ideas. having children following all day for money ya just ignore them what a great way of dealing with beggers so if any more good ideas on how to deal with begger please let me know

Oct 19th, 2004, 05:23	#55
Baldy gotta pee ... Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Brisbane Posts: 187	What do you mean "dealing with beggars"?! Kind of a pointless question really. What sort of solution did you expect? A magic spell to make them disappear ?

Oct 19th, 2004, 06:21	#56
pompui Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: quebec city canada Posts: 5	ok for the pointless question what do you do when you are mob by beggers do you run hide yell take out the pepper sprayor the baseball back do you chase them down the street ho no you probably ignore them right

Oct 19th, 2004, 06:26	#57
Baldy gotta pee ... Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Brisbane Posts: 187	I didn't mean to cause offense. You simply deal with them as you would people anywhere - tell them you do not wish to give and continue on your way. Do not be rude or shout - this can cause confrontation. Baldy

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Oct 19th, 2004, 06:45	#58
pompui Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: quebec city canada Posts: 5	ok good answer but if been nice and polite does not work and you have to confront that is when i use the no no song what do you do

Oct 19th, 2004, 06:49	#59
pompui Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: quebec city canada Posts: 5	i saw in bali this poor japenese girl brake down and cry like a baby because she didn't know how to deal

Oct 19th, 2004, 12:36	#60
wonderwomanusa Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 3,517	>>And what terrible thing happens when these "characters" touch people?<< Well, you know, they are not allowed to touch Hindu people (that caste thing, you know) and so I do not see any reason to let them touch me. How do you like being touched by strangers? Perhaps you enjoy it; I do not.