SITUATION VACANT

[Guest guest]

SITUATION VACANT?

Place: New Delhi

Job: Sitting for six hours a day, stretching a hand out occasionally.

Qualifications: None

Vacancies: Unlimited

Earnings: Uncertain Max. Rs. 800 per day, Min. Rs. 200 per day.

The job, qualifications and vacancies for the metro version, widespread in

Delhi, are roughly the same. The ways in which they are different from brothers

in alms elsewhere are as follows:

Their workplace is variable; there are weekly transfers. Earning never falls

below Rs. 200, and can touch Rs. 800 a day. Sometimes, there is a significant

perk: group housing at nominal rates.

Begging is among Delhi’s most organised business. The weekly

‘transfers’ of beggars from one temple to another temple are an

indicator of how completely focussed they are on deriving maximum profit from

your benevolences.

The Social Welfare Department has discovered that sets of beggars at major

temples keep changing every week. Which means that a particular beggar can be

at four or five different posts across the city in the course of a month.

The effort, apparently is to allow a level playing field for all members of the

community, and prevent the growth of monopolies. Though beggar groups struggle

to gain supremacy over profit-earning areas, it has not triggered violent crime

in the past few years. "It appears there is a silent agreement between the

kingpins. All work in tandem, with clearly demarcated areas of operation," said

an official.

In what appears to be an organised racket, officials say, some areas like the JJ

cluster behind JLN Stadium, the Nizamuddin JJ cluster, Barakhamba lane and Rani

bagh, have been turned into full-fledged beggar colonies. "The accommodation is

provided by kingpins who claim a large portion of the beggar’s earnings,"

the official said.

MONEY SPINNERS

(PLACE AND EARNINGS IN Rs PER DAY)

Sai Baba Mandir (Thursday) 450-500

Hanuman Mandir (Tuesday) 400-500

Bhairon Mandir (Sunday) 700-800

Shopping areas (Weekend) 200-250

(Courtesy: Chetan Chauhan in Hindustan Times 6-6-2003)

It is right time to think and make our contributions to genuinely needed

persons. The exploitation of kingpins must come to an end. It will be better if

we support the cause of social service institutions serving for orphans, aged,

sick, handicapped, etc.,