Free Essay on A Street Beggar – Proverbially, India is a land of beggars and snake-charmers. At least, this is how the westerners used to look upon India for a pretty long time.
We have, unfortunately, to admit, even if with some reservations, that the westerners’ viewpoint in this regard was not wide off the mark.
Beggary has been prohibited by law in India. Night-shelters have been built by certain NGOs and municipalities and government agencies for the poor persons who have nowhere to live.
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In spite of all this, beggary flourishes in India. Wherever we go, we find beggars. We find beggars in trains, in buses, at railway stations, bus stands and other public places. The most important places for the beggars are shrines where sometimes beggars outnumber the pilgrims.
The main cause why beggars thrive in India is that the Indians are by nature very merciful. They cannot stand the sight of a poor man crying in anguish.
There are only a few beggars who can be genuinely in great distress. Many of them are just loafers and shirkers, who do not want to do any work.
They are, in fact, parasites who want to live and thrive on others’ hard-earned money. If we ask any of such people to do some work and get the wages from us, they won’t accept the offer.
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Many beggars feign blindness, illness or some or the other physical disability. This they do to attract sympathy and thus extort money.
Many able-bodied persons, thus, pose to be disabled and beg money. Some thieves, burglars, cheats and pick-pockets also move about in the garb of beggars. We must beware of them.
It is not bad to be compassionate and merciful. But instead of giving alms, we should try to educate the illiterate beggars and it should be our endeavour to provide them jobs.
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