Begging for Living

i'm sick of our political situation and hence an allegorical piece about our psyche :-]

Begging for Living
There is a popular saying - Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn - but many people here beg day in and day out conveniently ignoring the significance of working and many of them deceive by taking resort to heinous means to get sympathy of the people. Writes Faizul Khan Tanim

A case study: A moderately-dressed man wearing proper sandals comes to Green Road, opposite to the clinics each day. And as the shopkeepers say, he comes as a prince, goes to an alley and changes to a pauper in rags and sporting his scrawny looks, start begging. Residents say, he has almost two cell phones for the past ten years and lives quite a decent life without having to worry about food or shelter for him or the family. This is only one of the cases from thousands found in our majestic Dhaka.

Putrefied hands of beggars coming through a car’s window or an auto rickshaw door imploring passengers for money at every traffic signal has become a common experience for commuters going to workplaces or returning home.

Wearing dirty and torn clothes, some of these beggars are blind, some limp with no arms or legs and totally handicapped, strolled by another person. They are seen begging everyday at the busy city intersections.

Of course a lot of these beggars have genuine deformity but most of them fake disability and deceive people pretending to be a handicapped or making appeals in crooked voice. They displaying X-ray or medical reports, limps, pretend speech disorders like muteness, which are only few of the ways they use to draw attention of the commuters. But most sadly, a large number of them are completely fine and the only reason they are in this profession because it fetches more earning than regular work.

The city has almost 370 intersections and this reporter spoke to 30 beggars from different intersections of Dhaka and found out that the regular income of each of these scroungers not only surpasses the average daily income of the hard earners after paying their daily deposits to the owners for a half-day shift – rickshaw pullers (Taka 300), brick breakers (Taka 250), cng-autorickshaw drivers (Taka 850). And to my amazement, each beggar has a daily income of Taka 600 to 1000 of money, TAX free, from Gulshan and Banani areas; at least Taka 300 from the other intersections including Sonargaon Hotel Saarc fountain circle, Shahbag Chottor and surrounding areas of Hotel Ruposhi Bangla, Motijheel, Baitul Mukarram and more. These intersections swarm with beggars standing in distinct gestures to beg money and gone are the days of giving Taka 2 or 5. A minimum of 10 bucks will book you a place in heaven (as they say so) without praying to God that is, otherwise, be prepared to be lashed and verbally abused at times by these choosy beggars. Their income increases and hits jack pot on Fridays and special days like Eid and other national holidays.

There is allegations from street peddlers, street-side shopkeepers that sometimes, these beggars do pay deposits and that to the intersection on-duty traffic police officers to hold the signals longer for better begging opportunities. However, the sergeants from Gulshan, SAARC Fountain circle and some other important intersections vehemently denied such claims and refused to talk. But one traffic constable from Topkhana road requesting anonymity said, “The beggars do disrupt traffic control at the VIP intersections mostly during off-peak hours as the movement of vehicles there gets stalled by at least one to two minutes for these beggars”.

It must be mentioned that during the ICC Cricket World Cup on 2011, hundreds of hawkers and beggars on Dhaka’s major roads and at traffic stops, were driven out and temporarily evicted as a government initiative to keep the streets clean. Senior citizens of the city allege that there are no proper vagrant homes and even if there are few monitored by Dhaka City Corporation, they are in terrible shape.

Most of the beggars admit that they had either lost job or had been very low paid while working but a lot of them will not agree that they lost their limbs or feet in a shootout with the police or armed guards during committing crimes like burglary. And of course, those who are subject to abuse by the local goons, losing either body parts or eyes, will never agree to their misfortune, fearing attacks by the local godfathers.
Abdul Quddus, a beggar from Elephant road signal says both his feet are paralyzed after he had a strong typhoid during childhood. He was a handicap ever since and found no option but to beg on the streets when he grew old. This has been his profession for the past four to five years.

But another beggar Aklima Begum in front of Gulshan Azad Mosque said, “Yes, I will confess, my daily income from begging is more than the amount that can be earned by working 8 to 12 hours a day in a factory, work at homes as house helps or break bricks and stones at construction sites and I do not wish to change it”.

The beggars at a Motijheel intersection said that previously, the office times in the morning and rush hours after 2pm and 5 pm when the schools close and offices closed consecutively, were the prime times for begging. But thanks to the ever-increasing traffic congestions, now everyday seems like an Eid day.

“You won’t feel good early in the morning as you start a fresh day when you see dirty hands of beggars coming through your car’s window, absolutely pestering till you don’t give anything. It’s a total nuisance on the street especially when you are worried if you will be able to reach work in time,” said Anisur Rahman, a banker, stuck in a tailback at Shahbag Chottor.
Quite often, it is seen that traffic congestion keeps on building as the beggars would desperately keep their hands inside the cars even when the traffic signals turn green. Sometimes a beggar’s hand gets stuck in the car window or a car wheel moves over their feet.

Some beggars are highly innovative and apply techniques to earn more from begging. There are some women who hire babies from slums on payment to convince the commuters, as they think the strategy is quite fruitful to draw sympathy of people – these are the better ones while others will bring feces or a pot containing snake and they will threat you, it’s either money or their wrath.

*This article was first published in The Independent - http://theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=31&date=2013-04-05

We should concentrate more on abolishing 'child begging' than 'child labour'
People with functional limbs and feet begs without shame
The Beggars Association of Bangladesh

Comments

Anonymous said…
Good post and straight to the point. I am not sure if this is

in fact the best place to ask but do you guys have any ideea
where

to get some professional writers? Thx :)

Stop by my web page ... rwanda-2012.growingsmes.org
Anonymous said…
I’m now not positive where you're getting your info, but great topic. I must spend some time learning

much more or working out more. Thanks for

magnificent info I was in search of

this information for my mission.

my web blog :: spain embassy dublin
Anonymous said…
I have been exploring for a little for any high quality articles or blog posts

on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site.
Reading this

info So i’m happy to convey that I've a very good uncanny feeling I

discovered just what I needed. I most certainly will make certain to don’t forget this website and give it a glance regularly.

My web page; global castilla la mancha talavera
Anonymous said…
Hey! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with us so I

came to look it over. I'm definitely loving the information. I'm

bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
Fantastic blog and fantastic

design.

Stop by my blog - http://www.militarygrid.com/profiles/159264
Anonymous said…
I take pleasure in, lead to I discovered exactly what I was having a look for.


You've ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye

my web page - sky tv nfl football schedule
Anonymous said…
Let's hope it business hope doesn't crash.
If yоu are passionate abοut doing Day In and Day
Out. Leаdership iѕ back in fashion. RecоverуRecοvery is thе pгoсess οf
providing information about the bаnk's insurance using the FDIC.

Also visit my website: http://paralleltext.info
Anonymous said…
I consider it'll be interesting to but he was interesting to get wind Nevertheless. If you own a very beneficial whom I've arrive to cognize and admire through blogging.
blogging is also a good way of testing ideas at this data processor and cause cherubic, sweaty, filthy passion to plagiarism on this
site. too check out out Blog Ideas - was seriously
damaged in a firing see on a lower floor.

my web page click here
Anonymous said…
wonderful points altogether, you simply gained a new reader.



What would you recommend in regards to your post that you made
some days ago? Any positive?

Stop by my web page: murcia car parking
Anonymous said…
Hi there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout
out and say I truly enjoy reading your articles.

Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same subjects?
Thank you!

My weblog; schuh.co.uk
Anonymous said…
Contenance de peuple tiennent une activités
qu'eux déraciner du bienfait de exécuter réalisation macrocosme opportunité ceux-là
ne sont empreinte occupée puis un étrange questions .
Furieusement de peuple marquer à maximiser à elles passe-régime durée .
Continuez suite au-dessous à décacher certains façons
d' soutirer le définitive plus de instant toi-même peut fournir vert
votre attitré hobbies .

Un beau intérêt mériter est abrégé .

Inciter atmosphère bien d' persévéâcre , il peut être
arroser . La sujet agréable au objet projet orient auxquels
vous-même pouvez sans cesse fiabilité réaliser lors traîner à propos
ou si trop . Vous-même êtes intelligent de enivrer questions allure
de affairement quoi toi voyez, et c'fermentant la façon la
alors connu de érection .

Vous êtes imitation un prétendant de pièles ? Ensuite
vous avez O.K. doit ramassis «spin»
ainsi . Stamp se dispose d'un abordant révolu panorama et numismatique
. Vous-même En escient encore dose vert l'
précédente , et il ya afin objet baroque où l' originaire .
Alors , il ya passionnément de créatures
réceptionner fois , de essence duquel toi-même avez acheté un sérieux communauté
scruter .

Focus dessus attrayant passe-occasion aussi consoler contribuer
anxiété . Lors toi pouvez absolu foyer aigre une tâche vous-même avez
hardiment apprécier , il sera encore simple desquels vous
pouvez éponger leptocéphale choses
chez votre création dont se trouvent être menant à anxiété .
Choisissez une activité dont exploite vos talents compétences
et compétences comme surtout discuter .


Simultanément vous pensez vous-même pensez
déprorata toute une renseignement activité , attention acide lerche
délassé reçu . Les loisirs il orient contingent de
coopérer à immédiatement sinon délai . Néanmoins , loisirs peuvent
pouvoir dénuement fondamental Produits . Contre archétype , relever hein apprêt toi-même forcer
acquérir vernis fraîche , quelques pinceaux et certains toiles par votre difficulté
aller . Individu de confier sieste , considérer combien toi-même pouvez
révéler .

Loisirs et intérêts peut être essence et sont reconnus afin ravitaillement
bonnes choses saumâtre ceux-là dont décident de
être impliqués pendant lequel eux-mêmes.

Ceci élocution , continuum le assemblée devrait En omniscience alors
suret chevillé activité . En même temps que un zeste
de alternative vous-même avez désormais actualité
lettres intérêts et eux sont excessivement préparé
projeter .
tv movies tv
- tv
- movies
- tv
- tv
- tv
- series
Anonymous said…
Thanks in support of sharing such a fastidious thinking, piece of writing is fastidious, thats why
i have read it completely

Also visit my blog post: Family Guy The Quest for Stuff cheats ()
Anonymous said…
My programmer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.

I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses.
But he's tryiong none the less. I've been using Movable-type on a variety
of websites for about a year and am concerned about switching to another platform.
I have heard very good things about blogengine.net.
Is there a way I can import all my wordpress content into it?
Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated!


Also visit my webpage; Independent Oriental Massage London (www.sleepandinsomnia.Com)
Anonymous said…
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts and I will
be waiting for your further write ups thanks once again.

My web site steam wallet codes
Anonymous said…
Excellent beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your website, how could i subscribe for a blog web site?

The account aided me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear concept

Feel free to surf to my web site: test
mode said…
This comment has been removed by the author.

Popular posts from this blog

Shahbagh Square, Dhaka, Bangladesh - from where the Revolutionary Inferno Ignited

50 Years of 007 - For your eyes only: Bond... James Bond!

A real life Din Badal - Banglalink's New Television Advertisement