The poverty that fills the alleys, streets, waterways and sidewalks of India is at the top of my Culture Shock list.
Begging…At any stoplight you will often have the sudden appearance of a very young, bedraggled child or a woman carrying a baby. Often the baby is quite silent, peering through the glass, piercing into your eyes and heart as only the very innocent can. No requests from them…they are just a mirror for you.
The most painful experience I have had in India has been to deny this direct request for help.
Now, most of us have seen “Slum Dog Millionaire”…or seen enough of it to understand that the money given to beggars doesn’t always work in a way that you would ever want to support. I can’t know that that is always the case…I don’t think there is any one “case” or “answer”. I can only say that I have decided to give money when a beggar approaches my car.
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