By Every day on my drive to work, I pass through traffic signals and I find beggars passing from one vehicle to another asking for alms. It is always the same faces that I see- to the point that I know at which traffic signal, which beggar resides – be it the middle-aged man who ties a towel as a turban with a checkered lungi and kurta with a stick in hand or be it the old woman clad in a saree and covering herself with a dupatta while holding a tattered bag.
I notice how they choose their customers/clients – they check whether it a new expensive vehicle or an old one, how many passengers are there in the vehicle, who is driving the bike and make their analysis and decisions quickly, for they know that the traffic red light will only be there for a few seconds. As soon as the signal turns green, they rush towards the footpath for their well earned break.
One day, the traffic signal broke down and I saw the beggar in the checkered dhoti having a mini-conference with the other fellow beggars at the side of the road. I noticed 2 other old beggars and two relatively younger ones -they were engrossed in discussion; pointing their index fingers in various directions. I was astonished –gossip during working hours!! Have they earned enough for the day that they let the red-light working time go waste – so I stopped my vehicle to a standstill at the pavement and observed them.
After few minutes, finally it seemed like they have arrived at a decision. Next, I saw the younger woman and man started making their way in the erstwhile checked dhoti guy’s route -is there a shuffling in their duty locations?
The couple were making rounds scrunching their faces in what they assume is a pitiable expression moving around from vehicle to vehicle. Had the old checkered dhoti beggar given up his empire?…..his client base?….was this his daughter to whom this was a wedding gift?
After this episode, one thing became clear and that is that beggars too have possessions – and the possession is YOU. We are all divided in the possessions of beggars. Whose possession are you? My ownership was decided in the Beggars conference at the cross roads at Hyderabad.
