Beggars can be choosers

I just saw the movie "Traffic Signal". I thought it was not too bad but unfortunately the whole cast of characters did not mesh together like Madur Bhandarkars' earlier movies. It was simply a series of disjointed tales quite well told.

What I did appreciate was his effort to bring out the sordid side of the beggars story. One dialog particularly hit me as true which was when the protagonist says "These people don’t give us alms to feed us, they give us alms to ease their conscience. They should be thanking us that we give them the chance to get rid of their sins"

That’s perhaps the thinking of 99% of the beggars on our streets today. The right with which they knock on your windows when you are at signals says it all. We are nothing but baboons in glass cages for them to taunt when they wish.

It is their god given right to knock on your window and to keep knocking till you leave the conversation you’re having with the fellow passenger and listen to them.

After all why shouldn’t they take preference? We are the idiots who work all day, spend 80% of our lives filling in government paperwork, pay taxes like clockwork. They are the wise ones, no PAN number, no paperwork and the politician licks their A** come election time.

Things are so bad that they are actually funny at times. I recently had a young child beggar come up to my car window and knock on it and say "Give me something I haven’t eaten for 2 days". I would have believed it but for the irony that while saying it she was actually eating a Wada pav. She was so used to repeating the dialog that she forgot that she was eating while she said it.

I also got taken in like the characters in the movie. Many many years ago, I had gone to the airport to pick someone up and a small child met me in the car park and started his spiel about how he wished to study but had no choice. I gave him 500 rupees to buy his school books, a tidy in those days and my conscience was balmed for the next few days.

Guess what, the next time I went to the airport just 2-3 days later, the idiot forgot that he had begged from me before and again started his spiel. He definitely got a walloping that day. Conscience be dammed.

I think back and remember the good old days of I think it was early 1970's when there were not that many cars; there were only 2 places in Mumbai where we used to get beggars while driving. At Citilight cinema (Shoba restaurant signal) and Worli Naka signal. I remember my mother used to say "roll up the windows, the beggars will come" just before these two signals.

No wonder nowadays with us having to roll up our glasses at all signals, the car manufacturers have made air-conditioning standard accessories.

Thought for today: If Mr. Chidambram wants to ensure that India is No.1 forever, my suggestion is simple. Dont allow anyone to give alms unless the beggar has a PAN number. India will be shining again, thats my promise.