Change is around the Corner......

After years, it is actually happening that people are collectively talking about repealing the beggary law.Its heartening to see how people from different ngo's are actually making an effort to understand what happens under the Beggary Prevention Act. They are at least opening up to the idea of discussing it as an issue. There is an acknowledgement that yes, this is an issue that needs to addressed along with wide range of issues concerning civil, social and political rights and well being of the marginalised and abused communities and groups.

Though there is a long way and i completely understand that by merely acknowledging the issue is not going to get resolved. However, that's how bad it was. Acknowledging it certainly an act of acceptance and as i see more and more groups coming ahead and endorsing our position of seeking repeal for the beggary prevention legislation through out the country, i gain the confidence that soon we will have these groups even advocating for the repeal.

Lot has gone into it.We have travelled extensively meeting people from various organisations and groups sharing with them what happens under the beggary prevention act and how the institutions are nothing more than the jails. We have put so much energies in visiting schools and colleges just to let the students who are undoubtedly going to be the custodians of the society, know that these poor and destitute people who are being criminalised and labelled by the systems are actually the ones who need them the most. Any hatred towards them would mean leaving out the most needy. We wanted to break the myths.

We wanted to break the notions surrounding around destitution and those who are into begging.We are glad its happening.The way people, especially students and agencies working in areas other than homelessness are approaching us with a request to spend some time with them discussing the law and situation, we know some of those age-old myths are getting broken.

While we taking time off to feel encouraged  and good about it,we know we just can not afford to relax.Systems, forces that have for several years criminalised the helplessness and destitution aren't going to give up easily.It is a huge challenge and we have a key role to play. And we will.

Straight from People.....

“Life with Dignity...it’s not only my need or a choice I have made…it’s my right and I will continue to struggle for it.”… Dileep

“Government treated us as if we never existed. If we are poor, what do we do? All we want is to live. Is that a crime? We would all have been forced to the streets and cycle of debts if you weren’t there,” : Megha.

“No matter how difficult situation we get into, neither Raju nor I would ever beg. You trusted us and we will never ever let you down.” Rukshar

One should die out of hunger within the four walls of their houses, but should never get into begging.” : Amma

Hard Reality....

“It is a hard reality that around us, live sections of people whose continued existence remain under the clasp of uncertainties. Refusing to acknowledge their existence, society labels them as lazy, deviant or a nuisance. Poverty in itself becomes a crime if one goes by these norms or laws which process them. But our experiences have presented a diverse image of these groups, which is at variance with the myths dictated to us”, 

I am Me!

Winters and the summers and the rains are severe.

Nights are tough.

I can't sleep.

Chill in the air, heat in the tar and dampness of the human souls doesn't let me sleep......

I'm the most visible yet the invisible resident of your cities!

I'm the Homeless!!!

Encountering True Lies......

When we started about a decade back, we knew that the area we were entering into was largely unexplored and therefore would require lot of patience and strategic flexibility to learn and unlearn but little did we know about the scale of unpredictability.

We thought we were into the subject but the nature of destitution is so complex that you tend to enter the dangerous zones of forming opinions very swiftly. I’m calling it dangerous because you see a person who has been on the street for his entire life and still hopeful of getting back to his family somewhere sometime, on the other hand you have a person who is happily settled into the life where he is continuously dependant on others. For him it is the only way of living.

People were always talking about the so called ‘syndicate’ of beggars. In our two years of close association with the people who are into begging, we are yet to encounter such organised grouping. What we have seen is informal and unstable living patterns where people are coming together but its more for the fulfilment of that basic element of life, which we all call as ‘emotions’ than because of any economic motives.

Somebody who is seen as an exploiter through the eyes of social worker could be the only support available to the perceived exploited person. Many people encountered us by saying that we are doing irrelevant stuff because these people on street don’t really deserve the care and protection. According to these friends, the homeless person is homeless because he wants to be one. Destitute is begging because its easy money for him and he doesn’t want to work but same people kept quiet when we asked them if they are ready to appoint such people to work,? If they are,we’ll provide them with willing people.

Life is nothing short of puzzle and a very strange one. How else do you explain the complex web of human relations? The cases that we dealt with brought out so many different aspects of life. As we moved deeper, different realities of life were unfolded. People lied to us but those lies were the truth of their lives’. There were several factors leading to state of homelessness but breaking down of the family ties emerged as one of the biggest contributing factor to homelessness and destitution.

City of Shame.....

Its been a painful struggle.For the complete month,we were on night patrolling,just spotting the people ( women,aged,disabled,abondoned) lying on pavements without adequate coverings and provide them with blankets,fire woods etc.We would attend to minor medical requirements,guide people to the closest shelters available or just cover them and move on....In cases where immdiate medical intervention of serious nature was needed,we would take them to hospital.

Can you belief that we picked up almost frozen bodies many times....Actually almost every day.....10's of minutes of continuous rubbing them would make their limbs move.......

You ask a person his name or place where he could be taken and he doesn't respond...and then you realize..mouth is frozen....its only after several minutes of rubbing hard that his jaws moved.....

Imagine a man in dlehi winter night with rains in just one shirt....yelling out of pain...knees bent and almost entering the stomach..mud on the ground being dug out....head buried in that pit...with the hope of protecting slef from the killing chill....I was shocked to see the level of sufferings....

Will probably share more when am able to.

Thought of calling few close freinds many times during this period ,in order to gain some strength to bear this, but then decided not to.Probably wanted to test my own boundaries of how much of this i could take.....

Human Life is the Cheapest Thing in this Country

I used to love the cold winds of winters.Bright sun of the cold December morning was my favourite.Laziness that winter evenings bring were superb.

But it was all till few years back.Not any more.Now the same cold winds or the lazy evenings,may be accompanied by little rain drops only scare me.
Since the time i began understanding the issue of homelessness, the charm of winters has turned into fears.

Winters are the most severe season for the poor homeless citizens.Not that other weathers are any kind but winters probably are the peak of nature's injustice towards its people.
Yes,some do feel,'winters are to be enjoyed' but these are those people who have the comforts of their homes and warmth,both mechanical and human.

With nothing to hold on to,not having enough in terms of material and most often relations too broken down,with no alternative support systems,homeless people don't have the luxury to enjoy the weather that continuously tests your will and determination to survive.

Past few weeks have been extremely severe on the people living on the streets.With temperature going down with each passing day,problems also kept increasing.Government's response has been shocking.Hundreds of people,including old,disabled,women and small children are out in the open and our systems couldn't find enough space to put up tents to protect them from winds.

You and me,we don't die of cold.But homeless people do die because of extreme cold. Because they lack the protection of shelter that can save them; clothes that can keep them alive! Because they are homeless; because there lives mean nothing to anybody.

Imagine,people spending night after night surrounding the little fire that they manage to make by picking up torn clothes,wood,paper etc.They have hardly anything to cover themselves up.Not getting sleep is only obvious.

Its such a painful sight to see small children crying because they can't get sleep. Due to the cold and dew.
When we go out on night patrolling,many times we find people who are almost frozen and unable to even utter a word.

Person carries some load whole day and in the night when he folds himself in order to protect him from the cold,he looks exactly like a bundle of the load that he carries all day long.
Poor ricksaw pullers who do such hard labour through out the day,can't even sleep peacefully.Whats the worth of human labour?

Or may be i should ask another question: when so many people die just because they couldn't protect them from the cold,what's the worth of human life?

Isn't it shameful for us as a society that when so many people die in the silence of the chilly nights, entire city sleeps peacefully.

A friend of Koshish has rightly put it: ' Human Life is the Cheapest thing in this Country'.