friendsofkoshish

City of Shame.....

2010-02-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-18T01:34:00.000-08:00

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 to understand 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 continously 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.
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 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 load that he carries all day long.
Poor ricksaw pullers who do such hard labor 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'.

Myths vs Truth

2010-01-10T14:08:00.000-08:00

1. Beggary Gang: This seems to be based more on popular notion and myths surrounding around the issue of begging rather than on the basis of any evidence based report or investigation. There is no recorded evidence of any such gangs existing.
An individual might have been involved in crime of some nature but it can not be treated as general nature/characteristics of the population. In fact, most of the people in begging themselves are the victims of various circumstances and exploitations.
In almost 4 years of our direct work with the people into begging, we haven’t come across any such gangs or organized grouping. What we have seen is informal and unstable living patterns where people come together but its more for the fulfillment of the very basic element of life, which we call as ‘emotions’ than because of any economic motives.
Somebody who is seen as an exploiter through the eyes of social worker and the authorities could be the only support available to the perceived exploited person.
If however, there is any trace of gangs in operation that must be investigated and dealt with as per the legal provisions but any action must be based on facts and not on popular notions.
2. Presence of Beggars is source to other crimes: Here again it seems to be a matter of imagination. Very often groups like alcoholics, drug addicts etc are seen as beggars and therefore such notions are created. There could be incidents of pick pocket, stealing etc for the want of drugs but it is completely unjustified to club such groups with people who are into begging out of destitution and otherwise.
3.Promotes Laziness: This is again one of the perceived notions that have been built around this population including homeless people that begging provides easy money and therefore such people do not want to work. This is far from the reality. If one is willing to spend time and invest energies, it will not be difficult to ascertain actual reasons for the person to beg. Probably at present, person looks comfortable in begging but in most of the cases, the start must have been very traumatic and forced one. It’s a situation of ‘no –alternatives’ when a certain degradation of self dignity takes place in an individual and it is only after that, that the person is able to spread his hand out.
4. Burden on city and need to be sent back: Begging is an extreme form of destitution and it is state’s responsibility to provide care and protection to its vulnerable and destitute citizens. Unfortunately, most of this destitution is the result of ill-planned ‘planned development’ where people living on margins have been further marginalized.
By sending the people back to other parts will be nothing more than washing off hands as the problem will still continue. State of begging is the creation of many other processes and unless we adopt a model of development where vulnerable and weaker sections of the society are included and seen as an integral component of city space, nothing will change.
Through implementation of legislations like BPBA, 1959 we will only continue this process of marginalization further and punish the victims of state’s failures.
Its time now that beggary is acknowledged as a social and contextual problem and serious, honest efforts are made to address it. There must be a comprehensive national policy and programme on rehabilitation of those into begging and structures to check processes that create such extreme state of destitution.

On counter – On Social Perspective
On ‘Assuming but not accepting’ the arguments raised against this ppulation, let us see how implementation of BPBA 1959 will not make any positive impact.
1. Beggary Gang: Even if the gangs were existing, BPBA 1959 does not really help for primarily two reasons: 1. The fine or punishment that this legislation prescribes for the person forcing others into begging is not really a deterrent (maximum 3 years as compared to maximum 10 years for one who begs himself). 2. People who are seen begging on streets, in the event of gangs being operational, will become the victims of those gangs and therefore, must not be treated as offenders themselves. And since BPBA 1959, is not strong enough to address the problem of gangs, matter must be investigated by police and action be taken as per CrPC.
This is in similarity with ITPA. However, in ITPA women are rescued and seen as victims where as in BPBA, person into begging is seen as offender and is arrested. If gangs are there indeed, then why does police not investigate the matter and rescue the large number of poor helpless people who would be the victims and forced to live a life of harassment and abuses because of those gangs.
2. Presence of Beggars is source to other crimes: When we are opposing the implementation of BPBA 1959, it is not all meant that person committing crime be left. Beggary as a phenomenon is a result of combination of factors which make an individual very vulnerable and it has to be addressed with social perspective but person himself can not be and should not be left free if he commits any crime. Opposition is to idea of punishing person who is begging not to protect him if he indulges himself into any other criminal activities. Such matters/cases should be dealt under CrPc and IPC as in any other case of those crimes.
3. Promotes Laziness: Until and unless we have safely nets for people who are unproductive largely like aged, disabled or abandoned, people will be forced to be in destitution.
Can we expect an 80 year old man who has been abandoned by his family or a disabled person who has no support system to work and earn his livelihood?
In the BPBP 1959, what is there that will make these people work? Once detained, person simply spends his period of detention and goes out without any change whatsoever.
4. Burden on city and need to be sent back: Sent back? Where? Won’t they be burden to the cities they’ll be sent back to? Whose responsibility are these people? Let’s not play with poor people’s lives in this politics. If one studies and understands the profile of people who are processed under BPBA,1959 or who are into begging, it will become very clear that most of the people are either working unorganized sector homeless workers or helpless, dependent destitute who have nowhere, no one to go to.
In the background of this, lies a situation where person is forced out of rural economy and also denied entry into urban economy. Traditional skills no more fetch a living and the way begging has been defined in BPBA 1959, alternatives that a poor migrant with no capital with him, can think of, have been made an offence.
The manner in which more and more people are pushed out of their natural habitat and forced to live on streets in unfamiliar spaces and then many of them getting processed under BPBA 1959,is a classic illustration of how poverty is being criminalized and certain class of people are eliminated systematically.
In addition, BPBA 1959 can not be used to this effect as the Constitution of India, which is the highest authority of the land, allows for free movement and stay in any part of the country.

Whose fault? Who pays!

2010-01-10T13:48:00.000-08:00

Sanjay is 18 years old boy from a small village in Uttar Pradesh. He came to Mumbai two years ago in search of work after his father died of prolonged illness. He has his mother and two younger daughters to support.
He found a job at a restaurant where he was getting Rs 4000 as a salary along with food. He would stay at the restaurant itself.
In addition, in the morning he would deliver newspapers for that extra income. He would send money to his family every month. However, last month when he was returning after delivering the newspaper; he was stopped by the policemen. He was told that some furniture was to be shifted in the police station so he should go with them. However, on reaching the police station; he was kept with 30 odd people who were arrested by the police. Most of them were the migrant workers, doing odd tasks in different trades.
He was taken to court which sent him on remand to beggars home. Probation officer didn’t have enough time to check with his case. However, after he had spent 10 days in custody, a social worker met him and offered to contact his family and get him released.
But Sanjay turned down this help fearing that on knowing that he is into jail, his mother would be completely shattered. Also, nobody would marry his sisters. Thinking all this, he had decided to stay in beggars home. He thought that after remand period, he’ll be out and then everything would be fine.
However, when he was released, he was shocked to know that his employer was not ready to keep him on work. Also; he refused to pay his previous dues. His position was that he can’t trust somebody who has been arrested by the police.
Today, Sanjay is unemployed even after a month. He is back to the street: lifestyle of abuse and exploitation that he had managed to come out of after very long struggle.
( From the naratives prepared from real cases two years ago.)

Losing what i had:

2010-01-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

Rajesh was a small time vendor who used to sell old books outside the local railway station. A police squad out on arresting the probable beggars in the city asked him to sit in the van. On contesting and asking why, he is being told that he’ll be left after some questions in the police station. Fearing the police, he sits in the van, while his shop is left unattended there on the pavement.
However, he is not left as promised to him. Instead he is taken to the court on the beggary charges. There he is not given any chance to speak; in fact, he is not even produced before the magistrate and sent on remand to beggars home. There he is made to stay for 14 days in inhumane conditions. Nobody from his family is informed about the incident. Neither was he allowed to make any calls to them or to any lawyer.
After his remand period is over, he is left as he was found not to be a beggar. But on reaching the station he finds that nothing was there, which was quite obvious.
After three days of hunger, he started working at a small tea stall at the station itself. Once he had the dignity of running his own business, although small, but today he is serving tea and washing used glasses and utensils.

Last sight...

2009-11-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

All are invited.Powerful and Super-Powerful.Rich and Super-rich.

Its last few days of live show.On display are the live dirt of your city which will soon become history.

You won't find them even in zoos.But may be in few nature parks.And only in cages.On display,purely for the sake of explaining the history.

Our city is on cleaning drive.Every bit or dirt is removed.Every trace of ugly sight is cleared.
This drive has been on for quite some time.Lots of rules and laws etc have been made to ensure our cities dirt free.Our governments have worked overtime to beautify the city and it shows.

With tons of garbage, waste, spit what is also removed from sight is the ugly character of the city we all know as destitutes, abondoned, helpless units.They were once live and known as persons.However,despite the efforts made by few insane retired oldies and some misdirected,aimless ,raw youth energy,they were never given the status of human beings.

Very soon,these live homeless and supportless units will be out of our cities and given the high numbers that they once had,its a huge task that our governments have completed.

Come,let us all come together and congratulate our systems for getting rid of those who were crippling the systems.

Lets celebrate.

Selective Truth....

2009-11-02T03:43:00.000-08:00

Very often police or the civic authorities of the city pick me up and process me under various systems.They claim those systems have been created for my convenience and safety.But i feel those systems have been created to keep me out of system.
They ask where have i come from.They want to know who am i.They want me to prove if i actually exist.
When i say i'm from this very city,that i have been staying here for several years,they don't believe.They ask if i have any document to support what am saying!
Whenever i attempted to get a document made,they asked if i had any other document that would support the claim of my existence.
Whenever i tried getting that 'any other document', systems there required me to produce yet another document in order to make me eligible for this 'any other document'.
Caught in this cycle of evidences,i failed to prove existence of my being even once.
Everytime my words are met with suspicion.Am never trusted.I'm treated like this worthless person who deserves to be not-trusted,someone who is suppose to be telling only the 'lies'. And i learn that the proofs for my existence are the documents that i have failed to acquire.
But when i tell the same authorities that i'm from another city or state,am not asked any further question.What i say is never doubted.Nobody asks me for any document to ascertain if i am telling the truth.
Every word that i say is taken as complete truth and very frequently i find myself in the huge numbers that these authorities project repeatedly and claim to be struggling with.
But i don't understand these numbers.I don't understand why do they say i am from some other part.I don't know those regions.Because i have been in this city for so so many years.
I don't remember being anywhere else.
Who am i?
I'm a homeless person who has been sleeping in this particular corner of this very street for almost a decade but still has no permanent address.

Encountering True Lies......

2009-07-26T17:35:00.001-07:00

When we started two years 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 organized grouping. What we have seen is informal and instable living patterns where people are coming together but its more for the fulfillment 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.
Last year was significant for the project in many ways. First, our team grew. Two new members joined the team as project officers. We were also able to garner more support for the program as people began to acknowledge and see the impact that this team created.
Year saw us reuniting more than 500 people with their families.Some of them have been away from the family since several years.Every time a family was traced,a ray of hope was started for an otherwise lonely soul.
It was like our dream turning into reality when we were able to pull about 10 people out of begging.It took us long time to give them enough confidence about their survival once they were out of their occupation of several years. Today,they all are at work. They have reaffirmed our belief that no body wants to beg,for no body wants to strip himself naked of his dignity and pride.
Yes,pride and dignity are what you loose first as circmstances force you into world of abuse and dependance.
There is a very citical difference between those who beg and those who are processed under ‘beggay prevention Act. Unfortunately,the law which aims at rehabilitation of destitute and abondoned people who are forced into begging,has actually become a major factor contributing to begging.The way its implemented,every month hundreds of innocent people were arrested and kept in custody.We investigated and ensured that such people were presented fairly in the court and released accordingly.
This year we were also able to set up small unit for vocational training where about 40 clients were provided training in various trades.
We also entered into significant but complex area of mental illness. A small pilot has been started with Regional Mental Hospital.Through this,we are trying to address to the needs of those with mental illness but lodged inside beggar’s home.It was very evident that many of the cases that we dealt with, especially those of women, had some element of mental illness and somewhere this component of illness coupled with certain other factors and family situations led to their state of destitution. This was quite disturbing phenomenon and we have attempted to address it at very critical stage.

Criminal Cities.....

2009-07-17T01:23:00.000-07:00

Cities have been increasingly growing into spaces where poor are being denied entry and all possible efforts are being made to get rid of the poorest person.Beautification of the city,in most of cases,happen at the cost of the most needy.That last one person.

Anti beggary law,among other measures, has become a very effective tool in the hands of governments to create poor-free cities. Using this law,poor could be arrested anytime,anywhere and that too,without a warrant.

Last few months have seen Delhi state using this law very forcefully.Not doubting the intention of officials when they say that the government is trying to rehabilitate people who are into begging through different measures,we still need to rethink about the process of doing this.

We certainly don't want our people to beg.We support any effort that would ensure them a life of dignity and respect.To help them come out of begging.But to ensure that rehabilitation plans actually yield results,it is crucial that the causes for such extreme destitution are understood.Government must make efforts to understand various compulsions and circumstances that force the person into a life where abuse and humiliation are routine rituals. Until we begin from this end,there is little hope of any efforts seeing success.

Begging,undoubtedly,is the form of absolute helplessness and destitution.If the government is really serious about the rehabilitation of those into begging,it will have to do much more than just arresting them and putting them in custodial institutions.Please remember, its not an option that they have taken willingly.In fact, its not an option actually.Its the absence of any option at all.

Yesterday i was in the Jama Maszid area of Old Delhi.Its a place where the number of homeless citizens,including those into begging is huge.I saw something that i'll not forget for very very long time.
As i was walking down the street, a cycle ricksaw passed by,with a passenger sitting on it.There was an aged blind person,few metres ahead,standing in the middle of the road,asking for alms from passersby.
Rickswapuller slowed down his ricksaw,took out some money from his torn shirt and kept on this old man's palm.Then,he slowly sped away.

This sight was amazing.Poorest of poor helping another poor. To me,its the reflection of our deeply rooted concern for our fellow beings.This is how we are.We have it in our genes,in our culture, to help those who are infirm,disabled,aged,sick or simply needing our support.

Could any law finish this basic nature of 'US'? I doubt it.

I appeal to all concern systems and people at large,lets be more sensitive.Lets be caring.Lets take care of our people.We must make efforts to take our people out of destitution and begging but in a manner in which they feel being loved and cared for.Where they know they do have a worth as humans,that they are being wanted. Not in a way that leaves them feeling more humiliated and being a burden,questioning their existence.

If we could do it,that would be real inclusion.
It will be the Social order that we would be proud of.

hope of hopeless......

2009-07-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

What would have happened if i was not born in family that i'm born in? What if my father hadn't been earning as much as he does?What if i was not privileged to have received best of education from the leading institutions through out?
What if i was born or forced to live on the street?

Life would have been very very different.Thief,drug addict,lazy,beggar,opportunist,criminal,gunda,ganjedi are some of the names that i would have earned: not for being or having commited any of these acts but for being on the street.

Life on street is killing.Its an everyday struggle to survive.And i salute the grit and determination of people who go through extreme range of abuses everyday,who are robbed off their dignity every day in one form or the other,whose pride is attacked almost every single night by range of violators.

I salute the people living on streets.I salute homeless citizens of this country.They are forced to prove that they are not anti social.They are not even recognized as the citizens of this country.They are being given no identity that would show their citizenship still they are hopeful from life.Extremely positive.Have complete faith in their state,their people,their leaders.They hope that one day things will change.A day will come when people will be able to look beyond their dirty clothes,when people will be able to come out of the wrong notions built about the homeless person.When humans will treat them as humans.When humans will see that they too are humans.

They are optimist for a day to come when we'll be able to see how hard they work to earn two meals a day,when we'll be able to see how one person sacrifices his dreams,his ambitions,his entire life to make sure that his parents,children and family live peacefully.

A day when we'll be able to notice those drops of tears that emerge everytime his identity is questioned.Everytime when his dignity is being assaulted.

A day when his dream of leading a life of respect and dignity will be fulfilled.When he'll be free in independent India. Free from hunger,illness and abuse.

I too hope that day arrives.
I too hope that his unquestionable faith in his people comes true.
I too hope that changed day arrives
I too hope he is freed from hunger,illness and abuse.
I too hope humans become humans one day.
I too hope we get freedom some day.
Have been dreaming for long for that day of independence..........

Being poor is being criminal

2009-07-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Rahim Ali: Ali, 28, truly reflects how the youth in our country is being forced to move out of his place to look for livelihood and then being criminalized. Class 12th pass, coming from a small village in West Bengal, Ali came to Mumbai about four years back in search of better employment.

Initially, he did odd jobs and survived, but later he found a regular job of maintaining accounts at a small restaurant. He also knows tailoring and left his restaurant job as he got employed with a tailor in Khar. He worked there for one year but then the tailor closed his shop and moved to Dubai. Since then, he started doing odd jobs, most regularly catering work and as a porter. He visited his family once in a year and regularly sent money back home.

He got arrested while he was sleeping outside a tea stall along with his friends. This is the place where they had been sleeping for long and the tea stall owner knew them well (in their free time, these people use to sit there and chat). At the time of arrest, he requested the police to speak to the stall owner and verify that all those people were working people and not beggars. But he,along with all others, was pushed into the van. On their repeated confrontations, they were told that they’ll be released in the morning. That never happened.

The Probation Officer gave them the option of getting bail but they didn’t have the required amount of money and there was nobody who could help them.

That was the period when Koshish was applying for special releases through the probation officer.
We visited the tea-stall owner and verified whatever he had told the project team. On the basis of a report submitted by Koshish, he was finally released.

Since his release Koshish is in touch with him. He has even visited Beggar’s Home once to meet the social workers. He has started working again,
But he is not sure if he’ll not be picked up again.Also, we are unsure if he’ll ever be able to come out of the pain that those 14 days brought to his existence.
Such incidents make me think if we really are free? Aren't we still bonded,governed by rules and laws that criminalize poor for just being poor.What kind of society we want to be?
I feel ashamed when i think of myself as part of a system where humiliation and suppression of hard working youth is supported by state law.

Tribute to Baba.....

2008-06-25T03:17:00.000-07:00

Krishna Kumar (name changed) was about 65 years old man from a village in Akola district. This is one of the very first cases that i handled. Its been about two years since he passed away but memories refuse to fade.
We tried our best but couldn’t do enough to save his life and this feeling would test me for the rest of my life.
Krishna baba, as we would call him joined our special group (i use to conduct special sessions for this group on the issues ranging from confidence building to cleanliness to options for livelihood)with the hope to get out of the beggars home.
He was detained for one year. Though he said that he never begged and belonged to good respectable family, he never gave his family contact. It was only after three-four months with us that he told about his family but with a condition that we’ll not contact his family.
As he told, he had a son who threw him out on his wife’s insistence as he would stop her whenever she was harassing his wife. His wife was critically ill and he would often get in fight with his son and daughter in law for not taking adequate care. After his wife’s death last year, it became very difficult for him to stay there and after one such incident, he was out.
He came to Mumbai on a friend’s advice and joined him as a portar.He would get some 50-60 rupees a day as he wasn’t able to work for long hours.
One day when he was resting at a road side, he was picked up by the police. Once in beggars home, he was detained as his age made him easy suspect for the crime that is begging,and secondly because he could not give his family’s address.
When he came to beggars home, he was fairly healthy but soon he started getting weak. We showed him at the institution’s hospital and he was given few tablets. One day he was hit with stick by the mukadam (fellow inmates given the care-taker's responsibility) and his hand got swollen. We complained to the authorities but nothing happened. Again, one day he was beaten up by another mukadam.After that, he fell ill. To me,it appeared as if more than physical pain,it was mental and emotional humiliation that was making him weak.The sense of being deprived of any self dignity and freedom was killing him slowly.
Problems do come in numbers.He developed diarrhea along with fever.He couldn't be transferred to public hospital for one reason or the other.It was after a week that he was taken to hospital.However,doctor didn’t admit him and said its only weakness and nothing else. He was brought back to the beggars home.
Fighter that he was, he continued doing his things on his own but reducing energy would not allow him to sit for long hours. Group members offered him to help with his daily things but he refused.
One day he gave in. He expired in the early morning and we just couldn’t believe it. He was bundle of energy and his still body appeared very untrue.
Nobody in the barrack had lunch that day.It was for the first time that i saw people in beggars home missing their meal to mourn the death of fellow inmate.
He was a father figure for the entire group.One would be amazed to see his high energy and optimism.He never ever complained for anything,whatsoever.
His ever-smiling face is still fresh and keeps coming up.He has been very instrumental in providing me the strength to continue with the work in the institution.
He is gone but not dead.He lives in inspiration and its a special feeling for me to write about him as my first post on the experiences of working with destitute citizens.
We miss you Baba!

Introducing Koshish

2008-06-25T02:51:00.000-07:00

Homelessness: Major Challenge facing us today; Koshish is a field action project of Tata Institute of Social Sciences,Mumbai. TISS has been involved in work with homeless population through its field work placements but more direct work was needed.

There was combination of reasons that led to the start of this project. Once, it was decided that we would get into direct work with homeless citizens, we started shaping it. Initially, regular visits were made during the night time to identify the geographical location for the project.Since,we were yet to test our work in the real field, we decided to start with M Ward and Kurla,due to the physical proximity to TISS.
At the government level, work had already been initiated inside the beggars’ home through the field work, a year ago. I was the first student to be placed there after almost 18 years and i still how i faced complete denial in the beginning but when the results started showing, it all began to change. Untiring efforts have started yielding results by now. Department was opening in terms of support and cooperation. Resistance from the staff at Beggar’s Home also became almost negligible. Infact, fairly good level of acceptance evolved.
Although, service delivery was not the agenda but it was essential requirement to create that entry passage. It was needed to network with various individuals and organizations and bring services in, especially inside Beggars Home. That’s the prerequisite to give them trust that things will happen and what we say, would materialize to some extent.

Beggars Homes are the custodial institutions maintained under Bombay Prevention of Beggary Act, 1959.Law was brought in place to check the issue of beggary. It basically aimed at prevention of beggary through training and rehabilitation of those who were involved into begging.

However, the way beggary and beggar is defined in the act changes the whole document into very vulnerable and anti-poor document. Of late, the focus of the police has been completely on the arrest of ‘so called’ beggars though the systems that were put in place for training and rehabilitation have either disappeared or become non-functional.Therefore, effectively what remains today is not a law aiming for rehabilitation of socially poor category but a mean to punish any poor person for being poor. The poor farmers and laborers who are forced to migrate from their native lands for various reasons are the biggest victims of this law.
The nature of BPBA, 1959 and its implementation which criminalizes poverty was very crucial among the reasons why this work was initiated.

Koshish aims at addressing the interrelated issues of beggary, destitution and homelessness through a combination of measures pitched at the varying levels of providing support for basic and immediate needs, facilitating linkages to gainful and secure employment, advocacy for integration into the larger society and for the development of meaningful policy, and activism for securing rightful entitlements.