little BOY BEGGAR

Begging is to request a donation in a supplicating manner. Beggars are commonly found in public places such as street corners or public transport, where they request money, most commonly in the form of spare change.

This particular beggar that I encountered was a 7 year old, filthily attired in torn clothes, unkempt hair...the usual normal child beggar we spot everywhere. A small 4 year old child clutched his hand and kept up a continuous wail. He was obviously his brother. I had just halted at the Pulgate Signal due to the red signal. As more and more vehicles accumulated at the signal, the elder beggar child jumped into action. He half-dragged, half-pulled his brother towards the vehicles.

They hurried off to a Toyota Innova. The two men sitting inside recoiled at the sight of them. The beggars pounded on the door and window of the car, they tried to open the door and both set up a shrill cry. The man in the car unrolled the window, at least one part of the battle was won by the beggars.

The man then surreptitiously removed a coin from nowhere and fingered it in his fingers. The beggars hadn't seen this and had by that time increased the volume of their shrill. It was pounding my ears though I was with my helmet on. The man handed oven the coin to the boy and within a flash rolled over his window again.

The beggar thankfully received his coin and then stared at it for a very long time and then the scream that emanated from him surpassed all the previous screams. He now banged at the door of the car with an infuriating shriek that his kid brother was startled into silence. And then I realised the meaning of the scream. The coin which the man had handed over was a 50 paisa coin. All the boy's labour, was in the worth just 50 paisa. His tiny fists pummeled the window but the men inside did not relent. The little buy clutched the coin tightly in his hand, then opened his fist to look at it one last time and making sure that the men were looking at him he held it up and then with bitterness in his eyes he threw the coin down and then departed. The signal now turned green.

I can't yet figure out where my disgust should lie. With the men or with the beggar.