I could not access my old medium account as i deactivated the Facebook profile through which i signed up. So,here i’m going to reblog the handful articles i published there.

How about some ‘Change’

I spend a lot of time travelling in Hyderabad, where homeless people are everywhere. They always ask for spare change.

Typically my mom gives them some and occasionally i used to find that odd. I think the person receiving the money is going to smoke it or drink it away. I think I’m enabling them, contributing to the problem.But I don’t subscribe to this idea that every homeless person is asking for money in the street because they’re an alcoholic drug abuser who can’t hold a job.

Part of my reason for wanting to dig into the homeless subject was to dispel the notion that everyone out in the street is out there ‘cause they need it. Not everyone asking for spare change is a legitimate product of systemic poverty. Sometimes people get used to the idea of easy income and especially in Hyderabad i see the same people over years more often than not.

If you walk around Hyderabad at any time of the day, in any season, you will see people asking for alms everywhere. The temples, The cinema halls, bus bays, a sticking point for the public, are hotbeds of homeless activity. You can find them holding a child who looks really pale, or giving out flyers saying their daughter has to get married.

When you see something like that, you understand that some people have had hard lives — and maybe they’ve even contributed to that — but they are human beings just like everyone else. But then right there instead of giving out some change and moving on, talk to them genuinely. Their immediate response tells a lot regarding their situation. You will know if they got habituated to the easy money or they’re there ‘cause life got tough. Most of us are busy with our very own lives to even stop and think of it. But the next time you encounter them, try it. It tells a lot about people. Acknowledge their presence and help them acknowledge their self worth with your questioning. One a day. May be one day they will hit a threshold of hearing those questions and may be, just may be one fine day, they will throw that stick(used for acting acting like a physically handicapped) away. May be they will take that kid in their hands to a local government school instead to the traffic lights. May be they will send him to study and learn instead of becoming a successor to them in a non- respectful way.

Perhaps you might even be able to spare some thoughts for them. ☺