Rural Livelihoods
Mar'02-May’02
Issue 31
RURAL LIVELIHOODS
Kirankumar Vissa (AID Maryland)
Why are they begging on the trains?
When you are traveling in India, you are invariably forced to ask yourself, “What do I do when someone comes to me begging on the street or in the train?” Many say that by giving them money, you are only encouraging them not to work for their living - that you are encouraging them to remain poor.
But, are the people who say this doing anything that helps remove the poverty? Should we, instead, react with compassion and share whatever we feel like sharing? At least that will allow us to retain our human feeling. Meanwhile, one also wonders, “Why are they going through this indignity? Why are they begging on the streets, in the trains?”
When asked, “What is your policy of dealing with those who come to you begging?” Aravinda (AID-India) gave a thoughtful answer: “My policy of dealing with begging is to buy village-made products whenever possible.” And at a fair price, she implicitly meant.
Beneath the surface evidence of the few who have settled for the indignity of begging, there lies the reality of hundreds of millions of Indians struggling to make a decent living, a large majority of them in the villages. The problem of the poor is largely the problem of their livelihoods. Are we ready to have a share in their problems? Are we ready to participate in positive efforts in this direction, through groups like AID?
Are we ready?
Rapaka women learn jute skills!
The main occupation in the Muslim hamlet of Rapaka
(Srikakulam dist., AP) is stone cutting, and women traditionally have not gone out of the house to work. But, standing on the road next to Rapaka, one sees carts full of jute, recently harvested. Most of it is exported out of the state. Is there any local enterprise making jute products? No!
AID-India volunteers searched and discovered a single couple in the block who can make jute products. Ten women participated in a
Issue 31
RURAL LIVELIHOODS
Kirankumar Vissa (AID Maryland)
Why are they begging on the trains?
When you are traveling in India, you are invariably forced to ask yourself, “What do I do when someone comes to me begging on the street or in the train?” Many say that by giving them money, you are only encouraging them not to work for their living - that you are encouraging them to remain poor.
But, are the people who say this doing anything that helps remove the poverty? Should we, instead, react with compassion and share whatever we feel like sharing? At least that will allow us to retain our human feeling. Meanwhile, one also wonders, “Why are they going through this indignity? Why are they begging on the streets, in the trains?”
When asked, “What is your policy of dealing with those who come to you begging?” Aravinda (AID-India) gave a thoughtful answer: “My policy of dealing with begging is to buy village-made products whenever possible.” And at a fair price, she implicitly meant.
Beneath the surface evidence of the few who have settled for the indignity of begging, there lies the reality of hundreds of millions of Indians struggling to make a decent living, a large majority of them in the villages. The problem of the poor is largely the problem of their livelihoods. Are we ready to have a share in their problems? Are we ready to participate in positive efforts in this direction, through groups like AID?
Are we ready?
Rapaka women learn jute skills!
The main occupation in the Muslim hamlet of Rapaka
(Srikakulam dist., AP) is stone cutting, and women traditionally have not gone out of the house to work. But, standing on the road next to Rapaka, one sees carts full of jute, recently harvested. Most of it is exported out of the state. Is there any local enterprise making jute products? No!
AID-India volunteers searched and discovered a single couple in the block who can make jute products. Ten women participated in a