Begging a Moral Question

As you might appreciate, you certainly need a way to just handle some of the more distressing features of India. For me, the most significant is the industrialized begging.

Putting emotions into boxes, I've begun to compartmentalize the major stylistic categories:

-- Annoyance begging :: being following for blocks on end by a child tugging at your clothes

-- Deformity/open wound begging :: grossing you out until you cough up $

-- Transvestite begging :: threatening to kiss you with his sticky red lips

-- Car window begging :: children dodging lanes of traffic at the sight of blonde hair

-- Elderly begging :: I'm old, give me $

-- Mother / malnourished infant begging :: give me $ for milk (how about for condoms?)

-- Opportunistic begging :: I don't normally ask for $, but you seem likely to have some

-- Photographic begging :: These looks ain't free, but just about (10 Rupees = 25cents)

-- "Selling-me-stupid-shit-I-don't-want" begging :: What the hell am I going to do with a 5 foot long penis shaped balloon? (NO COMMENTS!)

No doubt I've been struggling with my response to these queries, and its seems no matter what I do I'm left feeling guilty and mean. I learned that a lot of the begging is organized by the mafia-equivalent ... then I hear (awful, awful) stories of children maimed as infants. I don't want to give the money that creates the market for begging -- but then, is it really the fault of this small, dirty, malnourished child??? Of course not.

For the first few months I'm just so taken aback, feeling that I don't even know how to act, that I end up ignoring them, shooing them away, saying leave me alone. Then they shift to the annoyance begging tactics in any case, so it doesn't really work.

But recently I've changed my approach, with great success: stop and talk to them. Its amazing to the shift in attitude, a smile spreading across their faces, when you just stop, look them in the eyes, acknowledge they are a valuable person, and just start paying attention. Really, the children suddenly look at you and blush, shy to tell you their names, how old they are, how they got those open wounds.

And, I have found they're plenty of things I can give them to help, other than money. Toothbrushes, ballpoint pens, sandwiches (no, not candy... I don't think they get to the dentist twice a year). And to my surprise, the children take the food and feed their little brother and sister first, and share with the others. Nothing has been more rewarding.

Oh yes, now I can take comfort knowing I'm saving the world, one freshly brushed, starving child at a time.