Written by 5:10 pm Current affairs

Paying to beggars in India: Right or wrong?

Begging In India

Begging In IndiaSince ages, children are taught to make donations, help others and do such good deeds. We are given an example of Swami Vivekananda who donated his cloth to a boy who was in need. Coming to the present day, is donating to beggars on road side a good deed?

I have thought about this umpteen number of times. I have also thought about how it would be if free food stalls are installed everywhere, so that nobody suffers from hunger. I have felt many times that people should quench the hunger and third of poor people instead of donating to temples. The rich people should spend a part of the money they spend on their comforts for this cause. Superficially this looks like a good deed. Think about it, is really good? My answer to this question is no. Wondering why?

Here is my thought. People struggle and work hard to get the basic comforts they need. Among this first comes food. Then comes cloth, house and then a list of other luxuries. The first thing a person spends his earnings on is food. The majority of people work and earn to satisfy their hunger. If this requirement is fulfilled, many people, not all, may lose interest in working. Imagine what this ends up with! Many people may start just eating and lazing out without the purpose of earning.

Similarly, when you donate to a beggar, especially children, it will send the following message:

  • One can earn without working.
  • One can survive without hard work.
  • Laziness is not a sin.
  • No need to struggle with science, maths and languages, you can easily earn your living.
  • One can become independent at a very young age, which leads to all bad habits like alcohol, drugs and other wrong habits.

The person receiving alms will lose interest in earning. Not just that, this may encourage other lazy bugs to take to beggary instead of finding a way of earning. Is this good for the society? Definitely not. Hence think before encouraging beggary, especially children who are begging.

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