Blaming the poor for poverty

The other day, I was talking to my sister about this feeling I have increasingly; this feeling that I am living an extremely privileged life due to what is essentially an accident of birth. I didn’t always feel this way. When I was younger, my focus was mainly on what I wanted to do, the obstacles I had to cross, the things I would achieve. As I grow older, I feel more and more that individual effort and success is only part of the game. Let me explain.

For the last year or so, I have been noticing this group of children in and around M.G.Road. All of them are impossibly thin. They stand at traffic signals, often in groups of 2 or 3. Sometimes, one of the older kids will even carry an infant. These children are not ordinary beggars. Their modus operandi is to entertain you in return for money. This entertainment, they provide by putting themselves through hoops, literally. They carry these tiny hoops, hardly more than a foot in diameter, and they contort their bodies to pass through these hoops. Then, they come up to you, tap the windows of you car, and ask for money. They don’t beg or plead. They demand. When I look at their eyes, I see sullenness and anger. There is no childhood left in these eyes. I have seen beggars before. Who hasn’t, on our streets? But these children are one of the most painful sights I’ve ever seen.

Everytime I pass them, I wonder - what is this rage that their young life has already taught them to feel? Watching them put their bodies through those hoops, somersault at busy junctions, move away just as vehicles begin to speed - it is gut-wrenching. Watching their eyes - it is impossible to feel contented with one’s safe life. It is not difficult to imagine how one’s life would be, if born into such a family.

India is shining, in a sense. Certainly the economic boom has benefited many people, including people from poor families who can now get better jobs. But large parts of the population are still left out. Sometimes I feel that the middle class is either immune to or contemptuous of poor people. Often, I hear comments like, “they just squander away their money.” Certainly, there are men from poor families who drink away their money instead of spending it on their children. But, I am sure alcoholism is not absent in affluent families as well; the only difference may be that they have a better safety net to fall back on.

Once, someone told me that they didn’t contribute to charity since the children supported by these organizations were kept in “unnecessary luxury.” Who are we to decide that destitute children should not enjoy some comforts? Why should we prescribe that children on welfare should only get the most basic of materials? I bet no one thinks the same for their own children. It’s a different story that in reality, many charitable organizations have little comfort to offer - they operate in fairly basic conditions.

Sometimes I feel the middle class has an inflated sense of its own troubles. We spend a 1000 rupees for a celebratory meal at a fancy restaurent, but crib about how expensive maids have become, when it comes to adding a 100 rupees to her pay. I am not advocating austerity - every individual has the right to spend their hard earned money - but if we cannot do much for others, atleast let us not harm those poorer than us. Propagating negative stereotypes of the poor is harming them - it creates a climate of acceptance. It makes it convenient to say, “Oh, these people will never improve” and walk away. Sure, personal responsibility is important. But, even to take that responsibility, each individual needs the right opportunities. Let us not blame poor people for their poverty.

Some worthy organizations working with children: Project Why (New Delhi), Sri Rakum School for the Blind (Bangalore), Udavum Illangal Ullam (Chennai)

Tags: charity, children, lost childhood, poverty in india, privilege