Stuff Larry Eats

Navigating the back alleys around my hotel, I arrived at Mother House shortly before noon today to inquire about volunteering and to look at an exhibition on Mother Theresas life and her room, which was being restored the last time I was there. Besides being an inspirational figure that transcends cultural boundaries, it was fascinating to see how meticulous an administrator Mother Theresa was, as she kept files on correspondences and paper work on her many homes around India, which no doubt enable her to create and spread one of the largest charity networks in the world. One of the sisters at Mother House instructed me to be at Shishu Bhavan, a bit north of Mother House, at 3 pm for a briefing for volunteers.

After running some errands nearby, I turned up at Shishu Bhavan in time for the briefing. The sisters and veteran volunteers there split the up the some forty or so volunteers who showed up into different language groups so they can talk to us in our own languages. There were groups for Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish and English speakers. But as I had volunteered before, I was spared the usual hour-long briefing. But I did read an interesting letter that long term volunteers had written to us newbies on giving money to beggars and children around the houses and on Sudder Street (the tourist hub that I live near).

The letter raised three points on why you shouldnt give money to those that ask you for it on the streets that I didnt think about before:

1. In Kolkata, children often come up to you and start pulling on you and attempt to hold your hand, in order to try to catch your attention and make you sympathize with them so youll give them money. When they do this and you give them money, you make them associate physical contact with money and you validate this kind of behavior. Unfortunately, this is also how a lot of child sexual abuse begins, as it isnt that far a stretch for children who believe that physical contact is an acceptable means to get money to think that prostitution is also acceptable. Unfortunately, child prostitution, perpetrated by locals and foreigners alike, is very real here.
2. While there are genuine people in need, a lot of beggars and children are coached into asking foreigners for money. The letter talked about how beggars would just sell back the food and water they receive to the shops you bought them at to get money. This kind of behavior is not behavior that locals are proud of. So by encouraging it, you are in essence encouraging a culture of deception that many here are ashamed of.
3. Some people think that by giving money to beggars, they are actually doing independent charity work outside of the system of NGOs around the city. But the sad fact is that every time someone does this, they undermine the work of these NGOs that have tried so hard to get people off the streets.

The letter instructs volunteers to just ignore those that approach them or if necessary, direct them to a NGO that can help. Ive also started blasting music on the new in-ear earphones that I got, which does a good job of drowning out the excessive honking of drivers here (I swear, yesterday, on a very wide street that did not have anyone else on it, a car went down the block honking continuously) and gives me an excuse to ignore beggars asking for money. The only con of this is that I feel like a prick doing this and this makes me less aware of cars that are actually honking at me. Ive already witnessed a motor cycle crash into a woman five feet in front of me last night on the street that that picture was taken. So hopefully that wont happen to me while Im plugged in.

Tagged: Kolkata