« The ?no-nonsense? way to lose weight! | Main | Should astrologers get into soothe saying? »
November 05, 2004
Begging ? not an easy profession!
I was told that in one of the books written by Mark Tulley (BBC correspondent from India), he had mentioned about an incident that shook his perception about HAPPINESS. He saw few sanyasi beggars on the streets of Varanasi having an uproarious laughter, which he misses to see even in the highly paid Corporates of New York! He could not decipher the reason for their laughter ? when they knew they had no bank balance, they had no investments, and they even didn?t know what was in store for them the next day!
We usually humiliate beggars by ignoring their presence who approach us, we try to scan his physical abilities, complain that he/she could very well work and earn money, and sometimes even yell at them with some advice - all for the that 1 rupee coin we are going to spare from our pocket! All because we think begging is the easiest thing to do on the planet, when it actually is not!
The first qualification to be a successful beggar is physical impairment. The person naturally should be one or he, at least should make himself look like one. ?Stink? is another prerequisite for being a good beggar, and it is not easy. A person at least should avoid taking bath for months together to create that natural stink. Is anyone game for the first round?
There are no ACs, no cushion seats, and no lunch or tea breaks. Most beggars sit at one single place the whole day in the scorching sun and during the winter too. Also there is very little hope for saving for the rainy day. Second round is yet another milestone to reach.
Not that every person whom the beggars approach donates. Out of 100 possible people probably 10 donate or even less. That is 10 per cent conversion rate. Just like the Eureka Forbes guys target is to knock 100 doors in a single day, the beggars also have their own target. And it is not easy to approach strangers - that too for money. You should have ?ZERO? ego to do this, and setting it to zero is indeed an Herculean task. The difference between other marketing guys like - the insurance agents, the credit card agents, and the beggars are they former give you headache forever and the latter give you some punyas (virtue)!
Politics? Of course there is immense politics in the begging industry just like in any IT or BPO companies. Beggars have their own specified areas, and they aren?t supposed to cross their limits to spread their wings. The only difference is they don?t have boss to appraise them ? they report directly to the almighty!
So, the next time you think begging is the easiest thing to do ? THINK AGAIN!
Posted by Kenni at November 5, 2004 05:09 AM
Comments
Comments are now closed for this entry.