Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
You should also know of a new 'tactic' by child beggars, they will threaten you with "bad-duaa" if no 'donation' given.
ha! yeah I've also heard some of them fake disabilities, gang up on you and take other weird steps to get money.. but given their level of poverty and starvation, we should overlook it and it still doesnt give us any right to treat them the way most of us do.
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
where did you get this info from f&B? This just can't be true....
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
no man...there is justification for it, when you are being pulled, pushed, grabbed. this attack by aggressive beggers has to stop. I almost fell in karachi once because a begger grabbed my legs as I was getting ready to cross the legs. My mum was with me and she told me to stay cool otherwise I was seriously going to beat him up. u simply do not endanger someone no matter how needy you are.
Point is simple, ask, and if someone can and wants to give they will give. u may be really needy and you may really ask, but grabbing someone's hands or in my case then..legs, or starting to touch someone's kids and asking to give money for teh kids sadqa is just not right.
I've only been to Pakistan and India twice.. from all my confrontations I have seen any of them be physically aggressive.... at most they annoy you by following you or maybe touching you... but they dont pull or push you.. I have never seen that..
Even if 1% of them resort to such measures FRAUDIA THEY R POOR FRIKKEN BEGGARS WHO DONT HAVE ANY FOOD... some of them have GOT to be turning INSANE out of starvation and sleeping on the streets.. I really think these reasons are not enough for us to BEAT THEM UP or CURSE at them or INSULT them
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
sadly many of these child beggers are part of organized gangs, that have begging as just one product in their portfolio, they are into all other kinds of stuff as well. Its just very tough to find out who is really needy, many people, myself included have given money not because of some charitable feelings but just to get rid of the annoyance I am not too proud to say that but that is the truth.
ideally u would offer to but them food, groceries or medicine they need, or go to the hospital and pay the bill that needs to be paid for their loved one's care, but first its more expensive then just giving them some token change and getting rid of them, secondly it takes more time and effort and maybe we are all a little numb but very few people would bother to do that.
what I do know is that as recently as 10 years ago, if you went to civil hospital in karachi u would see beggers dumpster diving to get used or scrap bandages and gauze out for their costume.
But, there are many needy people out there, and ideally we should try and do something, both on a short term and a long term basis. feed them then, a sort term quick thing helps bthem there and nwo and is needed. long term is to help get one kid out of the vicious circle of poverty, and even longer term is to finx our system.
its worth striving for, but tough.
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
I've only been to Pakistan and India twice.. from all my confrontations I have seen any of them be physically aggressive.... at most they annoy you by following you or maybe touching you... but they dont pull or push you.. I have never seen that..
Even if 1% of them resort to such measures FRAUDIA THEY R POOR FRIKKEN BEGGARS WHO DONT HAVE ANY FOOD... some of them have GOT to be turning INSANE out of starvation and sleeping on the streets.. I really think these reasons are not enough for us to BEAT THEM UP or CURSE at them or INSULT them
dude, they are not always poor frikkin beggers. there are ppl who are part of begger gangs, there are people who are druggies.
as far as aggressive beggers, they exist, and their fav targets are women shopping with small kids. they crowd their target, 2 -3 at a time and while they dont overtky threaten the person, it is as close as you can get to mugging as possible.
I have been to Pakistan probably about 20 plus times most of them for 2 or 3 months at a time, and have lived in Pakistan for over two years. This stuff is not new.
PS: the instict that jumps to teh top when someone grabs your legs and almost makes you fall in oncoming traffic is not to feel sorry that the guy is so desperate that he would grab on to your legs. the instinct is to beat the living shyt out of him. Not the most politically correct thing to say but thats how it was.
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
where did you get this info from f&B? This just can't be true....
It was from an email and I admit that it is not verified. But I have known beggers in past who were very well off.I will not be surpised if this was true.
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
in India they also threaten you to give maan behen ki gali along with gad-dua 
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
The leg-grabbing thing happened to me also but in Mexico, not pak. It was heartbreaking for sure but also very annoying...esp since there was NO interest when FOOD was offered...the little bugger wanted cash only! lol! ou have to admire the little one in a sick and sad way...yet there it is, the bugger wasnt hungry, turned up his little nose when I offered to buy food for him. I guess he was going for those air nikes. I was 17 at the time. And just totally. completely. horrified. when this little boy grabbed my leg. The woman who was escorting me had seen this before and gently took us thru the whole thing, she was SO very nice. She went to a restaurant, got a nice meal and offered it to the little boy. He took it but really wasnt thankful or interested in the food. He saved it and I'm certain it didnt go to waste but that was definitely not what he was looking for.
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
dude, they are not always poor frikkin beggers. there are ppl who are part of begger gangs, there are people who are druggies.
as far as aggressive beggers, they exist, and their fav targets are women shopping with small kids. they crowd their target, 2 -3 at a time and while they dont overtky threaten the person, it is as close as you can get to mugging as possible.
I have been to Pakistan probably about 20 plus times most of them for 2 or 3 months at a time, and have lived in Pakistan for over two years. This stuff is not new.
PS: the instict that jumps to teh top when someone grabs your legs and almost makes you fall in oncoming traffic is not to feel sorry that the guy is so desperate that he would grab on to your legs. the instinct is to beat the living shyt out of him. Not the most politically correct thing to say but thats how it was.
Beggar gangs and druggies? Thats twisted, yea beat them up fo shizzle. But eazy on the kids man, eazy on the kids. I just saw too many instances of ppl kicking and cursing little kids and that picture stays in my head still. I know its not always easy to do but we should TRY to remember their circumstances and be as gentle on them as we can.
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
this dude was in his 30s i think
I am not proud of my instincts but really if mum had not stopped me I was going to hit him.
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
in mumbai the beggars are really smart too. They wait right outside the international airports and ask foreign people to give them a dollar to show to their kids just because they've never seen one before.
Darn are they really chaloo! How many rupees equals a dollar in India nowadays?
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
about two rupees for a dollar. would you like to trade some dollars for a few rupees to show your amreeki friends?
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
^^ 
Re: Beggers of Mumbai.
about two rupees for a dollar. would you like to trade some dollars for a few rupees to show your amreeki friends?
:CareBear:you funny....I think it's more like 40 rupees?
I have been known to give out cash(rupees :p) to some beggars though just cuz I tend to get all soft when I see the lil kids.