Two pound and a coffee story
I was always been scolded by sac on giving coins, some time money and some time food to road side beggars, he always believe by giving them money without effort or work we are encouraging them to stay in bagging business as well encourage their kids and others to join this lucrative business with no investment, less work and 100% profit earning.
And i always try to justify in IT language, sac if you have one million line of code and if you dont understand 100 lines of code how it work, or you knows its not perfectly written, what will you do? Will you dare to comment or delete those 100 lines of code without having better solution or without investigating real purpose or reason of those lines and its malfunction or not so perfection ?
Definitely no right ? then how you can throw a sollution of deleting one of the section of society how its working in one or other way. In ancient india the philosophy of Bhiksha or Daan, in western world with the word charity and donation. Who knows if bagging is not the overridden or inherited functionality of same purpose.
Or it may be a psychological instrument designed to reduce guilt or easy way of getting feel good or satisfaction in the life of Middle class.
Any way with this convincing theory of mine I kept continue with my coins flowing through beggars. But still sac is not entirely wrong so I keep experimenting with those 100 lines of code which is not perfectly written.
Some tomes I keep glucose biscuit packets with me, and refuse to give cash and give tham buiscuit. But as our indian baggers have done doctorate in milking our soft nature, dont know how but Sac too realize that faster than i. He again convince me that those baggers sell this biscuit packets to Retailer at low cost and get money from them. So again instead of deleting that code I tweak it a bit to improve, I started giving them open packet of biscuit with partially broken biscuits in two pieces.
Some time when I am eating out and some kids come for bagging I offer them same food dish I am having and insist them to have it with me only. Some tome it happened that their food bill occurs more than mine.
I even experimented with adult baggers to work some small task before I give them coins, normally I ask them to clean some public road side sign board, or move, remove some stones on the foot path or from the road, or ask them to arrange bicycles parked properly on shopping complex, but those all work for begging doesn't work smoothly. Most of them are not comfortable or convinced to do work.
Slowly I found a better way which was difficult a bit and is time consuming for me, but it gives me pleasure, satisfaction and sense of socially responsible. Since last few months I have started asking a bagger kid or adult (only male unless my wife is with me for obvious reason) to have a tea or coffee at nearby stall and tell me a story of his life how and why he been in to begging? I will pay for tea or coffeee and i give you 144 Rupees.
It worked it works and its still working. So hear are some of my stories I have collected so far at a cost of two pound - approx 144 Rs for each story.
Black Forest Temptation:
My dad is a hard working drainage cleaner. He normally gets work but occasionally get money. Contractors get most of the pay received from government and we get something which is less than sufficient for two times of food for me and my two sisters. Though my dad never asks me to work even , bagging was not at all a distance thought in any ones mind.
I was all ears with his initial pitch after I push kalu to agree to have tea with me and tell his story, normally I got a small and common story from all kids my mom- dad ask me to bag and so I do. But this time this starting introduction makes me curious and just to get buy-in his more time I ordered some sandwiches too for him. And kalu continue....
I din’t like school nor the work my dad do. So I say to my dad am going school so I don't need to go to work with him. And neither I go to school there after. I keep roaming near the popular cinema house, shopping complex and bus station to pass or kill my time till other kids complete their school.
For some time it went well but hunger and temptation to varios backery items make me roam more towards some of the specific backery shops and there too I got special attraction for some special items which seems like a pile of small chockelet chips, later on I come to know by over hearing some reach kids of almost same age of mine - "Black Forest”. My temptation get increasing day by day until one day I dare the shop keeper for the price of it. I knew I was not allowed, I will not be answered with respect, but I dared commiting my surrender to my temptation. And as expected I was thrown out from the shop with all possible bad words he knew from his entire educational career. But luckily he end up shouting me with a line that 'it will cost you 25 rupee which is entire days earning for your family.
Goal setting was done for kalu, he don't need Robin Sharma or Stephen covey .
And he starts his journey of fullfillment his goal.
I was not greedy, was not too much ambitious whatI wanted was only 25 Rupees a month only a single black forest pestry a month. I started my hunt for money start looking for source of money. Obviously the example of my father says work is only way. As I know he works and get a 25 Rs every day (almost everyday) (I blindly followed the scolding of that shop keeper) so simple calculation says if I work a day in a month like my das my goal would be achieved. And the dark black forest temptation will be satisfied. On very next day morning I go to my dad and said "dad, I want to come to work with you for a day, will get 25 Rupees like you right?" I dont know why but my dad laugh, laugh at loud like he might never ever done that. he said lets go talk to my contractor, lets see what he says?
I didn’t understand his laugh or his proposal but the temptation was driving me crazy so without a second thought I agree and walk with him.
Like the same way I ask the same question, like my dad if I work for a day, will I get 25 Rupees ? And again don't know why the same reaction, contractor almost fall down from his chair and with broken words between his laughter he suggested he cant give work , but you can try at some tea stalls they do need some chhottu to serve tea and clean tables.
And with a smile and a dummy feeling of sympathy my dad said, kiddu lets try after some years. Why don't you move to your school now?
With full confidence like everyday I headed towards school, my dad starts his day of dirty work digging dranage of society. And same like every day I started heading towards cinemax mall.
With all my courage I opted a tea stall vendor near cinemax mall. Almost same mixed reaction this time what I got from that shop owner and the contractor. He laughed out loud and scolded me with his own version of dictionary of slangs and bad-words.
I kept trying different tea vendors near by with same question and getting all most same reactions from everywhere. Except the last one who politely talk to me and explain look kid getting 25 rs a day is not a jock, at tea stall you can get only up to 10 rs a day that too if you are lucky.
With full difficulties and hard to calculate, first time I was missing the school. But some how I manage to
Calculate if I get 10 rs a day it will take almost three days to earn one black forest pastry.
On a very next day when I was staring at my favorite black forest, a reach couple just passed by me and throw a fifty paisa coin towards me. First of all I could not understand what it was for, but definately it was lucerative without doing anything I got one twentieth part of my salary offered by tea stall vendor.
Again I put my uneducated brain to work on calculation, if I opt for this one which I lately realized as begging, then how much time it takes me to get a black forest? And again at hard way I calculated with lots of effort and few assumptions. If I beg for 4 hours at my school timing only and if I get approx 5-6 such fifty paise then approx 8 to 10 days will be required for that pastry to reach me.
Without great difficulty I immediately concluded obviously working on tea stall for three days is far more better than bagging on 10 days, though for bagging I don't need to do any thing, but that doing nothing I have to do for ten long days.
I started my search on the same day, started with the same gentle kind and polite tea vendor who adviced me. I explain him my need of only One black forest pestry a month and my willingness to work hard for three days to get that. Initially he get difficulty to understand what black forest pastry is but when I explain him with great pride how does it look, how much it cost and where we can find it. He shows all most laughing reaction like my dad and that contractor, some how he contolled his laughter and my irritation.
Again with his elderly advising to me, he explained me he or no one else can offer you only three days a month job, you have to commit for entire month. If this world would have allowed to work only for your need then most if the employees working in these computer companies would have been working for only one forth month.
I don’t understand but understand that only option left to get that dark forest temptation was the long way to do nothing for more days, and I did it and here I am.
He left the restaurant after having sandwich and a hot cup of tea, left me with thought of wonder while is culprit kalu him self, contractor, his dad, tea stall vendor, government or that Gui who first time throw a fifty paisa coin to him?
