Bringing dignity to begging

We see beggars everywhere in India in all age brackets – toddlers, teens, young, old and very old. For us they all are one homogeneous mass, faceless and nameless. But every beggar who became a beggar has a story behind him. And one such story of 73-year old Selvaraj is humbling.

Afflicted with polio, he has been seen begging inside buses in Chennai. But you will be shocked to know that he is an Economics graduate and he was pushed to begging when he could no longer work due to his physical condition, leading him to beg and sustain.

We think that all those who beg use the money for drugs or liquor or smoke. But Selvaraj uses the money he gets to eat to live and balance all on buying books and stationery for the underprivileged children from nearby locality. He also teaches students from grade one to ten.

On an average, he earns Rs. 400 a day and receives some money through donations. Thus his monthly income is about Rs. 14,000. Out of this, he spares some money to pay for his rent and food and the rest of it is entirely used for the education of these children. His kindness was so inspiring that one person sends Rs.500 each month to support his good cause.