Begging

I am used to seeing beggars on the street in many different places, but the forcefulness of the Indian begging population can bother me still despite my prior experience. They are very physical in the sense that they will touch you, tap you, pull on your shirt, push their way between two people in a crowd, and get in your face.

This woman is a type of beggar that carries around a tin of yellow and red powder. She will get in your face and try to touch your head, which you should never let her do. She tries to give you a blessing, and if she succeeds, she feels that she has the right to demand money. If you give her money, she will demand more.

What is worse are the child beggars. I don't have a picture of any situation, by they are particularly forceful, especially more so with us because we are so obviously foreign. It is hard to ignore them, push past them, or yell at them because they are just kids.

Coping Method: The best thing is just to remember that giving a beggar money won't really help the situation overall, especially with the kids who are often working for some higher up and won't get the money anyway. Sometimes people say it is best to give food, but often here the beggars won't accept it or will throw it back in the giver's face. It takes time to work a level of desensitization, which is unfortunate but really our only option on day-to-day basis.