Incredible India: Beggars rule, tourists cornered

CHILD'S PLAY: Officials estimate there are some 500 child beggars in the city.

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Bodh Gaya: The best profession in Bodh Gaya, Buddhism’s holiest shrine, involves a lot of pleading but the perks make up for it: flexible working hours and tips in foreign currencies.

Begging has almost become an industry here and it threatens to harm the city’s main business: tourism. The earnings are so good that families from villages near the city make enough for a year and children bunk school to beg.

Bhojpuri is the mother tongue of Bodh Gaya’s child beggars but they can tackle English, Chinese and Thai too. Over 500 children beg from dawn to dusk and they often earn in dollars.

Buddhist monk Suresh Bhante says the children come from large families and often there is nobody to guide them in life. “They get into torn and dirty clothes and then start begging for two or three months. These children have no teacher or guide,” says Bhante.

Many of these children study in government schools, but during the tourist season of October-March they prefer begging. Their impoverished look and pleading can melt even the most cynical heart.

"They are sweet kids but they don't have enough money. I know it’s not a good thing to do but giving them small amounts is no big deal," says a tourist from Ireland.

K P Ramaiah, the Commissioner of Gaya, admits begging has become a nuisance for tourism. “These children learn a sentence or two in English, like ‘Give me a dollar, I have no mother, no father’ and then they trouble foreign tourists. The administration is keeping a watch,” says Ramaiah.

Tourists regard Bodh Gaya as a place of peace and solace, but they may soon think of it as a beggar city.