The wasted lives

Is it just me or have you too noticed a sudden increase in the number of beggars? The cake was when I was eating in "BreadTalk" at Hiranandani Mumbai. Someone pokes me in the arm and there is a beggar! Bang in the middle of the resturant. The Iranian family next to me guiltily gave the juice that the little kid of 5 years had ordered to him. The restuarant waiters took almost 3-4 minutes to come in and remove him.
Its the same at work. Go out to the Chai Tapari behind to what is a private road and there are atleast 10 off kids begging. Then there are the hijras sometime in addition and then those folks dressed up as monkeys also touching you for money. Go out the other side for the lunch from a side entrance to this place 20 ft away and there are at least 5 more beggars.
Every traffic stop has at least 6-7 kids begging and my usual path is not really the heavily used city roads. I think for every hour spent on city roads there are at least 20 beggars who accost me. Which means that each foreigner will easily encounter at least 10 times as many. and those with families probably also 10 times as many. Its almost become like mosquito in a swamp. If I go from Aundh to MG road - a distance of around 9 kilometers I'll easily encounter close to 200 beggers! It is simply impossible to move around in city without having someone or the other grabbing a limb asking for money every few minute.
Now I keep hearing from these NGOs how kids are obtained on rent to beg. Many very young ones are also surgically operated and mutilated since it gets more money. The very young ones are heavily drugged so that they don't cry- ever notice how that infant tagged to the kids begging is nearly always sleeping? I suspect most of us know that beggers are also mafia controlled. Then why do we keep giving so much money to them in the process making it a lucrative trade and hence ensuring that kids stay out of school, drugged and/or mutilated?
I think its time that the local governments got serious to this menace. Haul up all these kids put them all in a shelter. Put their parents behind bars for renting them out and the mafias in jail under charge of human trafficking and child abuse.

What letters reveal

Spent an interesting day reading some Pakistani newspapers. I usually find the Dawn pretty good and even at times pretty unbiased at least to the extent that they report what Indian media might be saying. However a quick perusal of the letters in the Statesman Pakistan was instructive. Except for one letter that probably came in during Mumbai attack that asked India not to finger point but work to find out culprits every other letter from private citizens apparently was to the effect that it is a RAW/CIA/Mossad/Indian Armed forces operation to foist a war on peace loving Pakistan. Some even said that Marriott blast in Pakistan was bigger and Pakistan didn't blame India for it then why is India blaming Pakistan for Mumbai!!
While it is possible that the newspaper selected only those letters that it found following its own world view a likely scenario is that the propaganda is so strong that majority of Pakistanis actually believe it so. Its surprising how many of the letter writers believed that 9/11 was enacted by US to start a war against Afghanistan and 26/11 was an in house job to inflame a war with Pakistan.
And that is the scary part. One person mentions how Kasab was apparently arrested in Nepal and framed for the Mumbai carnage? And this when TVs were showing footage of him strolling with an assault weapon in CST and people battling them. Really remarkable frame up where you 'arrest' someone (apparently against his will) and give him plenty of assault weapons and leave him loose? And people believe this story is what scares me and should scare all Pakistanis too.
The propaganda is so effective that most people are unable to accept the truth and deal with it. That is as much a problem because it makes even those in Pakistani establishment who might seriously want to confront the terror menace in Pakistan and actually work with India to really uncover the truth hesitate in the face of hostile public opinion since the public seems unable to see the truth. So someone comments that West is with India because of some conspiracy and China - Pakistan's old friend - is not supporting Pakistan enough because of commercial reasons? No one seems to consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe all other countries are supporting India because it has a valid case atleast this time?
There is that old saying that - if every one is coming your way, You are in the wrong lane. Alas many of us forget that. So many letters blame US/Israel/India for the creation of Taleban, the troubles in FATA, the Marriott bombings etc. On one hand someone will comment India did Marriott and the same person will also mention how innocents Pakistanis are fighting Taleban which is a menace to Pakistan. Unfortunately they seem unable to connect Taleban to Marriott etc. Which might be a reason why so much of Pakistan is unstable. Years of brainwashing has ensured that an objective assessment of reality is no more possible.
Cleansing such a head in sand view I believe is the tougher task ahead of us.