Bane Blade
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BEGGARS in India are preparing for next years Commonwealth Games - by learning new languages.
Thousands of homeless in the Indian capital New Delhi are hoping for better business from foreign tourists if they learn their native tongue.
And although English is spoken in the majority of Commonwealth countries, New Delhi's brainy beggars are teaching themselves other languages such as French and Spanish.
Money
Savitri, a street performer said: There will be thousands of foreign tourists when the games are going on. That is why some beggar families are teaching young child beggars to beg in foreign languages.
Savitris family of 25 people, including 15 children, belong to a tribe from the eastern state of Chhattisgarh. Together they perform acrobatics and tight-rope tricks to earn money on New Delhis streets.
Her daughter Kusum, 10, is also an acrobat. We say: Please sir. Give me 10 rupees. Anything..., she said.
Even if one beggar earns 150-200 rupees (£2-3) a day, you can imagine the turnover for us.
Vijay Babli, who claimed to be the leader of more than 1,200 families inhabiting a place called Lal Quarter in the city, said classes preparing young children to target the tourists expected during the Games have already begun.
Even if one beggar earns 150-200 rupees (£2-3) a day, you can imagine the turnover for us, Mr Babli said.
Many child beggars who have never been to school can now speak English, French and Spanish due to the classes they hold, Mr Babli told the Indian paper the New Indian Express.
Raju Sansi, who claims to be a tutor at the night school in Lal Quarter, said: Students are taught how to say phrases like I am an orphan, I have not eaten for days, I am ill and have no money for medicine, please help me in the name of God.
One of them, at the Jantar Mantar astronomical observatory in New Delhi, said the trend to ask foreign tourists for money in their own language added a personal touch to begging.
He said some beggars are also given training to distinguish between different currency notes to recognise their value.
Most are posted at famous tourists spots, shopping hubs and traffic lights, and usually learn a few sentences in various languages. Places frequented by beggars include India Gate, Jama Masjid, the Bahai Temple and Connought Place.
A Croatian visitor said: I was shocked when a man dressed in rags approached me and asked me in English if I was German or French, and started saying please give me money in various languages.
Begging in New Delhi is quite organised. Each beggar is allotted a designated place for a specified time, after which he or she is moved to another place. If we beg at one point for a long time, the earnings fall, Mr Babli said.
From a few thousand in the capital during the early 1990s, Delhi Universitys School of Social Studies estimates the beggar population will touch 100,000 next year.
The city authorities are busy preparing for the Games, which will be held between October 3 and 14 next year.
Beggars brush up on languages | The Sun |News
I think this is awesome
Thousands of homeless in the Indian capital New Delhi are hoping for better business from foreign tourists if they learn their native tongue.
And although English is spoken in the majority of Commonwealth countries, New Delhi's brainy beggars are teaching themselves other languages such as French and Spanish.
Money
Savitri, a street performer said: There will be thousands of foreign tourists when the games are going on. That is why some beggar families are teaching young child beggars to beg in foreign languages.
Savitris family of 25 people, including 15 children, belong to a tribe from the eastern state of Chhattisgarh. Together they perform acrobatics and tight-rope tricks to earn money on New Delhis streets.
Her daughter Kusum, 10, is also an acrobat. We say: Please sir. Give me 10 rupees. Anything..., she said.
Even if one beggar earns 150-200 rupees (£2-3) a day, you can imagine the turnover for us.
Vijay Babli, who claimed to be the leader of more than 1,200 families inhabiting a place called Lal Quarter in the city, said classes preparing young children to target the tourists expected during the Games have already begun.
Even if one beggar earns 150-200 rupees (£2-3) a day, you can imagine the turnover for us, Mr Babli said.
Many child beggars who have never been to school can now speak English, French and Spanish due to the classes they hold, Mr Babli told the Indian paper the New Indian Express.
Raju Sansi, who claims to be a tutor at the night school in Lal Quarter, said: Students are taught how to say phrases like I am an orphan, I have not eaten for days, I am ill and have no money for medicine, please help me in the name of God.
One of them, at the Jantar Mantar astronomical observatory in New Delhi, said the trend to ask foreign tourists for money in their own language added a personal touch to begging.
He said some beggars are also given training to distinguish between different currency notes to recognise their value.
Most are posted at famous tourists spots, shopping hubs and traffic lights, and usually learn a few sentences in various languages. Places frequented by beggars include India Gate, Jama Masjid, the Bahai Temple and Connought Place.
A Croatian visitor said: I was shocked when a man dressed in rags approached me and asked me in English if I was German or French, and started saying please give me money in various languages.
Begging in New Delhi is quite organised. Each beggar is allotted a designated place for a specified time, after which he or she is moved to another place. If we beg at one point for a long time, the earnings fall, Mr Babli said.
From a few thousand in the capital during the early 1990s, Delhi Universitys School of Social Studies estimates the beggar population will touch 100,000 next year.
The city authorities are busy preparing for the Games, which will be held between October 3 and 14 next year.
Beggars brush up on languages | The Sun |News
I think this is awesome
