Incredible India is what they call it, and it is indeed. I am amazed by the sheer beauty of the people and the landscape. It's a sight I could never grow tired of. However, the beauty of this region is matched with a share of darkness. India is characterized by intense poverty. It is most evident in the faces of the children. We come face to face with the effects of this disparity every time we exit the bus. Our giant white bus labeled tourist across the front windshield causes an uproar as it moves down the street. When we stop, we are greeted by the hungry of India. In desperation women hold their children up, begging for a photograph in exchange for rupees. It is an image that I wish did not exist. Children rush to us and signal their hunger by moving their hand from their mouth to their stomachs in a repetitive motion. They ask for pens, chocolate, shampoo, and rupees.
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At the market, I found myself surrounded by the children, all asking for the same thing. My heart sank and my head dropped. What is the appropriate response to such a situation, I will never know. I have handed out rupees to some, but that leaves others hungry. I have also walked away from them all. (Our class talked about possible options the other night…to give nothing, to give food, to give money, or to give to organizations dealing with such problems. There is no one size fits all answer.)
It is impossible to come across this level of desperation and not beg the question of where the cause lies. In the US, we look upon the poor and the homeless with disdain. It seems evident that their current condition is a consequence of their choices. If only they had worked harder, stayed sober, held their job, etc. We are content to pawn the consequences upon the individual. The larger social trends that create such poverty are often left in the dark, unexplored. Here in India they are impossible to ignore. The level of poverty is obviously the result of a structural flaw and the government's inability to meet the needs of the people. (And, according to a fellow classmate, it may also be in part due to U.S. policies, such as those concerning rice subsidies to US farmers.) Although I am currently unaware of the complex root causes of this poverty, I am committing myself to finding the answers.