Everyday on my way to office, I cross the Purana Quila redlight and usually have to stop there for a minute or so. There is this young boy who does his routine of tapping the windows of each and every car and begging. His standard line is Ek rupaya de do saheb roti khani hai (Give me a rupee so I can eat bread). Some days he hides his right hand inside his shirt in a way that you would think he is maimed, on Saturdays he carries a small pot with incense signifying the offering to Shani dev.

I have seen this guy at the same junction for over 2 years now.

When I first came to Delhi and saw the huge number of beggars, I was horrified. I was very sympathetic (Poor chap, poor woman, poor kid...). I used to make sure I gave some money to each one. After all, I thought, someone who is degrading themselves through begging deserves to be given alms.

But then, living in Delhi, one quickly figures out the scam behind these beggars. One begins to notice the same person lurking around the same spot everyday and saying the same thing Meri beti bimar hai (My daughter is sick) to the same people. One's eyes start to follow them after the light turns green, and one sees that the old man who could barely walk the previous minute sprints to safety across the road and one does not miss the gutkha dripping down the supposedly unfed faces.

The issue of beggars is very complicated. On one hand is the humanitarian aspect of the right to a good life, on the other is the propensity of these beggars to breed more, leading to more and more, younger and younger beggars on our roads. On one hand is the question of whether to give as the person maybe genuinely needy, on the other is the maxim "give a man a fish, he eats for a meal...".

There are several NGOs that run homes for rehabilitating begging children. I am told a substantial majority of these kids run away, back to their dhandha. Then there are these stories, mostly apocryphal, of beggars who died and left behind their considerable fortunes.

So, what does one do? I have decided that I will not give any alms ever again. I will contribute Rs. 1000 per month to an NGO that works for street-children. Any ideas on a good and dependable NGO?