© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Chandi Chowk, Delhi, INDIA

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In Islam, ’Halal’ (Arabic: حلال‎ ḥalāl, “lawful”) means permissible. ‘Haraam’ means forbidden.

Although the term halal and haraam are applied to many facets of life; and one of the most common uses of these terms is in reference to meat products, food contact materials, and pharmaceuticals. .

Commonly, forbidden items include pork and all its products; animals improperly slaughtered; alcoholic drinks, including all forms of intoxicants; carnivorous animals; birds of prey; and any food contaminated with any of these products. When reference to meat products are made, it simply means that the slaughtering of the animal (excluding fish and most sea-life as per Islamic law) has used the prescribed method of Ḏabīḥah (ذَبِيْحَة).

Ḏabīḥah calls for the use of  a well sharpened knife to make a swift, deep incision that cuts the front of the throat, the carotid artery, wind pipe and jugular veins but leaves the spinal cord intact when slaughtering animals. The head of an animal that is slaughtered is also required to be aligned with the Qiblah. 

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However, before the second world war, the religious ritual method of slaughter as practiced in Islam and Judaism has been described as inhumane by animal welfare organisations in the U.K. and the U.S.A., who have stated that it “causes severe suffering to animals. In 1978, a study incorporating EEG  with electrodes surgically implanted on the skull of 17 sheep and 15 calves, and conducted by  Wilhelm Schulze et al. at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Germany concluded that “the slaughter in the form of a ritual cut is, if carried out properly, painless in sheep and calves according to EEG recordings and the missing defensive actions” .

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The French Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fishing published the ASIDCOM’s Bibliographical Report on Religious Slaughter and the Welfare of Animals in 2008 which quoted scientific papers and French veterinary PhD which support the equality or even possible superiority of religious slaughter to other methods of slaughter.

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Ḏabīḥah  continues to be contested till today.

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For example, in 2003, the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), an independent advisory group, concluded that the way halal and kosher meat is produced causes severe suffering to animals and should be banned immediately. FAWC argued that cattle required up to two minutes to bleed to death when such means are employed. The Muslim Council of Britain countered the argument by stating that “it’s a sudden and quick haemorrhage. A quick loss of blood pressure and the brain is instantaneously starved of blood and there is no time to start feeling any pain.”

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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Humane Society International was quoted to say that, “the animals that are slaughtered according to kosher and halal should be securely restrained, particularly the head and neck, before cutting the throat” as “movements (during slaughter) results in a poor cut, bad bleeding, slow loss of consciousness, if at all, and pain.”

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To appease the various fractions and opinion leaders on the above, in 2008, the Food and Farming minister in the UK requested that halal and kosher meat be labeled when it is put on sale, so that members of the public can decide whether or not they want to buy food from animals that have been bled to death. Lord Rooker was quoted as saying, “I object to the method of slaughter … my choice as a customer is that I would want to buy meat that has been looked after, and slaughtered in the most humane way possible.” The RSPCA his views.

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Frustrated by the opinions, Jewish and Muslims across the globe continues to provide meat products that uses the prescribed method of Ḏabīḥah (ذَبِيْحَة).

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© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Djamaa el Fna, Marrakesh, MOROCCO

The Haouz Plain that surrounds Marrakech provides the city with a rich variety of fruits and vegetables. Being a major orange producing region where naval oranges and clementines accounts for more than eight percent of the fruit grown in Morocco, it is no wonder that fruits that are less than perfect for the big European export markets ends up at the Djamaa el Fna, filling carts to the rim with its delightfully sweet and refreshening juice being freshly squeezed on demand.

Nonetheless, the mounds of oranges only makes its appearances at certain times of the year, depending on season.

Spring-apricots, cherries, kiwis, peaches, and strawberries

Summer- watermelon, wild artichokes, tomatoes

Winter-oranges, mandarins, carrots

Seasonal-almonds, walnuts, pumpkin, bananas, lemons

Being a predominantly Muslim nation where  cocktails or other intoxicating beverages are prohibited due to religious reasons, the Moroccans have as a result created a variety of some of the freshest natural fruit juices (sharbat) and shakes in addition to the famed mint tea and Arabic coffee. With oranges in abundance, a glass of freshly squeeze orange is about the only thing in Djamaa el Fnaa with fixed pricing and the best value for money available, even during Ramadhan where the vendors have no qualms exercising extreme price discrimination and other dishonest trade practices on tourists and travelers.

Marrakesh – famed for Djamaa el Fna, its vibrant main square dubbed the most exhilarating meeting place in the world, Marrakesh which is situated in southwest Morocco also features the landmark symbol in its walled old city (medina): the 800 year old minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque.

The minaret, capped with three golden orbs, not only dominates the Marrakesh skyline but also enhances the mosque’s reputation as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. It was completed during the rule of Almohad Caliph Yacoub el-Mansour (1184-199) and stands nearly 230ft (77m) high and almost 40 ft (13m) wide.

The city’s character is, however, defined by Djamaa el Fna in the city’s medina square. By the day it is the scene of locals and tourists haggling for bargains with market traders and watching snake charmers.

The souk (or marketplace) bordering the square is the largest in North Africa; its alleyways are crammed with stalls selling carpets, kaftans, embroidered slippers, leather ware, lamps and other Moroccan craft items.

By night the main square is transformed into a mesmerizing  theateric scene of street entertainment of every kind: fire-eating, juggling, singing, acrobatics, story-telling, dancing, magic, drumming, fortune telling and stalls selling traditional medicines or Moroccan dishes of sheep’s brains and eyes, and goats’ testicles sizzling on the pan with smells wafting up to the Moroccan clear cloudless sky.

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]]> http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/2011/07/djamaa-el-fna-and-kautoubia-mosque-at-800-years/feed/ 0 http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/2011/07/ramadhan-djamma-el-fna/ http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/2011/07/ramadhan-djamma-el-fna/#comments Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:18:20 +0000 ganpenelope http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/?p=1164 © Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Djamaa el Fna, Marrakesh, MOROCCO

Famed for its vibrant atmosphere, colourful lights, dare devil acrobats and antics, spoilt with choices of goods and food, the Djamma el Fna gets livelier after sunset during the Ramadhan month with mouth watering smells wafting up to the Moroccan clear cloudless sky as the pan sizzles.

Although the focus of Ramadhan – the Islamic month of fasting that involves abstaining from food, drink, sexual relations, smoking and other vices between sunrise and sunset – is spiritual, many cultures place a surprising emphasis on food during this holy month. Iftar, the meal at which Muslims break their fast, is highly anticipated with everyone looking forward to the spread of food each evening. At a Moroccan iftar, dates, milk, juices, and sweets are typically served first to provide the sugar surge needed after a day of going without food. This is followed typicaly by Harira – a cheap and hearty lentil and tomato soup – that quickly satisfies hunger and restores energy. Occassionally hard boiled eggs, meat or seafood pastries (briouats), fried fish, and pancakes are also served.

However, with improved economic standings and catering to the tourist, food stores that specialises in more exotic and expensive food such as shrimps, crayfish, squids, fish, chicken, meet and even sheep’s brains and eyes, as well as goats’ testicles out numbers those offering the local staple iftar set meal of dates, mint tea, Harira and sweets such as sellou and chebekia.

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Harira Receipe

(serve 6 to 8 people, and follows the pressure cooker method. To adapt cooking times for traditional simmering in a stockpot, read the Tips at the bottom of the page.)

Prep Time: 40 minutes |  Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes |  Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• ½ lb. uncooked meat (lamb, beef or chicken), chopped into 1/2” pieces
• several soup bones (optional)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 bunch cilantro (coriander), finely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup
• 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup
• 1 or 2 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1 handful of dry chick peas, soaked and then peeled
• 1 tablespoon smen (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric or ¼ teaspoon yellow colorant
• 6 large tomatoes (about 2 lb. or 1 kg), peeled, seeded and pureed
• 2 to 3 tbsp dry lentils, picked over and washed
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste, mixed evenly into 1 or 2 cups of water
• 2 to 3 tablespoons uncooked rice OR uncooked broken vermicelli
• 1 cup flour

Preparation:

Step 1 – Ahead of Time

Make sure you have all the ingredients. Do the following before you begin cooking the soup.

1. Soak and skin the chickpeas. (You might want to soak them the night before you cook.)
2. Pick through the lentils and wash them.
3. Peel, seed and puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Or, stew the tomatoes and pass them through a food mill to remove the seeds and skin.
4. Pick the parsley and cilantro leaves from their stems. Small pieces of stem are OK, but discard long, thick pieces with no leaves. Wash the herbs, drain well, and finely chop them by hand or with a food processor.

Assemble the remaining ingredients and follow the steps below.

Step 2 – Brown the Meat

Put the meat, soup bones and oil into a 6-qt. or larger pressure cooker. Over medium heat, cook the meat for a few minutes, stirring to brown all sides.

Step 3 – Make the Stock

Add the cilantro, parsley, celery, onion, chick peas, tomatoes, smen and spices. Stir in 3 cups of water.

Cover tightly, and heat over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and release the pressure.

Step 4 – Make the Soup

Add the lentils, tomato paste mixture, and 2 quarts (or about 2 liters) of water to the stock.

Set aside (but don’t add yet), either the rice or vermicelli.

Cover the pot and heat the soup over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking.

If adding rice: Cook the soup on pressure for 30 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the rice. Cover, and cook with pressure for an additional 15 minutes.

If adding vermicelli: Cook the soup on pressure for 45 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the vermicelli. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for five to ten minutes or until the vermicelli is plump and cooked.

Step 5 – Thicken the Soup

While the soup is cooking, mix together the 1 cup of flour with 2 cups of water. Set the mixture aside, and stir or whisk it occasionally. The flour will eventually blend with the water. If the mixture is not smooth when you’re ready to use it, pass it through a sieve to remove balls.

Once the rice (or vermicelli) has cooked, taste the soup for seasoning. Add salt or pepper if desired.

Bring the soup to a full simmer. Slowly — and in a thin stream — pour in the flour mixture. Stir constantly and keep the soup simmering so the flour doesn’t stick to the bottom.

You will notice the soup beginning to thicken when you’ve used approximately half the flour mixture. How thick to make harira is your own preference. I like to thicken the broth so that it achieves a cream-like consistency.

Simmer the thickened soup, stirring occasionally, for five to ten minutes to cook off the taste of the flour. Remove the soup from the heat.

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Tips for Making Harira

• If the meat had a lot of fat, expect to see some foaming as you simmer the thickened soup. Skim off the foam and discard it.
• As harira cools in the pot, it’s common for a skin to form. Simply stir to blend the skin back into the soup.
• A small wedge of lemon may be served as a garnish; its juice may be squeezed into the bowl of harira.
• When reheating harira, don’t bring it to a boil. Heat over medium heat and stir frequently to avoid lentils sticking to the bottom.
• Preparation Shortcut: Chop your cilantro, parsley and celery together in a food processor or blender. Add the peeled and seeded tomatoes, and blend until well-pureed. Add the onion and process until the onion is reduced to small pieces. Proceed with making the stock.
• Thickening with Egg: In place of flour and water, two or three beaten eggs may be used to thicken harira. (If desired, beat the eggs with 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.) Add the eggs in a thin stream to the simmering soup, stirring constantly. You will see some cooked strands of eggs in the soup as it thickens.
• Prep and Freeze: If you plan to cook harira frequently, it’s helpful to prep large amounts of key ingredients in advance. Soak and peel chickpeas; drain well before freezing. Chop an ample supply of parsley, cilantro and celery; measure the mixed herbs by soup bowlfuls and freeze. Peel, seed and stew tomatoes; puree and freeze in 1 kg (about 2 lb.) batches.

Traditional Stockpot Method

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, use a 6- or 8-qt. stockpot and adjust the cooking time as follows:

• In Step 2, cover the pot and simmer for one hour.
• In Steps 3 and 4, partially cover the pot and simmer for double the suggested pressure cooking times.
• Proceed with thickening the soup according to the recipe, or try the egg thickening method in the Tips above.

Source: Moroccon Food.com

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Being a hardy beast of burden who moves at a relatively fast pace of 8-9 mph (13-14.5 km/h) for hours at a time across arid landscapes void of food and water, the one hump camel – dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) – has been used by Persian conquerors to nomadic pastroralists of the deserts for transportation, milk, dung, hair, hide, meat and even blood!

With its myriad of usage and versatility, dromedaries are believed to have been domesticated in the coastal settlements along the southern Arabian peninsula somewhere between 4000 BC to as recent as 1400 BC. Around 2000 BC, the dromedary was introduced to Egypt and North Africa.

Today, dromedaries are used to ferry tourists on treks across desserts in popular tourist destinations such as Egypt, Morocco and India despite being reputed for their ill-tempered, obstinate temperament – one that involves spitting, kicking and dismounting its rider by stamping its feet and running erratically.

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Dubbed the ‘Third pole’ for having the largest concentration of glaciers outside the polar caps, the Himalayas boast 11 peaks over 8,000 meters (26,246 feet) and around 100 peaks over 7,000 meters (22,966 feet). The Himalayan glaciers are the water source for one-sixth of humanity; influencing the dynamics of the monsoon and acts as a reservoir that sustains agriculture, provide for fresh water and groundwater, and is home to a unique ecosystem with many endemic species.

The future of the ‘Third pole’ however is bleak.

With rising global temperatures, the United Nations predicts thatby 2030 all of the Himalayan glacier would have melted if the problem of global warming is not arrested. The Brahmaputra and Ganges River Basin, which the Himalayan glaciers flows to will be dried within the next 5 decades.

“Glacier in the Indian Himalayas” – a report commission by WWF and the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) states that the Himalayan glaciers receive more heat than the Arctic and temperate climate glaciers. Himalayan glaciers are also more sensitive to the rising temperature of both regional and global climate and with the temperature in the Himalayas rising by 1 degree Celsius since the 1970s, small glaciers have been continuously melting with many having vanished over the decades.

Anil Kulkarni’s (from space application centre of ISRO (Ahmedabad)) investigation  supports these findings as well, where in 1962, 1,317 glaciers were found spreading over 5,866 square kilometers. These numbers have been reduced by 16% over the period of 2001 and 2004 covering a smaller area of 4,921 square kilometers. Other scientific research echoes the same message with some predicting that 80% of the Himalayan glaciers will disapper within 30 years if the current global warming rates continues.

Whilst the timeline and figures of remaining glaciers estimation varies slightly, the message is clear. The treats are real and the catastrophe that these melting and vanishing glaciers brings with them will be far reaching and devastating as rivers like the Brahmaputra snakes through 3 populous nations originating from the Jima Yangzogn glacier near Mt. Kailash in the northern Himalaya (China), making its way south into Arunachal Pradesh (India) and ends at the Bay of Bengal*.

The effects are presently felt and have begun to affect over 400,000,000 people living in the downstream of the Ganges River Basin and the Brahmaputra – the most populated river basin in the world. The initial rapid melting of the glaciers have increased the volumes of water in the river causing widespread flooding, followed within a few decades later the opposite effects of declining water levels and massive eco and environmental problems.

Even an observer, you can’t turn a blind eye as you step onto the banks of the Brahmaputra river in Guwahati city. You would immediately be struck by the large deposits of sand on both banks of the river – a clear indication of desertification that is spreading throughout the banks of the great Brahmaputra.

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* The Brahmaputra is known as Tsangpo and Tsangpo-Brahmaputra. In China its name is Yurlung Tsangpo on Yurlung Zangbo. It originates in the Jima Yangzong glacier near Mt. Kailash in the northern Himalaya. From Jima Yangzong, the river flows east for about 1,700 kms. at an average height of 4,000 meters (13,000 ft). At its eastern most point, it bends around Mt. Namsha Barwa and forms the Tsangpo Canyon which is considered to be the deepest in the world. From this canyon the river flows towards the South and enters India (Arunachal Pradesh) where it is called Siang and Dihang and finally becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam joined by two major rivers Dibang and Luit. When the river enters Bangladesh it is called Jamuna and flows towards the Bay of Bengal. The river is prone to catastrophic flooding in spring when the Himalayan snows melt and it  is also one the few rivers in the world that exhibit a tidal bore.

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A stuffed fennec head lies next to mountain goat horns, monkey skulls, dried tiger penises and gutted out air dried lizards.

Parts of vanishing species from Africa’s forests are laid out for local buyers seeking sex boosters, spiritual and physical cures for multitude of ailments ranging from a simple cough to cancer, and exotic food, while the skins of jungle cats, snakes and other reptiles are draped impressively with lit bulbs carefully positioned to attract Western buyers / collectors of exotic fur and skin used to fashioned out luxurious fashion items and souvenirs.

While, noticeably a sizeable quantity of wildlife is hunted and felled to supply dealers and medicine men in this scruffy part of UNESCO enlisted Djemaa el Fna, Djemaa el Fna is just one node of a trade network that funnels the wildlife from across the region to satisfy the insatiable global demands.

With millions of people in Asia and Africa still believing that rhino horn prevents convulsions, tiger wine provides strength, bear paws enhances bravery, pickled turtle flippers increases longevity, fresh snake blood makes potent aphrodisiac and that the consumption of exotic fare endows them with added social status, the demand for wildlife is unlikely to wane. The supply of illegal wildlife available openly in Djemaa el Fna is just the tip of the iceberg of the global illegal wildlife trade problem.

Whilst the true immensity of the illegal wildlife trade is unknown, Interpol experts believes that it generates between 10 – 20 million dollars annually; coming a close second to the trade of illicit drugs in regards to revenue.

Although enforcement and awareness efforts have been stepped up globally in recent years by the likes of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and WildAid Asia, focus has been predominantly in Southeast Asia and China, especially in the wake of trade liberalization in the region and the proliferation of air and road links with China.

In Morocco, awareness have been limited to the Barbaray Macaques, which remains very much a localised issue. As a preferred source of protein and where primates are considered a delicacy, up to 40,000 primates are killed and consumed each year in Africa alone, with a small fraction of these game meat being supplied all over Europe and the United States by “bushmeat” hunters in addition to souvenirs made from tortoise.

Although a member of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), Moroccan wildlife trades and medicine men seems unperturbed and continues to boldly display and ‘push’ their wares. Much of this is due to lax law enforcements that is rife with corruption and the steep cultural and spiritual believe by enforcers themselves in the spiritual and physical healing properties of these wildlife, thereby legitimating the ‘product’ and trade.

With big-time operators, documentations are often doctored; falsely listing the source of the wildlife to circumvent conditions and species proscribed under CITES.

This practice of “laundering” wildlife through approved enterprises which breeds endangered species such as musk deer, bears and tigers have created an added complexity for enforcers and conservationists  who is adopting a two-pronged approach by complementing theirs strikes against suppliers with education to lessen demand:

“When the buying stops, the killing can, too”

WildAid -

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640 million children do not have adequate shelter

500 million children have no access to sanitation

400 million children do not have access to safe water

300 million children lack access to information

270 million children have no access to health care services

140 million people have never been to school

90 million children are severely food deprived

extract from UNICEF Report “State of the World’s Children 2005″

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The estimates vary but one often cited figure of number of children living independently in the streets totals between 100 million and 150 million worldwide*. India is home to 400 million children, the largest number in any country in the world. Not surprisingly, it has the has the world’s largest population of children living in poverty** and extreme hardship.

Over 18 million Indian children life, work, play, sleep, dream on the streets and sidewalks of Indian cities  …

and the numbers are growing with more than 50 children escaping intolerable circumstances at home to begin new lives on their own on the streets. Most vulnerable and exposed to exploitation and prejudice, these children work long hours during the day and at night, forming gangs in replacement of  a formal ‘family unit’ to protect themselves.

Children who run away from their families often make their homes in railway stations, settling down where they first arrive. They brave heat waves, monsoon rains and harsh winters on their own without protection; even if they once owned umbrellas, raincoats and quilts, they would have no place to keep them  or would lose them within 20 minutes of arriving at the station through to police brutality or those of the railway authority.

‘On the New Delhi railway station,

have you seen the children who sift

through waste, do drugs, polish shoes

and who knows what else?

Have you seen all this?

If you have seen them,

have you ever given any thought

to who they are, to their future,

that they are children too,

they have dreams too.

But will those dreams ever come true?

Or is it on the New Delhi railway station

that their dreams will shatter?

Why does this happen to them?

If you have never thought about this,

please think now.

Please save their future

from being destroyed.’

Shekhar, 14 years – excerpt from ‘If I Were Rain’, Youthreach

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* According to a report from the Consortium for Street Children, a United Kingdom-based consortium of related NGOs:

Estimating numbers of ‘street children’ is fraught with difficulties. In 1989, UNICEF estimated 100 million children were growing up on urban streets around the world. 14 years later UNICEF reported: ‘The latest estimates put the numbers of these children as high as 100 million’ (UNICEF, 2002: 37).

And even more recently: ‘The exact number of street children is impossible to quantify, but the figure almost certainly runs into tens of millions across the world. It is likely that the numbers are increasing’ (UNICEF, 2005: 40-41).

The 100 million figure is still commonly cited, but has no basis in fact (see Ennew and Milne, 1989; Hecht, 1998; Green, 1998). Similarly, it is debatable whether numbers of street children are growing globally or whether it is the awareness of street children within societies which has grown.

** The Government of India cites that a person living below the poverty earns less than Rs. 10 per day, or Rs. 296 per month. Furthermore, the government calculates that Rs. 10 will buy food equivalent to 2200 calories, which is medically enough to prevent death.

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 Many are the human speeches I’ve heard migrating
in flocks, flying on invisible tracks
from obscure pasts to distant inchoate futures.
And within myself I’ve heard
day and night
in the company of countless birds
a homeless bird speeding through light and dark
from one unknown shore to yet another.
On cosmic wings a refrain echoes through space:
‘Not here, no, but somewhere, somewhere else!’

 Tagore

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Agra – part of the GOLDEN Triangle is often associated with one of the world’s most opulent and breathtaking landmarks that signify progress, wealth and power – the Taj Mahal. However, like all parts of India, Agra – a city on the banks of the Yamuna River in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh suffers from urban poverty.

Being the most populous city in Uttar Pradesh, and the 19th most populous in India, with a population of 1.69 million (2010 estimate.), most of the 1.69 million people in Agra lives below the poverty line. Living on pavements alongside busy roads, these urban poor ‘homeless’ contend daily with the difficulties of not having access to basic infrastructure such as clean water and sanitation.

 Without a safe and secure house and legal rights to their land, the ‘homeless’ by definition are ‘faceless’ and ‘invisible’ from the government’s official survey and statistical standpoint, and thus naturally denied from achieving  their political, social and economic rights.

 Faced with threats of eviction, the ‘homeless’ are constantly harassed and criminalised by the authorities, misunderstood, perceived as mentally ill and blamed for their current state of ‘homelessness’. Subject to such harsh conditions and misconception, the ‘homeless’ often finds themselves trapped in a vicious cycle that perpetuates over generations.

 Although resettlement efforts with the aim of improving the lives of the ‘homeless’ have been made since the 1970s in India, its focus has always been in major metropolises such as Mumbai and Delhi. Even so, the methods applied (i.e. eviction through massive force utilizing helicopters, land moving vehicles and armed police) have been heavily criticized and the adequacy and appropriateness of resettlement locations have been questioned. One such evacuation led to a landmark case judgment that maintained that the Right to Life includes the Right to Livelihood in response to the public interest petition against the Bombay (Mumbai) Municipal Corporation filed in 1981 by a journalist to protect the rights of pavement dwellers.

 With growing interest from the western media and the world, thanks partly to the success of the critically acclaimed Academy Award and Golden Globe 2008 British film Slumdog Millionaire, India’s urban poor plight has been on centre stage.

 Besides external pressures, added pressure for efforts to step-up the resettlement of the ‘homeless’  is also felt on the home front with massive and rapid urban development taking place in the name of ‘beautification’, tourism and major international events such as the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

 What remains to be seen is: will India’s Slum Resettlement / Redevelopment Scheme succeed in improving the lives of India’s urban poor such as those promised by the government in its effort to create the Slum Rehabilitation Authority*? Or would it merely serve as a vehicle to demolish ‘weaker members of society’ to pave the way for more glitzy commercial and lavish residential complexes, thereby forcing the ‘faceless’ and ‘invisibles’ of India to be ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind’? Will smaller cities take home any valuable lessons from its ‘Big Brother’ Mumbai and Delhi? 

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* The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) was created in 1995 and, as a result, a new policy was introduced which recognised the rights of any slum and pavement dweller who could prove residence in the city of Mumbai on 1 January 1995 to ‘avail of an alternate permanent accommodation’. 

Under the policy, each eligible family is entitled to a housing unit with a floor space of 225 square feet (21 square metres).  A slum landowner, a co-operative society of slum dwellers, an NGO or any real estate developer having individual agreements with at least 70% of eligible slum dwellers is entitled to become a developer.  Developers implementing SRA projects must provide this housing unit free of cost to slum dwellers occupying the land. 

The policy works by giving incentives to developers in the form of development rights.  The amount of development rights generated by a project is dependent on the location of the plot and the building design.  Developers may use development rights in excess of those needed to build free housing units to construct additional housing and/or commercial units for sale if space allows, and/or to sell the rights as Transferable Development Rights on the open market.

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Just like prostitution, begging is the world’s oldest profession with its own code of conducts and specialisation* involving all walks of life. However, unlike adults, only 9 out of 10 (homeless / street) children resorts to panhandling as a source of income.

Children who take to panhandling are usually victims of organised begging rackets, led by gang leaders who often present themselves as ‘benefactors’ and ‘protectors’ of homeless / street children that comprise of the poor, runaways and disabled.

For others, girls in particular, bonded beggary is seen as the last, but better, choice to avoid threats of being made a prostitute or one to be served before any pedophile. Nonetheless, ‘surrendering’ themselves to gang leaders as bonded beggars is no guarantee that their faith would not take a turn for the worse and that their fear in most cases materialises.

Because the child beggars business is extremely lucrative for the gangs, and where enforcements by authorities are weak, thousands of children are forced into it with many being mutilated annually, through amputation of ‘infected’ limbs and by gorging out eye balls by unscrupulous and corrupt physicians who works hand in glove with the gang leaders.

Visibly deformed children are highly prized by the perpetrators as they easily invoke pity and sympathy, thus becoming the most prolific and profitable beggars. Young girls that are too young for the flesh business, are often handed babies or toddlers who, like themselves were either kidnapped, lured or bought from very poor parents under false pretense, hope and promise of providing the child with a better life. Hungry, tortured and often subjected to the harsh elements these babies and toddlers will cry inconsolably, thus able to garner pity.

Whilst begging occurs everywhere – even in developed and rich nations – beggars in the urban areas are subjected to more anti-social elements compared to their counterpart in the rural area. In the latter’s case, people are more willing to give to beggars to earn punya (divine credits).

Furthermore, child beggars in rural areas are often not part of an exploitative syndicate but have taken to the streets and panhandling in their effort to contribute financially to the family’s coffers, thereby receiving support, love and basic amenities from the family unit.

Although the earning capacity of child beggars is much higher than the ones in the rural areas, child beggars in the urban areas do not receive a single penny; their ‘keepers’ or ‘owners’ reap the benefits.

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* ‘The Begging Profession’, a translated article written by K.L Kamat (original title Bhikshatane was published in ‘Malliage’ monthly) provides an interesting insight on begging as a profession.

read it HERE

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