Civil Lines
Kanpur
The Editor
The Hindustan Times
New Delhi
Subject: Regarding the problem of begging & how it can be ended.
Sir,
I shall feel obliged if you kindly public the following few lines ‘Letters to the Editor’ column of your esteemed paper.
Some beggars, no doubt, deserve our sympathy. They are handicapped. They are unable to earn their living. But the pity is that most of the beggars are able-bodied. Begging has become a profession for them. They find it the easiest way to earn their living. Some of them are criminals. They beg only to hide their crimes. This large-scales begging is a slur on the fair name of our country.
Begging should be abolished by law. It should be made a punishable offence. The government should open asylums for those beggars who are really helpless. Able-bodied beggars should forced to work. If they go without work, they must also go without food. We should have no sympathy for such impostors. We should not encourage them by giving alms. People can thus play a big role in ending this evil.
Yours faithfully,
Sumit
Difficult Words & Meanings
- Obliged: Feeling grateful or indebted; required to do something due to a sense of duty or gratitude.
- Esteemed: Highly respected and admired.
- Sympathy: Feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune.
- Handicapped: Having a condition that markedly restricts one's ability to function physically, mentally, or socially. (Modern preferred terms: 'person with a disability').
- Able-bodied: Physically strong and healthy; not disabled.
- Profession: A paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification.
- Slur: A mark of disgrace or discredit; a derogatory remark or insinuation.
- Abolished: Formally put an end to (a system, practice, or institution).
- Punishable offence: An act that can be punished by law.
- Asylums: Institutions offering shelter and support to people who are mentally ill or destitute (in this context, for the helpless).
- Impostors: People who pretend to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain.
- Alms: Money or food given to poor people.