What men do for money

Everyone is trying to sell something. Everyone wants to make a quick buck (or rupee). Lots of men are honest and kind. They want to make money but they will only go so far to make money. They won't compromise their integrity or morales on the alter on the cash god.

Some men aren't so kind and honest. They are the kind of men who will sell you a faulty car. They are the kind of men who steal money from their bosses or embezzle people. These men are willing to take advantage of people if they have something to gain. But these men, usually, draw the line somewhere. They won't hurt women or children or they won't steal from someone they consider to be poor.

Some men will though. Specifically some men will hurt children.

They will mutilate them.

My mom and I arrived in Kanyakumari on Jan. 8. We had just spent the last five days at Amritpuri. We were staying in the ashram of Ama (Ama means the divine mother). It was a beautiful place.

Kanyakumari is on the southern most tip of India. It's a holy spot for Hindus. According to the stories Devi Kanya (Kanya means virgin, Devi means divine mother) single-handedly conquered the demons of the world and secured mans freedom.

After a five hour taxi ride from Amripuriy my mom and I were ready to walk (and eat). We left our hotel the Hotel Tamil Nadu and waked along the ocean. There were thousands and thousands of people out and about. We were overwhelmed but quickly adjusted. We walked around for about three hours.

The city was dirty, loud and cramped. I can handle that.

Then I saw him.

His legs were twisted backwards. One hand was smashed into a claw like fist the other hand was perfect. He didn't have a shirt on and his hair was matted and filthy. He couldn't walk, due to the twisted legs, so instead he had a plank of wood with wheels on it. He pushed himself with his one functioning hand going from spot to spot begging for money.

At first I figured that he was simply a crippled child forced to beg. But looking at him I realized that it wasn't right. Both hands had five fingers. Both feet had five toes. His legs were atrophied by disuse but they looked like they would work just fine if one could somehow straighten them.

What really happened was that a man twisted that child's legs and arms when he was a baby. That means that some man picked up and infant and mutilated his arms. They did this all for money.

The men who do this are called beggar masters. They find or create beggars. The more disfigured the beggar is the better. Then the beggar master feeds, clothes (to some extent) and houses the beggars in exchange for a commission from their earnings. It's full fledged laissez fair capitalism at its best. They saw a market and capitalized on it.

These men provide for many of the basic needs of these children. The kids are better off with the beggar masters than they would be if they were on their own. But that doesn't change the fact that these men did the mutilating.

I'd read about this. Mentally I know that terrible things like this are happening all the time. But emotionally it just wasn't real.

It will fade in my mind once I move on and begin to live my safe little life again. But for right now it is dreadfully real. All I have to do to see this kind of horror is walk out of my little hotel room. There, right on the street, right next to the brand new Mazda, the children mutilated by someones greed cluster around.

They pantomime feeding gestures with their filthy hands. They want food. They need love. They ask for money.

Money that the beggar master will take.