“For it is in giving that we receive.” – Francis of Assisif

It is 35′ & humid I am sitting in a roof top Indian cafe in Colva

I walked the 3 k down here just to buy mangos & passionfruit . As usual I am happy & grateful with my belly is full of a rather delicious & plentiful South Indian Thali for which I spent less than £2

I decide to sit awhile to let my food settle & people watch . I peep through the dusty palm fronds looking for something of interest to slow my pace even further & I move my chair closer to the balcony edge. The roadside below is dusty & strewn with stones & rubbish & it has a steady pile of people passing by aimlessly & colourfully ….There directly below me is a man sleeping in the middle of the path .He has removed his flip flops before curling up to snooze .

This is not a street London or a corner in Argeles in the South of France & my first thought is not therefor that he must be drunk or stoned …..this man is just poor . A real , bonafide man who HAS to beg either because he is handicapped or because of his inability to work or because he is old or blind or without a family . Begging because he really ,really needs money for very basic needs & food .

There are 1.21 billion people in India & 30% of those live in poverty ….approximately 360 million & of every 1,000 babies born here 39 will die before their 5 th birthday . Poverty is very,very real in India . You feel it when you travel around

This man’s presence is causing no problem nor any great concern& peopleare not pretending not to see him .

As I watch from above I see a young girl stop to move his shoes closer to him & another to leave a banana by his head & several more bending to tuck in a 10 or 20 rupee note under his hands . All done with affection & tenderness

It is not a crime to be poor here . It doesn’t have the same social stigma . Kindness prevails & as I finish my water & prepare to leave the young waiter ,who had obviously been watching me watching him smiled at me & said ” when he wakes we gives him big bowl of rice madame ”

” let me buy him a meal ” I say

” no madame , he is very finely looked after by us …..you save your money for man who has No shoes. ”