I have now lived six weeks in this city of light and I’ve almost been seven weeks in India. Yesterday Diwali – the festival of lights – started. There are lights and candles everywhere making Banaras into a glowing marble. We took the opportunity to gather all the Swedish students and have dinner on the roof, it was a dinner filled with impressions of tranquility. Seeing the candles burn in the dark I started thinking about the poor here in India. Diwali is foremost a holiday spent with the family at home which means that when people have given their praise and lighten the candles they go home. People on the streets just vanish and the city is transformed – the only ones left are the poor, the ones who has no home to go to.

Before I took my first steps on Indian ground I already had a perception of the massive poverty through newspapers and stories of people I know.  I didn’t have to take many steps until I realized it was all true. People are living on the streets, some beg for food while others go through trash to find something valuable. I am torn while experiencing this and giving it further thought. What can I do? What is my responsibility?

It is difficult to know whether to give something to beggars. However, my conclusion is that the arguments “what if they are doing this as a job”, “their country should take care of them” or “there are so many of them” don’t work for me. Trying to ignore the poor while being here and thinking that I will ease my conscience by donating some money when I get home is not my solution either. Not that it isn’t good to donate money, I believe it is very noble to donate money to an organization that can help people. However, it will not help this thin child standing in front of me asking me for a little food.  Sure there are some “fake” beggars but is it right to let the “true” poor suffer because of them?

I think these questions are hard. The only thing that keeps coming back to my mind is that we have to show people some compassion. When Jesus lived he lived among the poor and the so called sinners. He showed compassion and love. It is difficult to do that but maybe we can try a little bit more the next time we meet a beggar. Maybe it isn’t that hard to go and buy some food or why not talk some or maybe say a prayer. I am one of those who believe that we change the world by beginning with ourselves. Let these candles be for the poor and lonely, and let them represent a prayer that we all can show some compassion, even towards the fake ones – maybe that is exactly what they need.