Perhaps she was a Hindu ,, why she converted or changed her religion I dont know , neither did I ask her ,.I dont believe in conversions if it does not change the quality of life morally socially and spiritually , and the other two Hindus Maria and another beggar lady I shot at Bandra Reclamation are in dire need of help.. and I think more than help they require counselling..Sadly there are no Jesus in modern times .. you will hardly find a priest healing people like Gulab on the road , trying to exorcise her inner demons ,, hunger thirst ,,a better life. And it is the same in Muslim society too the Mullah will pass a beggar outside the Mosque a thousand times but will he bend down touch the beggar find out why he is miserable with life ,, Never .
As a documentarist it saddens me , the government hardly cares , the only way they know to remove poverty is to remove beggars from the city ,, there is no solution other than this.
Outside ever mosque during Ramzan there are hordes of beggars , those who are not beggars become beggars during Ramzan the only time when a Muslim heart allows compassion to seep in.. after Ramzan it will be back to giving coins and stinginess .
Every religious place has beggars outside ,, keeping God as the witness they beg invoke plead from his followers.
I interviewed Gulab but she is incoherent , inaudible, and she lives in a shanty at Lal Mitti .. and if you see the shanties that have recently sprouted outside Rang Sharda Bandra Reclamation you will be shocked , it is a slum dwelling of ragpickers, with mounds of sacks filled with garbage I did not have the heart to shoot them and see them uprooted in the rains ,, it is the job of those who are in charge of seeing law and order , but than cops allegedly go where there is honey in the pot ,, Bandra is no different ,,
Walk up the skywalk at Bandra , drugaddicts homeless are living comfortably and Mumbai is a city that gives shelter to all .
Outside the Bandra Station , you will find beggars who are drugaddicts , the cops look the other way.. nobody cares .. Indian Railways is the most laidback institution without futuristic vision.. only serving lolipops .. and asking kids to clean the Ville Parle Station is derliction of duty ,, sponsoring a station by a college and beautifying it is fine ,, but making kids do another persons job .. is criminal.
And there is another issue during Ganesh and Durga Visarjan all the pandal immerse their gods and go away and schoolkids have to clean the beaches , with so much money that come from donations to the Pandal why dont they ear mark a certain amount fir the cleanliness of the beaches beats me ..We all love Lord Ganesha and Goddess Durga but we love our city too and she deserves a better deal......why dont the Bhakts from various Pandal come and clean the beach next day after immersion .. why school kids and college kids .
Well I am saying what is left unsaid inside me ,, and I know if there was a a Jesus Gulab would not be begging on the streets of Bandra .
