Crossroads are known as "Circles" here
They do not have traffic lights that work, but instead policemen direct the traffic. Waiting to cross a circle can involve sitting in the car for about 7 minutes per traffic change (sometimes if you are unlucky that is twice)
while waiting there are of course hawkers and beggars. The hawkers are trying to sell newspapers, magazines, books, plastic tupperware boxes, towels, seasonal fruit/veg (sweetcorn at the moment)
then there are the sticker kids - who say "please sir I am hungry" and try to persuade you to buy My Little Pony, or Doraemon stickers
last but by no means least are the beggars. They often have conditions/ diseases that you would not normally see in Europe. How much of this is congenital, or how much is due to poor nutrition I would not like to guess. Regular conditions we see include
thin / missing arms
leprosy
blind
growths
skin diseases / burns
humpbacks
elderly
these people stand by the window and say "baas baksheesh, madam I am hungry, give me money" and they tap the the car door or window, and often peer in through the glass - demonstrating the misgrown limb by tapping it on the window.
I make eye contact and say a firm no and shake my head. Sometimes the beggars continue for a minute or so which feels like a long time.
how people with young kids explain this I don't know. I know for me it evokes mixed feelings. Sometimes I want to give money, help, take them home and feed and clothe them. Other times I feel that the repeated hitting of our car is a violation of my personal space. Mostly I feel very uncomfortable.
We don't give to beggars at lights, though there is evidently enough money to be made. Sadly, as in many countries, there are racketeers/mafioso types behind this who take their share too. Islam is a religion which promotes giving alms to the poor so this will continue. In the meantime we are keeping our eyes out for a charity that helps street kids / elderly etc as for us this is a better way to contribute. So when we talk about problems with traffic in Dhaka, we are also talking about the problems of standstill in Dhaka, dealing this every time we leave the apartment is hard.
I haven't taken and won't take photos of the beggars, - but some images, and an interesting Bangladeshi point of view can be found at http://tearsofdhaka.blogspot.com/2011/03/dictionary-defines-1.html
They do not have traffic lights that work, but instead policemen direct the traffic. Waiting to cross a circle can involve sitting in the car for about 7 minutes per traffic change (sometimes if you are unlucky that is twice)
while waiting there are of course hawkers and beggars. The hawkers are trying to sell newspapers, magazines, books, plastic tupperware boxes, towels, seasonal fruit/veg (sweetcorn at the moment)
then there are the sticker kids - who say "please sir I am hungry" and try to persuade you to buy My Little Pony, or Doraemon stickers
last but by no means least are the beggars. They often have conditions/ diseases that you would not normally see in Europe. How much of this is congenital, or how much is due to poor nutrition I would not like to guess. Regular conditions we see include
thin / missing arms
leprosy
blind
growths
skin diseases / burns
humpbacks
elderly
these people stand by the window and say "baas baksheesh, madam I am hungry, give me money" and they tap the the car door or window, and often peer in through the glass - demonstrating the misgrown limb by tapping it on the window.
I make eye contact and say a firm no and shake my head. Sometimes the beggars continue for a minute or so which feels like a long time.
how people with young kids explain this I don't know. I know for me it evokes mixed feelings. Sometimes I want to give money, help, take them home and feed and clothe them. Other times I feel that the repeated hitting of our car is a violation of my personal space. Mostly I feel very uncomfortable.
We don't give to beggars at lights, though there is evidently enough money to be made. Sadly, as in many countries, there are racketeers/mafioso types behind this who take their share too. Islam is a religion which promotes giving alms to the poor so this will continue. In the meantime we are keeping our eyes out for a charity that helps street kids / elderly etc as for us this is a better way to contribute. So when we talk about problems with traffic in Dhaka, we are also talking about the problems of standstill in Dhaka, dealing this every time we leave the apartment is hard.
I haven't taken and won't take photos of the beggars, - but some images, and an interesting Bangladeshi point of view can be found at http://tearsofdhaka.blogspot.com/2011/03/dictionary-defines-1.html
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