Take a break from work to beg!

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Work for three hours, that too before the sun gets too hot. Earn Rs 500 per day without even moving an inch from your squatted position.Though it sounds like a comfortable white collar job, what we are talking about is begging. Begging around religious places has become the latest fad in Kerala, finds a pilot study conducted by the Kerala State Social Security Mission. The study was done in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode cities and suburbs in May this year.Along with a daily earning that ranges from Rs 200-Rs 500, free meals provided by temples and the limited hours of work make begging in religious places an attractive option for many.The study also notes that the denomination of alms has also undergone a sea change."Instead of paisa coins, people generally give amounts between Rs 2 and Rs 10,' notes the study. "In fact, we were stunned to see an employee of BSNL who was begging in front of a temple in Thiruvananthapuram.""We traced his house and found that he took a long unauthorised break from work to engage in begging,' said Major Dinesh Bhaskaran, regional director of Kerala State Social Security Mission who was one of the investigators.