“The Man” was never short for any food or
dry rations and is extremely generous in welcoming the people from the village
with that cup of warm tea and sometimes a tasty biscuit or fruit. He takes
pride in talking to them about anything and everything whilst sipping that tea.
The children of the village admired him too, for “the Man” treated them with
the same respect and attention he treats their adults. “The Man” is always
clean and dressed appropriately.
“The Man” cultivates his land, and the
crops are numerous. Milk his cow that he almost worships and indulges in
beekeeping as a hobby. The garden is immaculately clean and impeccably
manicured, as does a professional gardener, with an abundance of tropical fruit
at any time of the year. It is large, colourful, rich and most eye-catching.
On the day of the full moon (Poya - in
Sinhalese), all temples come to life and the devotees gather around these
peaceful places for religious observances attired in pure white. They come in absolute
devotion and the notion of giving (charities) takes precedence for pious
reasons. The Buddhists believe in the practice of giving to be sacred, which they
believe carries eventual values in their afterlife.
Nimal, who was stranded one day in his
estate due to travel restrictions imposed during COVID on a Poya day, decided
to visit a very popular temple in the metropolis located close to his farmland.
The crowds were limited but were present. For Nimal, as like many other
Buddhist, Poya is as a sacred day to any other and indulges in the rituals with
total dedication. He too believes in the notion of “giving” and proceeds to the
place where the needy tend to be seated near the temple requesting handouts. Nimal
approaches the beggars and to his shock and sheer disbelief finds “the Man” who
offers tea to be there, begging.
Nimal took a step back to recollect his
thoughts and footing.
“Was this true or is he dreaming, or did
he not see what he saw. Is this the same person that generously offers him that
wonderful cup of tea? It cannot be and should not be so. Or is it?”
Nimal took a walk around the temple, for he
wanted that time to synchronize his thoughts with the present happenings. The
surrounding activities were a blur, and in a daze, he sits down. “Was I duped
all this time?” This guy whom he saw to be begging has almost everything in
life and he still opts to beg. Especially, on such a sacred day and from
innocent worshipers who have come in search of divine intervention during this
period of a pandemic.
“Disgusting” …. He thought.
Getting his courage back, he decides to
confront the man “The beggar.”
First, Nimal wanted to be sure that it was
the same person that he believed “the beggar “to be.
Once he was sure, Nimal with so much
confusion, anger and with the humiliation of being betrayed, whispered to the
beggar in a low voice.
“Hey, what do you think you are doing?”
“Isn’t this blasphemous and immoral on a
day like this?”
“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
“Why have you lied to all the people you
know and cared for, and trusted you?”
The beggar, showing no remorse, guilt, or
embarrassment, stood up from his seated position. Giving Nimal a very relaxed
glance, he asks Nimal to visit him at his home the next day, as he had understood
that the current place, whilst realizing Nimal’s anger, was not the appropriate
time to give reasons for his actions.
Nimal, at home that night, did not have his
usual comforting sleep. The day’s happenings were not to his liking. He was
angry for what he saw and sad that people condescend to such terrible ways of
trying to cheat other human beings. “The beggar” did not even attempt to
conceal his identity.
The next morning, Nimal was anxious and
decided to visit this beggar at his place soon after breakfast. After an
unappetizing meal, he hurriedly drove to the beggar’s place.
As Nimal approached the beggar’s home, he
sees two children happily run out of the beggar’s garden with a bottle of milk
and another village woman walking out of his hut with a bushel of rice.
Nimal was intrigued.
Seeing Nimal approaching, the beggar
brought his customary tea and offered it to Nimal. Reluctantly Nimal accepts
but declines the sweetmeats out of sheer anger. Before Nimal could speak, the
beggar begins with a calm voice.
“On Poya days, people become charitable,
and I become a beggar. I make use of the devotee’s generosity and beg near the
temple, as not all can do it. I have nothing to gain, nor do I have anything to
prove or lose. I am just a humble man who takes pleasure in seeing other people
happy, like those two children who went with the milk. The children were glad
that they have the milk, but what made them smile was the two packets of
chocolate biscuits I gave them that I bought with the money I collected at the
temple. The villagers are rich in their hearts, but not wealthy to buy that
biscuit with chocolate in it. Neither will they beg for it. That is what I am
good at…. Beg.”
“If one looks at it from my perspective,
I am a person who takes it from the rich who are willing to give and provide it
to the poor who cannot ask. I am like a vessel that transports happiness from
the giver to the receiver. Perhaps, delighting both groups.”
“I do realize that I have everything
that a human requires to live. However, I do not have the riches to see those
children laugh at the sight of a biscuit. Since I am not robbing anyone or
hurting anyone, I shall never stop begging. Cos, I do it for that smile.”
Nimal, with many unanswered questions
leaves the beggar’s house whilst contemplating the consequences of his refusal
to stop his Poya day shenanigan. Nimal also thinks… “Should I be judging?”
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