<p>Raj Kumar Manjhi, a beggar in his 40s, depends on alms from thousands of devotees visiting the Manglagauri Temple in Gaya. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Tragedy struck his family when his sister and daughter sustained burns while cooking. However, a loan of Rs 8,000 from the self-help group (SHG) that 40-odd beggars have formed there helped Manjhi tide over it.<br /><br />The Mangla Bank—the beggars choose to refer to it as a “bank”—draws its name from the much revered temple.<br /><br />It has a manager, an accountant, a secretary and two assistants—all of whom are beggars.<br /><br />The idea of saving some money for a rainy day struck them when officials of the State Society for Ultra Poor and Social Welfare met them and encouraged them to form an SHG to save a substantial part of their earning, which, in turn, could be used during emergency.<br /><br />The 40-odd beggars formed a “bank”, each of them contributing towards a corpus. <br />It was decided that every Tuesday, when there is a huge rush of devotees and pilgrims in this holy town, each member would contribute Rs 20. With a weekly deposit of Rs 800, the bank today has sufficient funds to grant loans to any of its members.<br /><br />Thus it was that when Manjhi, a founder-member of this bank, needed money for treatment of his sister and daughter, he was given a loan of Rs 8,000.<br /><br />Manjhi will refund the loan amount in equated monthly instalments (EMIs). <br />“I will not be asked to pay interest for the first month. But from the second month, I will have to pay a nominal 2 per cent interest besides the EMI,” said Manjhi, who is educated enough to do all these calculations.<br /><br />Manjhi’s wife Malti Devi, also a member of the bank, said since they did not have any BPL (below poverty line) or Aadhaar card, it was impossible to open a bank account. <br /><br />“However, in our indigenous bank, my husband got a loan of Rs 8,000 during a time of crisis without the formalities of any paperwork,” she said.<br /><br />The beggars plan to add more members from their fraternity in Bodh Gaya to the bank, but insist that child beggars would not be allowed to join the group. <br /><br />“In fact, we don’t want our children to join this profession, as it’s a stigma. Instead, we will ensure that they get proper education and eke out a living through different professions,” said Manjhi.<br /><br />Who says beggars can’t be choosers!<br /></p>
<p>Raj Kumar Manjhi, a beggar in his 40s, depends on alms from thousands of devotees visiting the Manglagauri Temple in Gaya. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Tragedy struck his family when his sister and daughter sustained burns while cooking. However, a loan of Rs 8,000 from the self-help group (SHG) that 40-odd beggars have formed there helped Manjhi tide over it.<br /><br />The Mangla Bank—the beggars choose to refer to it as a “bank”—draws its name from the much revered temple.<br /><br />It has a manager, an accountant, a secretary and two assistants—all of whom are beggars.<br /><br />The idea of saving some money for a rainy day struck them when officials of the State Society for Ultra Poor and Social Welfare met them and encouraged them to form an SHG to save a substantial part of their earning, which, in turn, could be used during emergency.<br /><br />The 40-odd beggars formed a “bank”, each of them contributing towards a corpus. <br />It was decided that every Tuesday, when there is a huge rush of devotees and pilgrims in this holy town, each member would contribute Rs 20. With a weekly deposit of Rs 800, the bank today has sufficient funds to grant loans to any of its members.<br /><br />Thus it was that when Manjhi, a founder-member of this bank, needed money for treatment of his sister and daughter, he was given a loan of Rs 8,000.<br /><br />Manjhi will refund the loan amount in equated monthly instalments (EMIs). <br />“I will not be asked to pay interest for the first month. But from the second month, I will have to pay a nominal 2 per cent interest besides the EMI,” said Manjhi, who is educated enough to do all these calculations.<br /><br />Manjhi’s wife Malti Devi, also a member of the bank, said since they did not have any BPL (below poverty line) or Aadhaar card, it was impossible to open a bank account. <br /><br />“However, in our indigenous bank, my husband got a loan of Rs 8,000 during a time of crisis without the formalities of any paperwork,” she said.<br /><br />The beggars plan to add more members from their fraternity in Bodh Gaya to the bank, but insist that child beggars would not be allowed to join the group. <br /><br />“In fact, we don’t want our children to join this profession, as it’s a stigma. Instead, we will ensure that they get proper education and eke out a living through different professions,” said Manjhi.<br /><br />Who says beggars can’t be choosers!<br /></p>
