NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

This beggar is a donor

Bibhuti Mishra in Bhubaneswar

Blind and infirm, Dhadi Swain (70) may not be the richest beggar in town but he is certainly the most charitable.

Swain has so far donated more than one and a half lakh rupees to various temple trusts even though he himself lives on charity and sleeps in the open on the verandah of a benefactor's house.

When he was six he was afflicted with smallpox which left him blind and changed his life forever. His father looked upon him as a parasite. "He would vent all his frustration on me. He would beat me ruthlessly. The humiliation was too much; so one day I left for Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath," recalls Dhadi.

Puri offered him two square meals a day and peace of mind. A few years later he returned to his village, when his family arranged his marriage. "My bride was lame. Who else would agree to marry a blind man? But conjugal bliss was not in my destiny and she died during childbirth," he says, choking back his tears.

All of a sudden, life seemed emptier. There was nothing left for him in his village, and Swain decided to come to Cuttack, where someone suggested that he sit at the famous Chandi temple, abode of the presiding goddess of the city which is thronged by many devotees. He agreed. More than three decades have passed since, and he still is at the temple, hands outstretched, hunched against the wall.

How much does he earn from begging?

"I have not kept count. But I have been fortunate. I have helped with the education of my sister's sons. One is an engineer today. I also helped my brother buy some land in the village."

Swain has not kept track of the donations he has made to temple coffers. But the receipts in his tattered bag add up to about a lakh of rupees! Many priests in various temples vouch for his contribution.

What if someone dupes him? "I don't care," says Swain, "I cannot see. But God sees everything."

What about himself? Has he not set aside anything for his own needs?

"What shall I do with money or property? In this life I have been cursed with blindness. I shall spend my life at the feet of the goddess and pray for deliverance from this miserable life. Instead of building a house for myself I would rather help construct god's houses and hope he will take care of me."

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report