Begger’s Market – gather of urban ultra poor in Dhaka: Thousands marginalized poor are living with extreme poverty in this Dhaka city. The beggar is an exposed symbol of ultra poverty. Near by Shajahanpur Railway colony ground, there is a beggars’ gathering place where they sales rice, old cloth and materials collected by begging from door to door. This place can be called, “Beggars’ Market”. (ভিক্ষুকের বাজার)
The markets starts every in afternoon with 30 to 40 beggars. The local people don’t know well about this gathering, but it is unofficially continuing regularly since last 30 years. The clients of this market are generally marginalized slum dwellers, rickshaw pullers and garments workers. Here the price of mixed rice is less than that of normal market price. Every beggar generally brings three to four kilograms rice. The average price of rice is 20 to 22 Taka each kilogram.
With a vision for a better life, the beggars generally come in Dhaka from villages of the poor districts. Most of beggers are from Jamalpur, Barisal, Rangpur, Nilphmari and Thagoregaon. In this Shajaanpur area they beg at Bashabo, Malibagh, Khilgaon, Tikatuli, Shahjahanpur and Rampura area.
Research finding, most of the beggars are river eroded victims. By the flood and river erosion, they lost all property and become landless; and some are aged, physically and mentally disable. The crude reality most of all have lost the human dignity and self-reliance potentiality. They have taken begging as the last choose for existence. Although government has declare to help aged and disable, but they don’t get support.
Script and direction: Shahjahan Siraj
Production associates: Zia, Adittya and Arman
Technical support: Machizo Multimedia, 2007