Begging or Caste-Based Urban Occupations?

Abstract

Beggary and homelessness are often conflated categories and there exists a pervasive generalisation of ‘begging’, ‘homelessness’, ‘being-on-the-street’, ‘criminality’, ‘migrant’ and ‘nomadic’. Owing to such conflations these identities in the public sphere are rendered invisible or are misrepresented as beggars even as they carry out traditional, caste-based occupations. This paper thus seeks to dispel common and limited understanding of the terminology ‘beggary’, as well as attempts to provide clarity on the various stereotypes operating upon the category of those identities classified as ‘beggars’. Further, this paper will critically review gendered implications of beggary, homelessness, and traditional and caste-based occupations by engaging with the experiences of the Nagpanthi Dori Goshave community that travels with cows. This community that belongs to the NT-DNT (Nomadic Tribes and De-Notified Tribes) category is often mistaken for beggars.