“Beggars of
Lahore”
his audio-visual paper
investigates why there are so many beggars in Lahore, the
second city of Pakistan. The begging phenomena is a complex
problem. The documentary provides a balance of images with a
traditional documentary format of talking heads which is
required to conduct an examination of what could be done to
provide a solution to the begging problem.
The written component provides an analysis of political,
social, economic, religious and cultural reasons for begging
in Pakistan post 1947. Further, it looks into the hypothesis
brought forward by academics that there is an organised
criminal network which runs beggars rings in Lahore.
The research does not provide “a” solution to the problem of
begging but brings forward many, as well as highlighting
that begging is a global phenomena which is not exclusive to
Pakistan but exists all over the world, both in the
developed and developing world.
The audio visual component and written analysis provide
the viewer/reader with an insight into the complexities
of the phenomenon of begging in any given country along
with it’s causes, it’s justification and possible
solutions. The
audio-visual component further provides the viewer with
the same shock factor that I experienced. It was only
through audio-visual means that it has been possible to
convey the strong visual impact of seeing the beggars in
action, swarms of them begging in busy places such as,
traffic light intersections and shopping centres. The
audio-visual approach enables the academic to go beyond
the written word and gives the impact as the problem is
and highlights what has been done and what can be done.
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