Is beggary a chosen profession among people living in a 'leprosy colony'?

Leprosy is a highly stigmatized disease that apart from the physical ailments and the deformities causes psycho-socio-economic problems to the people affected. As a result of social rejection, leprosy colonies were formed inhabited by the leprosy-affected families. With inadequate socioeconomic support and help, these people often have resorted to beggary as a way to earn their living. This study is an attempt to look into the lives of the leprosy-affected people living in the leprosy colony in Ambala City, Haryana, north-west State of India and who have accepted beggary as their source of income. The psychosocial impact of leprosy and the subjects' attitude towards beggary has been studied. The study comprised 21 families, including, 22 men, 21 women and 40 children. Seventy-one percent of the families came from Southern India. All the men and nine of the women were leprosy-affected. The proportion of people with deformity was 89%. Prior to contracting leprosy, all of the men were employed, mainly in agriculture and physical labour. At present, all are beggars. Of the 20 who were interviewed, 65% of those who beg and 83% of other adults were illiterate. Fifty percent of the children were in need of education. Due to leprosy, the social interaction of 85% of the interviewees was limited to within the colony and of 88% to only other leprosy-affected people. Through their own organized efforts, they raised welfare services and housing for themselves. None of them liked begging to start with but have accepted it as a source of income. If given a chance and support, 80% said they were ready to quit begging. They were concerned about the education of their children. The study highlighted the need to develop alternate avenues of income generation utilizing the existing desires and potential of the inhabitants.