Be it in the scorching heat of summers or the harsh winters, seeing people find shelter under flyovers or even on the sidewalks isn’t a rare sight in Delhi. The 2011 Census records India’s homeless population as 1.77 million but the number is said to be larger than that as claimed by the Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS) and other civil society organisations.
In an attempt to raise awareness against homelessness, a global one-off event called the World’s Big Sleep Out (WBSO) was held at Connaught Place’s Central Park on December 7. Simultaneously, more than 40 cities worldwide, including over 24 cities in India hosted the ‘sleep out’ for the equal right to live in dignity and the call for the basic necessities.
The idea of sleeping the night under the stars was not to pretend to be homeless rather it is an act of solidarity. Talking about the initiative, Indu Prakash Singh, National Coordinator, World Big Sleep Out (India) says, “It was during March and April that we came out with the idea of the world sleep out. The idea was to generate funds to fight this global issue along with creating awareness about homelessness and how the society should come out and support them rather than calling them names.”
The ‘sleep-out’, organised by several civil service organisations and supported by North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), had people from all walks of life come together. “The reaction was quite encouraging. Despite other protests happening in Delhi and not to forget the pollution, people did come in large numbers. Even a couple of journalists and people from slums came over and slept. Be it Chennai, Bengaluru or Mumbai, the footfall was really good with a mix of boys and girls,” says Singh, who adds that they have good support from the public as well as the government.
But this isn’t the end of the ‘sleep outs’. Singh says that depending on the situations of the various cities, further strategies will be planned. “For now, our plan is to have a ‘sleep out’ every year as a national event. Along with it we may be targeting cities that have no homeless shelters at all. For instance, in Mumbai, there are hardly any shelters for the homeless and we need to have more ‘sleep outs’ as a way to create awareness and protest for the lack of facilities. It is definitely a good strategy to bring people out in support for the homeless people.”
For the people
The idea of sleeping the night under the stars was not to pretend to be homeless rather it is an act of solidarity.