NRI Corner 3

[Capt M Kumar]

Punjabis who once travelled to London in search of ‘streets paved with gold’ are today among the most acutely deprived citizens of the British capital.They include Sikhs who queue for free food in local gurdwaras and spend the nights huddled in sleeping bags inside telephone boxes or in giant rubbish bins where they have oversize rats for company.



In British English parlance these men (and some women) are known as “rough sleepers, those who have no homes of their own and spend the cold London nights (last month was the coldest December since 1659) in empty garages, along the roads, inside dustbins and anywhere else they think will give them some minimum shelter. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110128/main4.htm