"Darkness Under Lamps": Study on Inequality

A recent study in Delhi has discovered that more than 10 homeless people are dying on the streets of urban India every day. Many of these people are working men in their early 40s but millions of children are also suffering. Many of these deaths are simply unaccounted for. Malnutrition, hunger and disease are affecting much of the population but the Government and the rest of society are turning a blind eye to the problem.

Four major Indian cities including Delhi, Jaipur (Rajasthan), Cuttack (Orissa), and Anantpur (Andhra Prasesh) were included in the study. The investigation discovered that the poor and marginalised are being neglected in so-called "prosperous" cities. 75% of urban dwellers are living in poverty and this figure is increasing at a staggering rate.

The title of the study is 'Darkness Under Lamps', taken from a Hindi proverb 'Diya Tale Andhera' meaning 'Just below the lantern lies the darkness'. The name was chosen to point out that although the cities appear to be slowly improving socially, many serious issues such as poverty and starvation are simply being covered up and ignored.

In stark contrast, Jesus calls us to bring hope, freedom and justice to the world by living with the light of Christ. He says in the book of Matthew "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house" Matthew 5: 13-15.

Please pray with us for the people living in poverty and despair. Pray that they may come to know the living hope of the Gospel and have their lives transformed both now and for eternity.

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