A man dubbed the world's richest beggar has amassed a staggering net worth of $1 million from taking to the streets to beg from strangers.
While begging is often associated with desperate times and a last resort, one individual managed to turn his life around after asking others for money, food and the alike.
Bharat Jain takes to the streets in Mumbai - India's financial capital - to beg from strangers. Typically, he can take home as around 2500 rupees - around $30 - per day or around 75,000 rupees ($913) a month.
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While that may not seem like a lot, Bharat has since managed to turn begging into a bit of an art form that no one would have expected.
According to The India Times, he owns a two-bedroom flat in Mumbai and also lets out his two shops in Thane for a rent of 30,000 rupees per month - all bought from the proceeds of his begging.
Bharat himself was left uneducated due to the deprivation he had faced growing up, and has made sure his children will not have to go through the same problems as they grow up.
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They now go to a convent school, and are getting a formal education.
He typically spends 10 to 12 hours begging along the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station and Azad Maidan sports ground.
All this has allowed him to buy a two bedroom flat which is worth about 12 million rupees, or just over $146,000.
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While $30 a day might not seem much in the US, the lower cost of living and low property prices mean that his earnings have a lot more purchasing power in India.
In fact, $913 per month is higher than the average salary to live comfortably in Mumbai, which equates to around $730 per month.
As such, it comes as no surprise Bharat has been given the nickname of 'the world's richest beggar'.
His earnings have seen him gain a comfortable life for himself and his family, as well as a much better start for his children than he had.
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You might think that given the level of success he has achieved and the security he has found, that Bharat might think about retiring from begging and living off his properties.
However, despite the advice of his family he has no such plans and still begs.
Topics: India, News, World News