YouTuber poses as beggar at Haridwar Kawad Mela and earns Rs4,000 in just 8 hours

Dubai: YouTuber Puroshottam Vashisht and his friend Sachin carried out an unusual experiment at the Haridwar Kawad Mela, with Vashisht posing as a beggar and reportedly collecting Rs4,000 in eight hours.

The duo visited the religious gathering in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, to test how much money they could raise by asking pilgrims and visitors for donations. Vashisht documented the experiment and later shared the experience online.

According to reports, Vashisht managed to collect around Rs4,000 during the eight-hour period. The video has attracted attention on social media, with viewers debating how much he received and why people chose to give him money.

The experiment was conducted during the annual Kanwar Yatra, which brings large numbers of devotees to Haridwar to collect holy water from the Ganga. The crowded pilgrimage provided the setting for Vashisht and Sachin to observe how people responded to someone appearing to be in need. During the experiment, Sachin sat next to an actual beggar, who told him that he could no longer remember his name or where he had lived.

By the end of roughly eight hours, Vashisht and Sachin said they had collected around Rs4,000 (Dh196). They calculated that earning a similar amount every day could translate to nearly Rs1.2 lakh (Dh5,900) a month.

However, the duo stressed that the money came at a cost. They described begging as physically and mentally exhausting, particularly because of the effort required to repeatedly approach strangers throughout the day.

The video has sparked mixed reactions. Some viewers said the experiment offered an interesting insight into charitable giving at major religious gatherings. Others questioned whether posing as a beggar for social media content was appropriate, particularly at a religious event.

The experiment has also revived discussions around street begging and charitable giving. While some people see giving money to those asking for help as an act of compassion, others believe organised charities and support services can provide more sustainable assistance.

Vashisht’s eight-hour experiment has now become a talking point online, with the Rs4,000 he collected drawing attention to both the generosity of pilgrims and the ethics of turning such an experience into online content.

The experiment also drew criticism on social media, with some users questioning the message behind the video.

One user wrote that the experiment highlighted a tendency to look for “easy ways to earn money”, while another commented that beggars face “no income tax" and do not have to file income tax returns, adding that their earnings depend on their “performance”.

The comments reflected the mixed reaction to the video, with some viewers focusing on the experiment’s findings while others criticised the decision to turn begging into social media content.