The Top 10 Richest Beggars in the World

How much do you make a year? Depending on where you are in the world, you would say anything from $500 to $5,000. What if we told you that some beggars earn much more than you do? Wondering how powerful would the richest beggar in the world be?

Read ahead – we are sure you will be surprised.

Each of us works with a common purpose, to earn money. Be it the pilot of a plane or an ordinary taxi driver, the one thing that connects us all regarding work is money. Money also plays an important role in helping us decide our career paths.

We are accustomed to people saying, “money can’t buy happiness,” but it can buy the things that make you happy. Our list of passionate and hard-working beggars will show you an entirely new way to achieve success.

Let’s get back to the topic now; I know you must have been shocked to read the title “the richest beggar in the world,” but there are indeed pioneer beggars who are millionaires. Beggars are money tycoons? Yes, you read it right, and we are not baking any imaginary pie here.

If you want to know more, then read on to learn more about the top 10 richest beggars globally, starting from the richest beggar, who hails from India!

1. The richest beggar in the world, Bharat Jain – Owns two luxurious flats:

India has been a nation of superlatives for years. From the tallest turban to the heaviest biriyani, we have it all. Mr. Ambani makes it to the list of the top 10 richest men in the world often. And now you know, our country has the richest beggar in the world as well.

The first on our list is Bharat Jain. This 53-year-old man comes from the city of dreams, Mumbai. You can usually meet this celebrity beggar at Azad Maidan or Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. He earns around 2,000-2,500 INR a day by begging for 8-10 hours, making his monthly earnings sum up to around 75,000 INR, around $1,000 a month. That is significantly more than what an average Indian earns. If that isn’t surprising enough, hold on because there’s more.

Mr. Jain is the happy owner of two 1 BHK apartments in Patel Nagar worth 8 million each. Moreover, he is a boss too. Yes, you read it right. This beggar owns a shop at Bhandup, which he has let out to a juice shop. And from the rents, he earns 10,000 INR extra each month. Maybe some of us can now be inspired by Mr. Jain and start running in the race to be the richest beggar in the world.

2. Eisha, an Arabain Centenarian – Owned a whopping property worth $10,66,580:

Eisha was like other common beggars on the streets of Saudi Arabia. This 100-year-old blind lady spent more than 50 years begging like any other common beggar and was a well-known face to the passersby. But why am I referring to her in the past tense? Did she give up begging after getting rich?

No, she didn’t. In 2014, she suddenly died at her home, leaving millions behind for the poor. It shocked the whole nation. No, not for the death of a centenarian beggar, but for the fact that she was the owner of a secret property consisting of gold coins, precious jewelry, and an extraordinary real estate portfolio worth an unbelievable amount of $10,66,580.

Her fortune portfolio can amuse any typical rich of the world. Coming from a family of beggars, Eisha left behind four palace buildings in the Al-Balad district of Jeddah. According to her close ones, her wealth had doubled after inheriting the wealth of her deceased beggar mother and sister. The saying “the real wealthy spends his wealth for the unfortunates” has proved to be true.

She left a will behind her directing the state to distribute every penny of her wealth among the poor. Even during her lifetime, she allowed several less fortunate families to live in her properties without taking any rent, ever. She not only had the power of money but also had a heart of gold.

3. Simon Wright – Earns £50,000 a year:

Next on our list is Simon Wright. On the pavement of London’s Putney High Street, this man would sit in ragged clothes with a handwritten sign “homeless and hungry.” For 3 years, every day, he would sit there from morning till evening, and you could see clear signs of “being poor” on his face. Police Constable Oliver knew him well and sympathized with him until one night.

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One night Oliver followed him to his home to see where he lives to make better arrangements for him. But little did he know he was going to have the biggest shock of his life. Oliver found Simon entering into a luxurious council flat near Fulham, and to his surprise, he found out that Simon was the owner of the £300,000 flat.

You can guess what happened next. Simon was arrested and was banned from begging under the orders of the magistrate for his anti-social behavior. But you know a dog’s tail can’t be made straight. Just a week after the magistrate’s order, the police found Simon begging in London’s Leicester Square. He got arrested again and was sent out on bail. Shamelessly just after half an hour, he started begging near Coventry Street.

Finally, he was arrested and was banned from having any bail. Investigators found out that he earned approximately £50,000 a year and spent hundreds of dollars in elite clubs and bars. If still allowed, maybe he would have bragged the crown of the richest beggar in the world by now.

4. Ted Williams – Became millionaire by singing and begging:

Our next candidate to be the richest beggar in the world is different from the others. Unlike our previous mentions, Ted Williams didn’t continue begging after getting rich. He has his own ways of begging. This former radio announcer experienced some of the hardest times in life due to his addiction to drugs and alcohol. Jobless and kicked out by his family, he didn’t give up.

He was determined to give himself another chance to stand up and rise again. In January 2011, the car drivers in Ohio, Columbus, noticed a man standing by the road singing to the cars with a handwritten sign in his hand. He almost gave up when even after days, no one stopped to read his sign, “man with a god-gifted golden voice.” Everyone stopped to listen to the songs, but other than donating some money, none cared.

But God helps those who help themselves. A reporter from the Columbus Dispatch noticed him one day and uploaded a video of him singing on YouTube. Rest is a history of how the video went viral at once, and Ted became a millionaire by working for professionals.

Ted continues to lend his voice for several ads and short films.

5. Krishna Kumar Gite – Earns around Rs. 2000 per day:

We have another Indian on our list and yet again from the city of dreams, Mumbai. The city of dreams fulfills the dreams of beggars as well. Our man at focus Krishna Kumar Gite is a young, dedicated, and hard-working beggar. You could find him at CP Tank near Charni Road in Mumbai every day and see his work process live. And maybe get some tips? The richest beggar in the world. The richest beggar in the world. The richest beggar in the world. That’s no joke.

You have noticed the trend already, haven’t you? All our candidates on this list of the richest beggar in the world have some lavish property, and Krishna is no different. He owns a flat in Nallasopara where he lives with his brother, a.k.a finance manager. He is so dedicated to his job that he now needs a financial manager to handle his finances.

6. Sambhaji Kale – Owner of multiple properties in different cities of Maharashtra:

Many people might go to Mumbai for being in the run of the richest beggar in the world instead of going there to be an actor or to get any white-collar job after reading this article. Because once again, we have a passionate and dedicated millionaire beggar who will dare you to think twice about your future career options. The name is Kale, Sambhaji Kale.

Begging is Smabhaji’s family business. The family of four begs at the Khar region of Mumbai, earning around Rs. 1000 per day. You might have a sarcastic smile on your face, thinking, “ah, that’s only Rs. 30000 a month”. Sorry to say, but your smile is going to disappear.

Sambhaji is not only a beggar but also an active investor in several international companies. He has made investments of several lakhs, and his bank account statement will make us want to hide ours. Moreover, he owns a flat in Virar, two houses, and a piece of land in Solapur. It’s time that parents start considering begging as a potential career for their kids in the future. Who knows?

7. Saravatia Devi – Pays Rs. 36000 annually for her insurance premium:

With Akshay Kumar flashing on our digital screens now and then, we all now know the “importance of insurance.” But it seems like Saravatia Devi is determined to make us feel bad about our insurance premiums too. This Patna-based lady is a professional beggar and a strong contender in this list of the top richest beggars in the world.

Saravatia Devi is a celebrity beggar who is in her 50s. One of the most renowned names in the begging world of India and the “boss” of her locality. No other beggar even dares to think to start his business in Saravatia Devi’s area. She has been in this job position for over 35 years. She has a hefty amount in her bank, which is way more than the lifetime savings of ordinary people like you and me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQVn8DSvikw

She is the happy owner of a “comfortable home” behind Ashok Cinema and has a well-settled married daughter. She pays Rs. 31000 and Rs 5000 annually for two insurance premiums worth Rs 3 Lakhs and Rs 1 Lakh, respectively. Coming again to Akshay Kumar, she strongly follows his lines “account ka balance aur naam ka khauf … Kabhi kam nahi hona chahiye” ( the balance of the bank account and the fear of your name… should never decrease).

Besides being a strong contender for the crown of the richest beggar globally, Sravatia Devi is a traveler. She has been on pilgrimages to many holy places in and out of India and travels to tourist destinations often. So does she spend on reservations? Hell no! To all the travelers traveling without tickets, take a note here from Saravatia. Get on the train without a ticket and start begging until you reach your destination. Don’t pay anything and earn in return, now isn’t that smart? Let us know in the comments what you think about this smart lady.

8. He Rongfeng – Returned to repay the lady in millions, who helped him with a small amount at first:

I know some of you might have started to lose your faith in humanity after reading this article, and you might have also begun to think that the begging profession is now a complete scam. But He Rongfeng will not only restore that faith but also inspire you to become a better human being.

Let us take a backward jump to 1993. 17-year-old He Rongfeng was begging on the streets of Taizhou city in China’s Zhejiang province. He had a low-income family to take care of and was unsuccessful in getting any work. So he started begging to support his family, hoping that someday a ray of light will pave a path in the dark pit.

One day Rongfeng and his friends were standing outside a crowded noodles shop. However, it was impracticable for them to even think of a bowl of noodles even when they were starving. We see a lot of incidents where shop owners drive away such beggars. But this one was different.

The noodles shop owner Dai Xingfen was a kind-hearted lady who fed them for free and tried to get a job for them. Unable to find any job among her contacts, she gave these less fortunate some money to go to Huangyan to get jobs. The rest is a golden history, how the hard-working and dedicated Rongfeng started his business sometime later and became a millionaire.

But the story does not end here. Rongfeng strongly believed that wealth is not as important as integrity. So he went back to Dai Xingfen and offered to pay her $163,000 as a thankful gesture. However, she didn’t accept the money as Rongfeng still remembering her was enough to make her shed tears of joy. If you ever go to Dai’s noodles shop, you can still see the giant banner gifted to her by Rongfeng, which reads, “Gratitude as Heavy as a Mountain.”

9. Professor Irwin Corey – The man who doesn’t beg for himself:

Every day near the traffic signal of Third Avenue on East 35th Street in Midtown Manhattan, an old man was seen selling newspapers by knocking on the windows of the cars that stop at the red light. This was a familiar sight till 2017 for the daily passenger on that route. Why not? After all, the old man had been doing that for the past 17 years. Even before that, he always was a beloved personality everywhere.

We are talking about the famous standup comedian Professor Irwin Corey. He was a renowned name worldwide for his outstanding performances. But what made “the World’s Foremost Authority” beg on the streets? “Helping others,” as Mr. Corey defined the reason for his begging. He was selling newspapers and begging in front of his luxurious apartment to earn extra money. Was he that greedy? Not really.

He would collect the money and donate it to a charity that bought medical supplies for children in Cuba. I know you might think he was a millionaire; why did he need to work like this? Could he not just donate some from his whopping bank balance? But our joker Raju taught us back in 1970 that “the show must go on.”

Mr. Corey did not just work for charity; he never wanted to stop working. He was so passionate about working that till the end, he carried the show on his shoulders. Today when he is no more, the cars still stop at the signal, but there is no Mr. Corey selling newspapers and telling, “See you later, Alligator.”

10. Massu – The beggar who takes an auto-rickshaw to “work”:

The dessert is saved for the last, and so is Massu for this article. Massu is probably the swankiest beggar you will ever see. And not to mention one of the strongest contenders for the crown, the richest beggar in the world. And guess where does he live? Right! The city of dreams, Mumbai! Now, why have we tagged him as the classiest? You will find out below.

If you come out dining from any high-end restaurant or pub in Mumbai’s Andheri, chances are high; you will meet Massu. A 60-year-old man begging, in torn clothes and teary eyes, your soft heart will feel pity at this sight, and like most others, you too will lighten your wallet a little to help the “needy” Massu.

He works every day from 8 PM till 2-3 AM and earns around Rs. 1500-2000 every night. So what’s different about him? We have already presented “millionaire beggars” like him running after the crown of the richest beggar in the world. Before 8 PM, dressed in clean white clothes, Malana Khan is seen coming out of an auto-rickshaw near Massu’s begging spot every day. Where did Malana Khan come from?

Well, Malana comes to Massu’s begging spot by an auto-rickshaw, then wears his “begging attire” and becomes Massu. Yes, you read it right. Massu and Malana Khan are two sides of the same coin. His acting skills would have helped him land commendable roles in Bollywood, but he is already the owner of an asset worth Rs. 300 million. And the icing on the cake is his happy family consisting of a wife and two married sons.

Like most other competitors for the crown of the richest beggar globally, Massu too rules in his area, and no other beggar goes to beg in “Massu Bhai’s” area. Living in a 1 BHK expensive apartment at Amboli, Andheri West, he has rented his other apartment of Andheri East for Rs. 8000 a month. Yes, now we can say Alia Bhatt and Massu are denizens. Oops, Malana Khan, not Massu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZkyEg_pyF8

The Yashraj Studios is near Massu’s home; well, I guess he uses it to become Malana Khan at 3 AM every night. Massu’s high-end clients include the drunk Bolly celebs. Sources say Massu has much inside Bollywood news and is always ready to share them in return for excellent rewards. Do you want to try your luck?

So this was our list of the top 10 richest beggars in the world, and except a few, all are competing hard to get the crown of the richest beggar in the world. I know every parent wants to see their child have a stable career, but as studies show, begging is one of India’s most profitable ways of life; maybe it’s time to give it a thought?

I mean, make your parents read how a beggar died, and the police found Rs. 2 Lakhs in his pockets. Let us know in the comments if it is time to think beyond the usual career options.

Last Updated on August 25, 2023 by Saket Kumar