Mumbai BJP MLA Parag Shah, who declared assets worth ₹3,383 crore in his 2024 election affidavit, spent several hours in Ghatkopar disguised as a beggar as part of a spiritual exercise during the Jain Paryushan period.
Acting on the advice of Jain spiritual guru Namramuni Maharaj, Shah gave up his usual security, vehicles and comforts, changed his appearance and approached strangers for food and money. He said a stranger gave him ₹20 to eat, while a street vendor offered him food without knowing his identity. Shah also said his own watchman and a friend failed to recognise him and turned him away.
After removing his disguise, he returned to some of the same places and reflected on how wealth, status and identity influence social interactions. The episode, which went viral on social media, was presented by Shah as a personal lesson in humility, compassion and humanity.
A ₹3,383-Crore MLA On The Streets
Parag Shah, the BJP MLA representing Ghatkopar East, stepped away from the privileges associated with his political and financial status to spend several hours experiencing life as a person seeking alms on Mumbai’s streets.
Wearing a disguise and different clothing, Shah visited areas around Ghatkopar railway station and approached people for food and money without revealing that he was an elected representative. Reports said the exercise lasted around three hours.
The contrast drew attention because Shah’s 2024 election affidavit records total assets of ₹3,383.06 crore, up from about ₹500.62 crore declared in 2019. His declared liabilities stood at around ₹37.9 lakh. The affidavit, archived by Association for Democratic Reforms-linked MyNeta, makes the ₹3,383 crore figure the relevant documented measure of his declared assets, rather than the ₹5,000 crore figure cited in some media reports.
While disguised, Shah said he experienced a very different response from people compared with what he encounters as a politician and businessman. He recalled receiving ₹20 from some young people and being given food by street vendors. One vendor reportedly gave him five samosas after he said he did not have money. He also received dal, rice and water at a food-distribution point near the railway station.
Guru’s Lesson In Humility
Shah said the unusual exercise was not his own idea but followed an instruction from his Jain spiritual guru, Namramuni Maharaj. During Paryushan, Shah said his guru encouraged him to change his appearance, leave behind his usual comforts and experience how people living without financial security navigate everyday life. Shah subsequently described the experience as an opportunity to reflect on compassion, humanity and the role of money and status in society.
In a social-media post, Shah said he followed his guru’s guidance by spending time among ordinary citizens near Ghatkopar railway station. He framed the experience around sensitivity towards people in need and understanding their circumstances. The episode was subsequently amplified through videos circulating online, turning what began as a private spiritual exercise into a widely discussed public story.
Some of Shah’s most striking observations came from people who knew him. He said that when he entered his own residential complex in disguise, his watchman failed to recognise him and pushed him away.
Shah also recalled approaching a friend known for helping people, but said the friend similarly did not recognise him and chased him away. According to Shah, these encounters made him reflect on how quickly perceptions can change when wealth, political office and social identity are no longer visible.
The exercise also included a return to some of the locations after Shah removed his disguise. He said he met people again and spoke to them about their circumstances, allowing him to see the same interactions from another perspective. His central takeaway, as reported, was that people with limited financial means can themselves show considerable generosity and kindness.
A Spiritual Exercise, Not A Substitute For Poverty
The episode took place during the Jain Paryushan period, a time associated with introspection, restraint and spiritual practice. The official website of Namramuni Maharaj’s Parasdham lists the Paryushan Mahaparva from September 8 to 15, 2026, placing Shah’s reported exercise within that religious period.
Shah’s account presents the experience as a symbolic exercise in humility rather than a claim that several hours of disguise can reproduce the realities of poverty or homelessness. For people who depend on begging or informal work for survival, insecurity is not a temporary experiment but a daily reality involving income, food, shelter, healthcare and dignity.
The story has nevertheless drawn attention to a simple human interaction: strangers helping someone they believed was in need without knowing his identity. Shah said the ₹20 he received became particularly meaningful because the person giving it did not know that the recipient was a wealthy businessman and elected MLA. His comment that “humanity is still winning in Mumbai” captured the personal lesson he said he took from the experience.
The episode has also prompted public discussion because of the unusual contrast between Shah’s declared wealth and the act of seeking alms. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut was reported by Loksatta as praising the experiment and suggesting that other ministers and MLAs could undertake similar exercises.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Parag Shah’s experience offers a reminder that empathy is strongest when it moves beyond assumptions and brings people closer to realities different from their own. At the same time, spending a few hours disguised as a beggar cannot fully capture the uncertainty and hardship faced by people who depend on alms or daily-wage work to survive.
The more meaningful takeaway may therefore lie beyond the viral images: in whether experiences of this kind translate into sustained attention to food security, dignity, livelihoods and support for vulnerable communities.
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