Parag Shah Turns Beggar for a Day in Ghatkopar: Why Mumbai’s Wealthy MLA Gave Up Security and Luxury

Parag Shah turns beggar for a day in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar, leaving behind his usual security, vehicles and other comforts as part of an unusual spiritual exercise.

The BJP MLA from Ghatkopar East spent around three hours on the streets on September 7, dressed and made up to look like a beggar. He walked around the area, approached people for food and sat by the roadside without revealing his identity.

The unusual sight quickly drew attention after a video of Shah in disguise circulated on social media. What made the episode particularly striking was the contrast between the role he had chosen for the day and his financial background.

According to his 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election affidavit, Shah declared total assets of ₹3,383.06 crore. The affidavit data shows that his declared assets had risen from about ₹500.62 crore in 2019.

Why did Parag Shah dress as a beggar?

Shah said the idea came from his Jain spiritual guru, Namramuni Maharaj, during the period of Jain religious observance. The exercise was intended to make him temporarily step away from his normal identity and experience how people respond when they do not know a person’s social position or financial standing.

For the experiment, Shah left his security arrangements and vehicles behind and changed his appearance with makeup so that people around him would not recognise him.

He then walked through parts of Ghatkopar, including the area around the railway station and bridge, and approached people while remaining in character. Reports based on Shah’s account say he also visited places where he was personally known, including his office, without revealing who he was.

What happened during his time on the streets?

According to Shah’s account, some of the encounters gave him an unexpected perspective.

At a food distribution point, he reportedly asked whether any food was available and was given a meal and water. At another point, a samosa seller gave him food after Shah said he had no money.

He also recalled being turned away by people who did not recognise him. Shah said that even a security guard at his own office failed to identify him while he was disguised.

After completing the exercise, Shah removed the disguise and returned to some of the same locations. He spoke to people and reflected on the different reactions he had received while appearing to have no money or social status.

Shah later described the experience as a lesson about how people can be perceived differently depending on their position, wealth and appearance. He also highlighted the willingness of some ordinary residents to help someone they believed was in need.

Who is Parag Shah?

Parag Shah represents the Ghatkopar East Assembly constituency in Mumbai and is associated with the real estate sector. He has also served as a municipal corporator in Mumbai.

His declared wealth has attracted considerable public attention. Election-affidavit data available through the Association for Democratic Reforms’ MyNeta database records Shah’s total assets at ₹33,83,06,20,898 in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election. The same records show declared assets of ₹5,00,62,46,474 in the 2019 election.

The ₹3,383-crore figure refers to declared assets in his election affidavit, rather than a separately verified estimate of his current net worth. This distinction is important because election affidavits contain self-declared financial information filed for a particular election.

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A spiritual exercise that became a social media talking point

The episode attracted attention largely because of the sharp contrast between Shah’s public identity as a wealthy politician and the appearance he adopted on the streets of his own constituency.

Shah has maintained that the exercise was motivated by his guru’s guidance and personal spiritual reflection rather than politics. The experience, according to his own account, was intended to make him question how much of the respect received by a person is connected to their identity, position and wealth.

The video’s circulation has brought that personal experiment to a much wider audience. At the same time, the episode offers a glimpse into an aspect of Jain religious practice that places emphasis on humility, restraint and stepping away from material attachments.

For Shah, the exercise ended after several hours, but he said the encounters stayed with him after he returned to his normal appearance.

The episode has now become an unusual Mumbai story: a politician who had declared thousands of crores in assets temporarily put aside the privileges associated with his position to experience how strangers treated him when they saw only a man asking for food on the streets of Ghatkopar.