As we have travelled south in Kerala we have come across an increasing number of tourists, an intricate mix of back packers, soul searchers and massage maniacs. Their footprints on the land and their effect on the people are easy to spot.

All five of us are being approached by enthusiastic children asking for 'one pen please'. A clever ploy coined by the Lonely Planet (is what we have been told), leading to a shift in 'asking' from money to 'asking' for educational tools. The Reality- if you don't have a pen then invariably the child will ask for money.

Imagine for a few minutes that someone came to your city or town whether in London, Belfast or Florida encouraging your kids to 'ask' complete strangers for things. What impacts will that have on the psyche and development of a child? They probably would develop a greater sense of dependency than their peers in other parts of the world. Is this a price worth paying for 100% literacy?