Single mother Puryanti bows stiffly like a robot, as she and her five-year-old son, their bodies gleaming in silver paint, appeal to passers-by for an occasional coin at a busy intersection outside the capital Jakarta.
They are among a group of people dubbed “manusia silver”, or “silver people” who use the strategy to draw attention, while struggling to make ends meet after the coronavirus pushed South-East Asia’s largest economy into recession last year.
