SOCIETY

Snake charmers demand alternative jobs for livelihood in Orissa

    Bhubaneshwar: Perturbed with the Government restrictions on catching or using snakes as objects of public entertainment during street shows, a number of snake charmers in Orissa took out a protest march here. Scores of charmers, carrying snakes in baskets and around necks, held a demonstration outside the State Assembly in Bhubaneshwar demanding alternative jobs for a livelihood. According to snake charmers, the snakes have been their only source of livelihood for decades and the ban has literally jolted them out of jobs. "We don't have any land so there's no option to switch over to agriculture. Government should provide us with an alternate option so that we are able to make ends meet. If trained for other jobs, we'll leave snake charming," said Chittaranjan, a snake charmer. Most of these snake charmers are uneducated and unemployed individuals earning bread and butter through street shows of snakes. Supported by activists of Lok Adhikar Manch (People's Rights Organisation), the snake charmers also demanded an amendment in the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. "We are demanding that the Government should provide us with an alternative, licence for venom extraction and make amendments in the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. We want a complete compensation package," said Mahendra Parida, an activist. Though the Government banned keeping of snakes as pets with the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, it has started implementing it earnestly since 2004.

    According to wildlife officials of Orissa, efforts are being made to motivate the snake charmers into opting for an alternate vocation. "We are getting into a discussion with the snake charmers. There is one concentration of snake charmers near Bhubaneshwar in Padmakesharipur village, in which about 300 families live. We are motivating them to take up some other vocation and primarily not to catch the snakes," said Mohanty. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) survey on the occasion of Nag Panchmi, an annual snake festival, some 70,000 snakes die from pneumonia, lung infection, and sepsis and milk allergy. Snake charming is the practice of apparently hypnotising a snake by simply playing an instrument. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerous acts, as well as other street performance staples, like juggling and sleight of hand. Many snake charmers live a wandering existence, visiting towns and villages on market days and during festivals. With a few rare exceptions, however, they typically make every effort to keep themselves from harm's way. For one, the charmer typically sits out of biting range, and his animal is sluggish and reluctant to attack anyway. More drastic means of protection include removing the creature's fangs or venom glands, or even sewing the snake's mouth shut. The most popular species are those native to the snake charmer's home region, typically various kinds of cobra, though vipers and other types are also used.
-Nov 26, 2006

Previous File