Young Street Performers, India

Young street performers performing acrobatics on Mumbai streets at Mulund Check Naka and Kala Ghoda. Child street performers are not as common a sight now as they were before.

Travelling performers in India will scout public areas for available audience before pitching their show on the street, often employing their young children or siblings into parading their gymnastic skills. The child performers on the street are supple, talented, and skillful.

Said to have derived from the Sanskrit 'damaru' (a drum), the caste name Domba, Domra, or Dombara, is a caste grouping of people, mostly nomadic, though not all, who eke out a living from performing Domraata, street acrobatics or other performances.

During visits to the village as a child, I would often follow them around the locality as they performed.

On a Mumbai afternoon I came upon two street performers, near Mulund Check Naka, and later at Kala Ghoda.

Here, Arni, a six year old girl in fancy glares, does a high wire act in the Kala Ghoda heritage precinct while her elder brother on a dholak and her sister drumming a steel plate watch on as passers-by gather around to watch her show off her gymnastic routines on the rope, first on the wheel, then on bare feet, before repeating the act wearing chappals .

The families are often poor and make their living by performing on the streets. Arni's family hailed from the state of Bihar.

At the end of the show a collection plate goes around the curious passers-by gathered to watch the performance. Not everyone will contribute to it. Most will not!

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Travel
• India
• Mumbai
• Kala Ghoda
• Street Performers
• Young Street Performers
• Street Acrobats
• Child Performers