Indian Snake Charmers Demand Jobs

CHAN: Snake charmers in India's eastern Orissa state protested a ban on their profession Saturday. They are also demanding the government to find them new jobs.

STORY: Scores of charmers carrying snakes in baskets held a demonstration

outside the provincial legislature in the state's capital.

They were also demanding the government find them alternative jobs for a livelihood.

The charmers say snakes have been their only source of income for

decades and the ban means they're out of work.

[Chittaranjan, Snake Charmer]: "We don't posses land so we cannot switch over to agriculture. We

don't know anything except snake charming, so how can we leave this

profession£® The government should provide us with an alternate option so that

we are able to make ends meet. If the government provides us and our children

with jobs, we'll leave snake charming.".

Though few of the men have ventured out for other work, most are

uneducated, lack any skills.

The Indian government banned keeping snakes as pets under the Wildlife

Protection Act of 1972, but began to enforce the law just two years ago.

[Mahendra Parida, Activist]: "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."

Many volunteer groups say snake charmers are a part of the country's

heritage and their traditional knowledge should be preserved and developed

along with modern science.

Chief Wildlife Warden of Orissa Suresh Mohanty says efforts are being

made to motivate the snake charmers to get alternative jobs.

[Orissa Suresh Mohanty, Wildlife Warden]: "We are basically entering into a dialogue with them. There is one

concentration of snake charmers near Bhubaneshwar in a village where some 300

families are there --Padmakesharipur village. So we are motivating them to

take up some other vocation and primarily not to catch the snakes."

Snake charmers have for centuries represented the face of India to the

western world.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• indian
• snake
• asia
• news
• interest

[112457]

Shit man just throw all the snakes on the government officials and start playing there flute . And while the snakes are being charmed they can hold them hostage by saying " one flat note and these snakes will fucking kill you ! "

[nikwagh]

the only thing retarded here is you nennieboo.

Learn how to type

[nennieboo]

damn yo chill its online not necessary to spell out every little word right its online doesnt really matter and btw i know how to spell i know my grammer pretty well.

[maxmotor69]

could you please learn to spell :D lmao

[MaharishiMahaYogi]

Hard to imagine it is a job! WTF

[nennieboo]

stoopid mofo dumb faak its sumthin called online typing making the writing short dumbfaak u faakn nerd go read a book instead of faaakin taking ur time 2 correct me BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nennieboo]

im indian

buht i have 2 say

these guys arr fn retarded wen i went 2 india

the stupid guy started playin this thing

n snakes were cumin out n i was like nigga im scared of em n the asshoe still wudnt stop

[mjay22]

yeah, that's sure one thing the indians are good at - snake charming.