Bhubaneswar: The 'pungi' or 'been' as is colloquially known once echoed through the streets, villages and nooks and cranny of the outskirts as snake charmers made the serpents dance to their tunes to earn a livelihood. It was also a medium of entertainment for many in the yesteryears. Not any more.
Lost to modernity, waning popularity and animal protection laws, neither is the musical instrument heard anywhere nor are the snake charmers seen practising the art. The hands that deftly handled snakes are going out to beg as their art has outgrown, traditional vocation stripped and their hunger become endless.
The plight of the women in the snaker charmers' community is no better. Usually accompanying their husbands, the women and daughters walked and danced on bamboo poles at a height. Once most sought after in fairs of Bihar and Odisha, these women stunned crowds with their agility, performing intricate moves atop bamboo poles, as men played with snakes. But these nuggets of artistry have remained as memories.
After the Wildlife Protection Act came into being with all strictness, it sealed the fate of the snake charmers. Since then they were not allowed to perform with the animals which had once been their livelihood nor employed as snake rescuers, leaving them in a quandary.
“We have been playing with snakes since generations. It wasn’t not only giving us the required sustenance, it was our identity. We were known as 'Sapua Kelas'. But now we are rendered jobless,” says Annapurna Das, a snake charmer from Padmakesharpur near Bhubaneswar who has nothing to do now. "While some of us do odd jobs, others work as helpers in hotels and some beg. Even then feeding our families has become difficult,” she adds.
Annapurna makes small toys with palm leaves and sells each for Rs 10 or Rs 20 which barely suffices her family needs.
The women bamboo dancers now sit at home, unemployed. “People have lost interest in bamboo dance as they have found better alternatives in digital screens and loud music. Our dances have become redundant,” says an elderly woman from the Sapua Kela community.
But that is not the end of the story. For generations, women in these communities also contributed to the family income by doing traditional tattoo (called cheeta kuteiba in Odia) with materials and equipment which were easily found in every home. But as modern tattoo parlours mushroomed, they did not get any customers. “Earlier, during every festival or wedding, these women had work. Now, no one wants the basic tattoo they do. All want stylised machine-made tattoos,” says Prabhashini Das, a social worker who works with the community on various issues.
With the traditional professions of the community non-existent, many families have been pushed into extreme poverty. Children who once accompanied their parents to showcase their craft, are mostly begging in streets, selling balloons, pens, and sunshields at traffic signals.
Padmakesharpur is home to more than hundred snake charmer families and most of them are in a bad state. “We have no hope now. No work has left us staring at the blank," Annapurna says. “Many of our community youngsters were found indulging in petty crimes because there is no means to survive. When a child in the family goes hungry, what options does he have," he questions.
The situation had led to a lot of unrest, disputes over land, fights over resources, and violence leading to police cases. Many from the community who have migrated from other parts of the country too were booked by the police for indulging in anti-social activities.
However, there are a few who hope against hope. “If the government gives them support by way of training in handicrafts or opportunities in tourism sector, they could also lead lives peacefully by getting engaged in some work and earning. They do not want to beg, they want to work,” says Prabhashini Das.
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