In the north Indian village of Gauriganj, handling snakes is quite literally child’s play. Every youngster is brought up inthe company of VENOMOUS snakes so they can grow up to be ace SNAKE charmers. And one of the favourite snakes inthe village seems to be happy to oblige, judging by the smiling face on the back of its head.
Having mastered the art himself, Uttam Nath, 44, says the villagers see it as their duty to introduce the youngmembers of their community to snakes as soon as possible.”The training begins at two. The children are then taught the ancient ways of SNAKE charming until they are ready totake up their roles in our community,” said Uttam Nath.”Before the children go out they should know everything that they can know about snakes.”Instead of attending formal schooling, all village children complete a ten-year initiation ritual that culminates in theboys becoming fully fledged performing SNAKE charmers.The men earn their crust by showing off their skills with a traditional flute. But the women in the village don’t shyaway from the snakes either – their role is to care for the serpents and handle them when the men are not around.”We not only charm snakes but we also RESCUE them and SAVE people from SNAKE BITES. If someone around the villagehas had a SNAKE OF SCORPION BITE, we cure him with natural therapy,” said Mr Nath.Most children grow up playing with snakes but do not see them as a toy. Many children even put the king cobraaround their necks.
Illiteracy and poverty are prevalent in Gauriganj communities. Children start working at a young age and childmarriage is common. The problem, it seems, that many Gauriganj aren’t sure what life looks like without SNAKEcharming.”The majority do not have any cultivable land and depend solely on SNAKE charming for livelihood,” recommends AmitKumar Ghosh, the superintendent anthropologist at the Anthropological Survey of India.”The government should introduce welfare schemes to connect them to the mainstream and ensure that theirchildren also get quality education and better quality of life,” he continued.