This ad will close in 15 seconds

From : newtangnews
Added: Nov 27, 2006
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

Video Categories:

Also Try: