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And the flute plays on

Out-of-work Indian snake charmers are playing their flutes at weddings and world festivals after pressure from animal rights groups led to their prized reptiles being impounded. "We now have accepted the fact that we cannot perform with snakes," said Hawa Singh Nath, a wiry, bearded 68-year-old charmer who lives in the suburbs of New Delhi. Nath performed his 300-year-old music at the Dubai film festival in 2005, while others have travelled to the U.K. and West Asia or at special wedding or birthday party shows.

Other charmers have swapped roles and now work at animal centres and forestry offices, educating visitors about their beloved reptiles. The earliest Indian snake charmers were healers who learned the art of treating snakebites and were called on to remove snakes from homes. The practice blossomed in the 20th century as it was promoted as a practice to draw tourists.

NIMI KURIAN

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