Snake charmers fight for survival

Urban interest in the snake charmers' craft has fallen

By Alastair Lawson BBC correspondent in Dhaka

The ordeal of around 200 people, mostly snake charmers, on the Indian border with Bangladesh has focused attention on this nomadic group of people.

People in cities today no longer seem so interested to watch us entice the snakes

Hashim, snake charmer

Snake charmers are facing increasing difficulties throughout Bangladesh because their profession is in decline.

"Things are tough for us today," said Hashim, who was quoted recently in a Bangladeshi newspaper.

"People in cities today no longer seem so interested to watch us entice the snakes.

"They lead busy lives and don't have the time or the inclination to watch performing cobras."

Tourist traps

Snake charmers have had to diversify to stay in business.

Many snake charmers target tourists

Many in Dhaka use their routine to attract attention from passers-by, who are then lured into buying bracelets, trinkets and other handicrafts.

Some offer themselves as unofficial pest control officers, removing snakes from people's homes.

But today snake charmers in the city are most commonly seen outside tourist hotels or clubs attended by Western expatriates.

In rural areas snake charmers can still attract large crowds, but that is mostly during festivals which are not held on a regular basis.

Times change

Historians say snake charmers have been in Bengal for centuries, and come from both Muslim and Hindu communities.

This is the largest stockpile of snakes I've ever found in my life

Dudu Miah, after catching 3,000 cobras

Traditionally they are nomads, travelling by boat around the country to attend large celebrations such as the Bengali new year.

That is why the few snake charmers who still practise their craft full-time in Bangladesh tend to live near rivers.

There are several reasons put forward to explain the decline of the profession.

In the past people would be mesmerised by a dancing snake and the eerie sounds of the piper.

But today middle-class people in bigger cities like Dhaka and Chittagong - pressed for time and provided with alternative forms of entertainment - regard snake charmers almost as an irritation.

Another reason put forward is the fact that snakes themselves are harder to find due to a combination of deforestation and urbanisation.

Charming skills

But this argument appears unconvincing, especially if the experience last year of a butcher living in Bandar, east of Dhaka, is borne in mind.

Hearing a mysterious noise underneath his floorboards, he called in veteran snake charmer Dudu Miah and his assistants from a neighbouring village.

They dug up more than 3,000 poisonous cobras below his sitting room. Neighbours fled in panic as the full scale of the catch became apparent.

"This is the largest stockpile of snakes I've ever found in my life," said Mr Miah, 55, who ate at least a dozen of his catches.

"But our job is not complete. The two adult cobras are still missing and there are no doubt many more in the vicinity," he said.

If snake charming is to continue in Bangladesh, it will require the entrepreneurial skills of men like Mr Miah.