WingsOfAnAngel
Banned
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 3
YDERABAD, Pakistan, Jan 23 (Reuters Life!) - They danced in a trance, writhing serpents draped around their necks, oblivious to the fear -- and venom -- their cobras, vipers and boas impart.
Swaying to the sounds of flutes and hisses, more than 150 snake charmers gathered in the southern Pakistani city of Hyderabad for a grand council to appeal to the government to help them preserve their livelihood, which many see as a divine gift.
"We have been given the gift of living with snakes by Pirs (holy men), as snakes are believed to possess the cure for many illnesses. Yet there is no respect or encouragement for us," said Arjun Jogi at the weekend council.
Snake charming is legal in Pakistan, which, unlike neighboring India, does not ban hunting and using the reptiles to make a living.
Animal rights activists are ambivalent to the practice, abhorring some of the methods used to render snakes harmless, while recognizing the ancient profession's store of knowledge.
"There are 56 types of snakes in Pakistan and many have healing powers in their venom," said Faqeer Baharani, head of the Pakistan Snake Charmers Council.
He said there were thousands of jogis, or charmers, working in Pakistan, most of them Hindus who roam from town to town, often living in squalid settlements.
Hinduism venerates snakes, and the reptiles are revered by some devotees. Lord Shiva, a major deity, is often depicted with a snake around his neck.
SERPENTS AND SQUALOR
For years, these charmers earned a living as street performers, or made money treating people for snake bites or by removing reptiles from homes and offices.
Wearing traditional orange and black kurtas and turbans and draped in bead necklaces, they make their snakes rise up from wicker baskets and sway in rhythm to flute music.
But modernity has elbowed out tradition and these days saperas don't earn much as there are plenty of other entertainment -- and pest control methods -- available.
And now they want the government to support them financially and establish a sanctuary and research center that would make the most of their skills and their serpents.
"Our ancestors told us that humans are more dangerous than snakes. We are more comfortable living with snakes who have provided for us for generations," said Badal Jogi, while his nine-year-old grandson, Moti, played with a black serpent near the family's hut in a village on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
"We give sutti (venom) to our boys at birth, this makes them immune to snake bites," the boy's father, Khamisa, said as he watched his son with pride.
"We hardly earn rupees 200 ($3.4) a day now," he added.
Western pharmacologists are discovering the healing properties of snake venom, that jogis have long known.
Snake breeder and homeopath, Ghafoor Arain uses venom from cobras and Sand Boas to make herbal medicines used for treating illnesses like high blood pressure, muscle weakness, and high temperatures.
"In the (Indian) subcontinent our ancestors have used snake venom and other parts of snake to create effective herbal cures," Arian said. "There is also research abroad now."
Swaying to the sounds of flutes and hisses, more than 150 snake charmers gathered in the southern Pakistani city of Hyderabad for a grand council to appeal to the government to help them preserve their livelihood, which many see as a divine gift.
"We have been given the gift of living with snakes by Pirs (holy men), as snakes are believed to possess the cure for many illnesses. Yet there is no respect or encouragement for us," said Arjun Jogi at the weekend council.
Snake charming is legal in Pakistan, which, unlike neighboring India, does not ban hunting and using the reptiles to make a living.
Animal rights activists are ambivalent to the practice, abhorring some of the methods used to render snakes harmless, while recognizing the ancient profession's store of knowledge.
"There are 56 types of snakes in Pakistan and many have healing powers in their venom," said Faqeer Baharani, head of the Pakistan Snake Charmers Council.
He said there were thousands of jogis, or charmers, working in Pakistan, most of them Hindus who roam from town to town, often living in squalid settlements.
Hinduism venerates snakes, and the reptiles are revered by some devotees. Lord Shiva, a major deity, is often depicted with a snake around his neck.
SERPENTS AND SQUALOR
For years, these charmers earned a living as street performers, or made money treating people for snake bites or by removing reptiles from homes and offices.
Wearing traditional orange and black kurtas and turbans and draped in bead necklaces, they make their snakes rise up from wicker baskets and sway in rhythm to flute music.
But modernity has elbowed out tradition and these days saperas don't earn much as there are plenty of other entertainment -- and pest control methods -- available.
And now they want the government to support them financially and establish a sanctuary and research center that would make the most of their skills and their serpents.
"Our ancestors told us that humans are more dangerous than snakes. We are more comfortable living with snakes who have provided for us for generations," said Badal Jogi, while his nine-year-old grandson, Moti, played with a black serpent near the family's hut in a village on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
"We give sutti (venom) to our boys at birth, this makes them immune to snake bites," the boy's father, Khamisa, said as he watched his son with pride.
"We hardly earn rupees 200 ($3.4) a day now," he added.
Western pharmacologists are discovering the healing properties of snake venom, that jogis have long known.
Snake breeder and homeopath, Ghafoor Arain uses venom from cobras and Sand Boas to make herbal medicines used for treating illnesses like high blood pressure, muscle weakness, and high temperatures.
"In the (Indian) subcontinent our ancestors have used snake venom and other parts of snake to create effective herbal cures," Arian said. "There is also research abroad now."
