SNAKE CHARMERS
"More than seven generations of our families have been doing this and so are we," Buti Nath, 65 years old proudly claims. He is a sapera belonging to the ancient tribe of snake charmers, who over the generations have thrived on catching venomous snakes and making them dance to their musical tunes. Living with his family and other members at village Jogi Dera in Uttar Pradesh, he also catches and captures snakes if one happens to crawl into someone’s house or field.
Once upon a time snake charmers like Buti Nath were rendered as artists, being regular attraction of Indian bazaars, fairs and festivals. Throngs of people would line up to get beguiled by their eloquent ability to control and make some of the world’s most venomous reptiles sway and glide to their tunes. But with a ban in 1991 and stringent wildlife protection laws in place, today the number of snake charmers have reduced with their art fading away.
In the following series I capture the mundane living conditions of a village whose unique residents, all snake charmers and followers of Lord Shiva, are trying to keep their art and tradition alive.