Sausiran is an Indian village under Banthra Police Station, located about 6 kilometres from Don Bosco Technical Institute, Mohanlalgaj, Lucknow district in Uttar Pradesh. Sausiran was long considered as the ‘village of snake charmers’, bringing to mind images of dusky men with snakes twisting round their bodies while they played the flute. These snake charmers play flutes in front of baskets containing snakes and entertain people on streets and public places. They were once revered in India for their ability to tame reptiles. These snake charmers are invited by people to catch snakes from their houses and take them away. The local people depend on them for cures for ailments, especially snake bites. Their medicinal knowledge is unique to the community and unfathomable by practitioners of allopathy and homeopathy. Their medicines are made out of roots and herbs. They are even able to take control of poisonous snakes very easily. Snake charming has been their main source of livelihood for years. In most of their houses the snakes are part of their life.
Lack of a sustained livelihood and loss of cultural articulation has pushed the Sausiran Snake charmers community to socio-political and economic marginalization. Today, these semi-nomadics of Sausiran village say that their centuries-old tradition is slowly dying out as authorities seek to enforce wildlife protection laws. They are battling to try and keep the ancient practice alive in their village.
As Bosco Educational and Development Society (BEADS) team entered Sausiran village, they thought that some of the villagers would be snake charmers, but the reality surprised every one of them. Fr. Edward Sacrawat says: “I was astonished to see that the whole village was filled with snake charmers.” On enquiring about their situation in these Covid days, Brajendra Nath said, “We are all snake charmers and we have no other source of income at all these days and we are not even having food to eat.” The old men and women hardly have clothes to wear. Their situation is pathetic, they can hardly stand erect.
Bosco Educational and Development Society (BEADS) distributed food in Sausiran village. Touched by the timely visit and food provisions, the snake charmers expressed gratitude to the team from BEADS, Lucknow.
Fr. Babu Varghese SDB