I have always be fornicated with the snake trainers. I think it is amazing how they open the basket and can entice the snake to come out with their music. I'm wondering if there is a place where we can see the snakes, watch the trainers, and understand why the snake leaves the basket when he hears the music?
Fornicated? I think you meant to say that you were fascinated by them rather than fornicated by them lol. Fornication means for two people who are not married to have sex, while fascination means to be interested in something. I knew what you meant with your comment, but just so you know, there are many people who may not! On that note, yes snake charmers are an interesting breed of people, and the snakes they work with are equally interesting!
I would like to think you actually mean that you're passionate about snake charmers and their ability to entice snakes. It's one of the many somewhat stereotypes of what India is known for. You're really going to be wondering how they seem to have control over them but I think it's just regular people taking advantage of the animal's instincts that make it seem so.
@hellotraveler I truly appreciated the gentle correction you made there. In any case, yeah I read somewhere that snake charming is one of the stereotypes attached to India. Ordinary Indian citizens I heard are not too happy being portrayed as a country of snake charmers. To them, the stereotype reflects of old and ancient India and not necessarily reflective of the whole country at present. I'm not sure which is true, but I did read somewhere that snake charming is actually illegal in India for so many years now.
Snake charmers used to be a major tourist attraction in India. But recently, the government has started putting identification chips on captured snakes to differentiate them from newly captured ones. This way, newer snakes won't have to be captured anymore. The government has also started a program to turn these snake charmers into snake rescuers. They're asked to capture venomous snakes in the city and return them to the wild. I think snake charming has had issues over the years. For one, some of these snake charmers remove the fangs of these snakes so they cannot bite. Unfortunately, some others even sew together their mouths so they cannot bite which leads to their death in a few days. Another fact is that snakes don't have ears and they are merely following the swaying object, the charmer's flute. This makes it seem like they're dancing to the music. I'm sorry for that little spoiler, but it still is fascinating to see these snakes be attracted to the instrument. If you'd still like to see snake charmers, they can be found mostly on some touristy places. Here are some: Window Palace in Jaipur New Delhi Markets on Nag Panchami Sikh Temple near Agra So yes, basically snake charming is a dying art nowadays because it has been rendered illegal. I hope this helps!
The zoo maybe? There are lots of zoo enthusiasts that could tell you more, but they usually have shows especially when it comes to venomous snakes and people trying to tame them. I guess it's the same as training your dog tricks, snakes are conditioned to do a certain task when hearing music, in exchange for food or treats, and that's how they do it. It would take a lot of trust between the tamer and the snake, as it's really life and death when it comes to these things.
Snake charming is a very important part of culture in many parts of India. It's indeed fascinating to think there are people who risk their lives training these very poisonous snakes. Most cities in India that are popular among foreign tourists usually have areas where you can see snake charmers do their thing. As to learning how to charm the snakes yourself, setting up a meeting with a snake charmer could be a good idea. But keep your distance. It took the snake charmers years to perfect their craft.
I think that they are taught about the tricks from an early age. They can then recognise sounds and react to whatever rhythm is being played. I am also interested of knowing what really happens. I came to learn that the snakes are really venomous.
Okay, lets pretend that you didn't mean that, however, you're right, it's really impressive the way they do it, I've not done such a big research about that, but according to google, it's something related to snake's auditive senses or something like that.
I don't know of a specific place where you can find snake charmers. But, if you visit Varanasi, you're likely to see street performers, some of whom might be snake charmers. Also, if there were a specific place where you could see snake charmers, chances are that they'd be shut down by animal rights groups in a second. And I totally support that since it is cruel to keep a creature that is meant to live freely, to be used for the amusement of humans.
That is one funny typo/auto-correct Anyway, on the topic, even though snake charmers have been associated with India for a long time and still relevant, you see less and less of them now a days. In fact, they are almost non-exist ant in some regions. You will still come across them in most places once in a while, but I have no idea how you can observe them closely like you want. I have heard there are some villages mostly populated by snake charmers in places like West Bengal, that may be able to satisfy your curiosity.
There when during the cobra festival you'd see lots of snake charmers. Due to the work of animal activists and the enforcement of existing laws which forbids anyone to keep a snake the fine art of snake charming is beginning to fade away. If you are visiting New Delhi and get to know some people who know their way around, I'm sure if you are interested they could direct you to some place in the city where you'll find a snake charmer.
Please do not support these snake charmers by paying to watch them. The snakes go through hell. Their fangs are ripped out. And most die within weeks. Please put a stop to this tradition.
