Days of snake charmers are over – banned from 400-year-old fair in Bengal

Shows by snake charmers have been banned from a 400-year-old fair in Bankura district of West Bengal. The fair was the Jhapan Fair and it used to be organized by the Moonlight Club. It was an ancient barbaric practice of maiming snakes after they were defanged for public shows at the annual fair.
The ban was because of a pre-emptive complaint filed by a wildlife activist. Based on the complaint, the forest department warned fair organizers of a crackdown and it was a successful deterrent.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 20 August 2015.

In order to ensure implementation, the authorities had deployed three patrol vans to go around the town to make people aware that snake shows were illegal.
The first Jhapan mela was held sometime in the 17th century to greet the ruling king Hambir Malla on his return after winning a battle. Gradually, the festival acquired a macabre touch as snake charmers began to display defanged and traumatized snakes before large gatherings.
The festival attracts tourists both locals as well as foreigners.
Of course, shows involving animals has been banned due to pressure from animal activists and even many of the circuses have closed down rendering thousands of people jobless.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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