Indian's snake charmers are to be retrained as wildlife teachers under a plan to prevent their unique
skills and knowledge from being lost. The charmers, who make snakes dance to the sound of flutes, used
to be a traditional feature of Indian life, performing in towns and villages, until they were banned in 1972
to control the trade in snake skins.
The government is now considering a plan to train the saperas, as they are known, to visit schools and zoos to tell children about forests and wildlife. There is also a proposal to set up a "dial a snake charmer"
service to help householders to deal with unwelcome intruders.
"For generations they have been a feature of Indian life but now they can't earn a living for fear of
arrest," said Behar Dutt, a conservationist behind the plans," if a policeman doesn't catch them, animal rights activists report them."
Many snake charmers have continued to work clandestinely(暗中地) since the ban, despite the threat of up to three years in jail. But their trademark clothcovered baskets, hung from a bamboo pole carried
across their shoulders, make them an easy target for police.
The fate of Shisha Nath, 56, from Badarpur, a village just outside of New Delhi, is typical of practitioners(从业者) of the dying art. "I used to earn enough to support my family and send my children to school,"
he said. "Now it's hard to earn even $1 a day. My children want to be snake charmers. It's our identity.
We love the work. But it's become impossible."
Next month Dutt's project to train 30 snake charmers will begin at a snake park in Pune, western India, where experts will enrich their homegrown skills with some formal knowledge.
More than the law, though, it is the dishonest attitude of their fellow countrymen that anger many snake charmers. "We're disturbed all the time but when people want a snake removed from the house, they rush
to us," said Prakash Nath, who was ordered recently to the home of Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party
leader.
1. What do snake charmers usually do in India? (no more than 8 words)
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2. How long will a saperas be in prison if he is caught during the ban? (no more than 3 words)
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3. For what purpose will snake charmers in India be retrained as wildlife teachers?
(no more than 10 words)
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4. According to the passage, what will make snake charmers angry? (no more than 11 words)
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