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| Radha charmed with Cobra |
We left for Rajkot Gujarat from Mumbai Central by Saurastra Mail at 20.25 and reached Rajkot next morning at 10.30. Oh yes, I love Rajkot. Apart from its historical importance and wonderful museums, the Kathiawadi (Saurastra Region) food, especially for vegetarians is an ultimate gastronomic experience.As usual, my dear friend, Tommy Singh accompanied me who had booked us at Platinum Hotel Rajkot on Jawahar Road, Opp. Jubilee Garden. The hotel was really good.Rajkot is a quintessential Saurashtrian and Kathiawadi melting pot. Not just the usual Gujarati Thali - there is so much more to Kathiwadi food that one realizes only when one dares to order a Thali. Therefore, for lunch I insisted to visit Thaakar Restaurant at Kanta Sri Vikas Grah Road to have a Kathiawadi Thali.And when Thali was served, my jaw dropped with amazement! Wow! it had variety of aromatic spiced vegetables, Dals (lantil soups), puris, chapatis, flavored rice, pickles...we just stuffed and stuffed our tummy as if it was empty for days, finally washing it down with spiced and cool Chach (buttermilk). Awesome! At dinner, we had a meeting with Amit Shah, a retired collector of Rajkot with whom Tommy discussed our next day journey to meet mysterious tribe Vadi who secretly still practice snake charming in spite of a Government ban on this practice. Additionally, we were keen to see their kids and babies who live and play with deadly snakes like King Cobra and get trained to become snake charmers.Next day we left early for a village named Parevada, some 25 Kms from Rajkot where there was a settlement of Vadi tribe, 4 kms away from the village. On the way we stopped at a road side Kathiawadi restaurant (a dhaba) and enjoyed a breakfast of Jalebi (made with circular floor and dipped in sugar syrup), Gathia, Kadi with Chai (Tea).On reaching the settlement we met the headman of the Vadi families, Baba Pawan who explained the background and then showed us tricks of the trade, the kids playing with snakes and the so called a secret school. What I saw and heard, sent shivers in my body! It was unbelievable.In the past regularly and now secretly, all children in this strong nomadic Vadi tribe will have first been introduced to cobras at the age of two. The children complete a ten-year initiation ritual that culminates in the boys becoming fully-fledged performing snake charmers.  |
| Snake school in a tent |
We visited a secret snake school in a tent where Vadi children were playing with a Cobra as part of their training to become fully-fledged charmers.At twelve the children will know everything that they can know about snakes.Later, divided between the sexes, the act of snake charming with traditional flute(Been) is the role of the men, while the Vadi women care for the snakes and handle them when their husbands or brothers are not around. |
| Baba sowing bizarre tricks |
Baba Pawan, the head man explained that in spite of legal ban, they are determined to pursue the traditions of the Vadi tribe which can be stretched back over one thousands years to India's great Raja's (kings). On asking why when there is a ban, he put a counter question, "then how to earn livelihood " He explained that they are treated like untouchables, unwanted, accused of practicing witchcraft, thieves and dirty. The authorities promise but nothing much has been done.Never staying in one place for more than three to six months, may be because of police or villagers, the Vadi tribe have an almost mythical attachment to snakes and especially Cobras. They never keep the snakes for more than 7 months and never remove fangs. Instead, the cobras are fed a herbal mixture which renders the snake's deadly poison useless.Baba Pawan says, "We explain to the children how we only take a snake away from its natural habitat for a maximum of seven months. Any more is disrespectful to the snake and especially after the charmer and snake have worked together so closely and so intimately.""Both are trusting their lives to the other one."What we saw was bizarre mystic and incredible. Perhaps unique in the world, only in India. it also shows a mutual understanding and symbiosis between humans and reptiles.References:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1192122/Indian-village-children-young-taught-snake-charmers.html
(Though the author does not approve and rather condemns this kind of filming of a scene between a baby and a Cobra, it's included below to show this happens)Caution: It may appal you