Life today is quite different
from what it was when our parents were children just two or three decades ago.
There used to be snake charmers, the candyman and the chooranwala who could be
seen walking around in neighbourhoods very often, and children played games like
chhuppan chhuppai (hide and seek) and aankh macholi, pithoo, etc.
Sadly, you guys are not too familiar with these games that have been traded for
Playstation and games that can be played on the internet, and do not get to
enjoy street performances by snake charmers, monkeys or maybe a bear. In this
fast-paced age, there are also some professions which are on the verge of
becoming extinct, if they have not altogether disappeared from big cities.
Snake charming
Historically, the earliest evidence of snake charming can be traced to the
Egyptians. Till the early 1990s, it was quite normal to see snake charmers
wandering in the streets with their colourful bulging bag hanging on their
shoulder. Their serpents were in baskets or pots hanging from a bamboo pole
slung over the shoulder.
These charmers usually wore very colourful attire, comprising a turban and long
kurta and had mostly long and curly hair. Necklaces of shells or large beads and
earrings would make their personality even more mysterious. They usually
attracted people’s attention by playing a special flute-like instrument made
from gourd, known as ‘been’.
Once a sizable crowd had gathered, the snake charmer would play the flute and a
snake eventually emerged from the cane or straw basket. It is commonly believed
that the snake actually dances to the tune of the flute but in reality, the
snake can’t hear anything. It actually moves with the motion of the flute that
the charmer moves while playing it.
Baba Kamesha, a 60-year-old snake charmer, has been in this profession for the
past 20 years. It is his family profession and even the children in his family
are involved in it.
Kamesha learnt all about snakes, which he calls saanpon ka ilm, from his master
Log Bengali. He disclosed that a snake charmer keeps wandering — visiting
villages, towns and cities and also spends years in desserts and jungles to
search for serpents. Kamesha got his snake from Balochistan’s desert.
“An inexplicable relationship exists between a snake and its charmer, the jogi,”
Kamesha confesses. According to him, a snake never hurts its master; and the
master, for his own part, is not scared of being bitten by the snake, even
poisonous ones. And in case of a snake bite, the jogi uses traditional remedies
to treat himself and keeps a white mysterious powder in his pocket which he
applies instantly on the bitten area. These days, snake charming has almost
vanished because no one is really interested in watching a poor man’s art and
his serpent’s performance.
Monkey performance
No one really knows who first captured a monkey from the wild and taught it
tricks.
A gypsy trains his monkey to perform different acts such as mimicry and acting
upon different commands of the trainer. These days one can only find these
gypsies around some tourist spots and few children get to watch the amazing acts
of these naughty, but cute animals.
However, it does feel bad to see the poor creatures leading a captive life in
the urban jungle but the monkey owners claim that they look after their animals
very well because it is through these animals that they earn their living.
The horse cart
The horse cart has been a popular mode of transport since ages. Once beautifully
adorned, a symbol of superiority and nobility, these buggies were used by kings
and queens throughout the world. However, with advancement in vehicular modes of
transport, the rich abandoned this vehicle and commoners started using it. With
the passage of time and advent of motorised vehicles on the road, horse drawn
carriages are now nearly extinct.
“It is no more a lucrative business for the younger generation,” says
50-year-old Anwar, who has been riding a horse carriage for 25 years. The poor
fellow provides pick and drop service to schoolchildren in the old part of
Karachi. The man sadly adds, “Although a ride on a horse carriage still
fascinates children, business is not lucrative for many in this technological
age.”
But horse carriages aren’t extinct completely – they have been modified to suit
changing trends. The boom in the business of wedding planning and event
management has seen a slight increase in demand of decorative carriages for
weddings and other functions.
Urdu calligraphy
Calligraphy is another profession which has been fading away in the present
digital age. It’s an art which requires artistic skills to develop a
masterpiece. A calligrapher uses qalam (a reed pen) and roshnai (a viscous ink)
to transform the simple letters and words of Urdu into beautiful ones. The art
of Urdu calligraphy has evolved from the Arabic calligraphy and it was the
Mughals who patronised it in the subcontinent and gave it the status of a noble
profession.
Computers, with advance software, have taken the place of the calligraphers to
some extent. Many calligraphers believe that the long years of their toil and
training in the art has gone waste.
“Earlier, Urdu calligraphy was basically needed to make the headlines of the
newspaper more appealing but the onslaught of computerised Urdu fonts has put
such calligraphers’ career in jeopardy,” said Syed Tasveeb Hussain Naqvi who has
been working as a calligrapher in a local newspaper.
Sixty-five-year-old Naqvi learnt the art from his father who was also associated
with the same profession. “Sheer dedication and hard work are needed to
transform the words into creative pieces,” he disclosed. However, the
experienced calligrapher was still optimistic and added, “Urdu calligraphy can
modify itself according to modern technology and so the art will not die.”