A STREET MAGICIAN / SNAKE CHARMER'S SHOW IN KASHMIR YEAR 1892

                                                                          

A SNAKE CHARMER FROM PUNJAB SHOWING SNAKE SHOW IN DOWN TOWN SRINAGAR 1892.

This Photo was clicked by a European Traveller in Kashmir. You can see even young kashmiri children wearing a Pugrree . I find some Punjabi traders and locals also in the photo.  This Could be old  Maharaj Ganaj Bazaar. The market was set up around 1871 by Maharaja Sri Ranbir Singh (and named after him). The old market was later  gutted.

Before 1947( During summers ), Street Magicians from Rawalpindi would come to Kashmir to earn their bread and Butter. Magicians and snake charmers continued their summer visits even after 1947 But now they would come from the plains of the country mostly from UP, Rajasthan and  MP . During my college days , My friend Kuldeep Machama would join me in watching these magicians and khans on Lal Chowk footpaths . I have heard these snake charmers / magicians telling something like this ;

“ I am doing all this for My bread and Living . If any person in the crowd Knows this magic , he should not interfere in my game . I request him not to stop this game . Then the street magician would say .
“ALHUM BALHUM NAAG HAI RAJA
KHEL NA ROKO SAAMNE AAJA “
( Autar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.