Snake charmer Baba Prakash Nath (center, in red & white), 35, sits in a temporary camp of travelling snake charmers from Rajasthan who have pitched camp in remote Lodha Basti, Manana village, Samalkha town, Haryana, India on 15th June 2012. "The government banned our trade but didn't give us any alternative options of livelihood," says Baba Prakash Nath. India's traditional snake charmer communities suffer from a loss of livelihood because of stringent wildlife laws and are forced to resort to begging or working as daily wage labourers. A new program to encourage the snake charmer's children to attend school is underway, to keep them from becoming daily-wage child labourers or joining their parents in scavenging and begging in cities. Photo by Suzanne Lee for The National
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