Bearing the brunt of law - for a bear

By Malathi Nayak Dec 29, 2006, 14:14 GMT

Bangalore, Dec 29 (IANS) 'My bears are like my children and I want them back,' says Shamid, as he begs to take back his bear the authorities seized four months ago. But the law is proving to be his biggest foe.

Last week, the nomadic man covered 500 km, travelling on buses and trucks, to reach Bangalore to claim his animal, only to run against legislation that makes his profession - bear dancing - unlawful.

A Muslim, Shamid, 40, is from the Qalandar community that survives on the belief that bears have mystical abilities to ward off an 'evil eye'.

Kids in villages are made to sit on bears to bring them good luck. Bear dancing, prevalent in India since the pre-Mughal era, grew as a form of entertainment provided by the performance of the bears at the behest of their masters.

It was declared illegal by the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Shamid, who hails from a village near Bellary in north Karnataka, claims this practice in his family dates back to five to seven generations. His bears were seized by animal activists and rehabilitated at the Bannerghata Bear Rescue Facility near Bangalore.

His frequent trips to Bangalore in the last four months have turned out to be nothing more than a wild goose chase.

'I used to earn around Rs.1,500 (around $35) a month,' says Shamid, with a wife and six children to support. 'We have no home. We pitch tents wherever we choose to stop.'

Two to three families, with seven to eight members each, travel together at all times. 'We cannot send our children to school since we are continuously on the move.'

Years of mental conditioning will have to be effaced from his mind before he can even consider an alternative profession. Moreover, without a home, any land or financial capacity to pay rent if he picks a sedentary job is out of question.

Maula, 45, from Subbarayanpete taluk in north Karnataka has a similar story. He has been bear dancing for 30 thirty years. He has five illiterate daughters.

'He carries on his trade surreptitiously as he fears he will not be able to marry off his daughters if the villagers found out,' explains S. Babu, an activist from Community Studies Centre, Bangalore, which is lobbying for rehabilitation of Muslim communities that practice traditional occupations.

'Though their profession is unlawful, animal activists and the media need not portray the Qalandars as hardcore criminals when they rescue the animals. To help them integrate into mainstream, the human rights issue must be as much highlighted as the animal rights issue,' Babu told IANS.

Despite the Qalandars being recognized under the reserved category of 'Other Backward Classes', they still endure basic problems like unemployment and lack of education, housing and medical aid. The effect of this is reflected in the community's defiance of the law and their current social and economic depravity.

Some animal activist groups have begun rehabilitation programmes for the Qalandars. But the Qalandars of north Karnataka are offering stiff resistance to the packages that they say are not suitable to their needs.

'Short-term and long-term rehabilitation must happen simultaneously. Moreover, their children need to be empowered first through education,' says Babu.

Shamid and his community have now mobilized themselves to fight against discrimination against them.

'Why didn't you stop us 30 years ago when the law was passed?' is one question they keep asking.

Providing them reassurance, giving them opportunities to speak out and addressing their concerns are of key importance. Or else, the Qalandars will hold on to their occupation because it is the only identity they have.

As Babu said: 'Society must understand that in order to liberate the animals, the Qalandar community must be liberated first.'

© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service