I am fascinated by the fakir, that guy in the street who entertains people with his extraordinary skill of playing with the cobra. I was reminded by this when I saw Jackie Chan’s movie Kung Fu Yoga which was shot in India. There was a scene where a fakir was playing a flute which makes the rope rise. As with Jackie Chan’s movies, it was done in humor. But I guess in reality, there are fakirs like that which I really like to see. And from what I know, they have different specialties aside from the snake and the rope, they also eat fire. I hope I am correct with my impression of the fakir.
What you are talking about is a snake charmer and we dont call them Fakirs, they are called Sapera in Hindi and you will find them all across India but not so much these days as wild life protection laws are very strict and it is illegal to do acts with snakes unless you have a license which these guys generally dont. Its been about 7-8 years since I saw a snake charmer so I am not sure if it would be easy for you to find one. Probably in rural areas you would find it easier to spot one.
If you really want to see snake charmers as they are called you can see them in South Karnataka specially on the day cobras are worshiped. That festival is called Nag Panchami and this year it falls on July 27. You will see these snake charmers lined up on roads and people will come and pour milk for the snake and of-course the snake charmer will expect a donation. Cobras are sacred to Hindus.
