Bhopal: A tough task of finding alternative livelihoods got underway for the Kalandars at the Kotra Sultanabad settlement in Bhopal. The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) has invited the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, Madhya Pradesh (CEDMAP) to train a group of Kalandars in various skills later this month.

The group has been selected based on the inputs received from the awareness camp organized by the WTI and the CEDMAP last month to assess their competencies in various skills for alternative livelihood. About 150 dependents of the Kalandars at the Kotra Sultanabad settlement will be benefited from this initiative.

According to Nidhi Agarwal, Programme officer WTI, “The settlement has about 55 Kalandar families most of whom have reportedly given up their traditional dancing bear profession and are finding hard to start new livelihoods. They resort to desperate measures and at times even begging for sustenance.”

Other settlements in the state include Obdullahgunj, Raisen, and Sirsod, where the Kalandars have taken up other professions.

According to Parthasarthy Changdar, Asst. Field Officer of WTI, “the Kalandars have agreed to undertake training in washing powder making and tailoring. A follow up to this effect will be initiated with adequate arrangements for further training and entrepreneurship development.”

A nationwide survey is being conducted by WTI to identify settlements for livelihood interventions. The survey is ongoing in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Orissa, Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.

WTI has been working with a multi-dimensional approach to bring an end to the street performances of dancing bears. Apart from direct intervention, by rescuing bears and creating livelihood opportunities for the Kalandars, the project also aims at creating awareness among the public, particularly tourists through various collaterals for discouraging bear dancing.