How do you protest against the authorities? In Maharashtra’s Buldhana, you break into a nagin dance
The demonstration was against the apathy of the Public Works Department.
WATCH: Locals do 'Nagin dance' in PWD office in Buldhana (Maharashtra) as a mark of protest against PWD's apathyhttps://t.co/MCRWZI2OhX
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 29, 2016
Slogans, yes. Barricades. Marches. Even hunger strikes. But a snake dance?
For sheer innovation, this nagin dance protest by locals in Maharashtra's Buldhana is an inspired act.
The video above shows the absurdist protest being enacted in a conference room by an all-male troupe. Officials sitting around the table remain poker-faced through the proceedings, while the enthused protestors go around the room, improvising on templated "nagin" moves.
The protest was sparked by the apathy of the Public Works Department with regard to roads near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Market. Despite several complaints, no action was taken, the protestors told ANI.
The Buldhana authorities should consider themselves fortunate. Elsewhere in the country – Uttar Pradesh, to be precise – disgruntled people don't perform a snake dance, they actually let loose live snakes. In 2011, a snakecharmer did just that in the land revenue office in the town of Harraiya (video below).