New Delhi: "I used to perform across the globe before the pandemic struck but now our whole family of dancers, singers and puppeteers have been sitting idle since March," lamented 35-year-old Rakesh Bhat who has performed at parties thrown by everyone from politicians to business tycoons in the past. Standing outside his small one-room house at a transit camp in Anand Parbat, where residents from Kathputli Colony were shifted to in 2014 as part of a redevelopment plan, Bhat said that his livelihood has come crashing down after the government barred social and religious gatherings apart from international travel in a bid to curb the Covid-19 virus. " A performance including singing, dancing or playing the dholak at a function would easily fetch me anywhere around Rs 25,000 but the past few months have been tough as we are barely managing two square meals a day," he added. Bhat, originally hailing from Sikar in Rajasthan, said that around 40 members of his extended family, all street artists, who reside at the camp are facing the same fate. "I am planning to mortgage my wifes mangalsutra in order to help pay for my childrens school fees and daily meals," Bhat said. His sister, 30-year-old Sharda Bhat, a dancer, said that she is dipping into her savings in order to run her household. "Earlier we used to somehow get paid enough to manage our family for around a month before getting a contract for another performance but now even that has stopped" she said. "The government has restricted the number of attendees at any gathering to below 100, then how can one expect to call dhol players or singers for entertainment purposes?"Vinay Bhat, another singer, asked. 21-year-old Lakhan Pawar, an acrobat who used to perform with his team at various hotels and birthday parties, said that he has been whiling away his time ever since lockdown occurred. "I have been told that we might see some work from the next month," Pawar said. Haseen Pehelwan (40), a street magician who has also performed monkey shows, said that he has now taken to ferrying passengers in his auto rickshaw in order to make ends meet. "Every other street performer I know has taken to either construction work or rides a rickshaw like me," he said. Mukesh, a juggler and fire breather, said that he has got no work opportunities since the lockdown which he said has sounded the death knell for the community of traditional artists. Meanwhile, Ishamudin Khan, founder of Indian Street Performers Association Trust (ISPAT), said that the problem lies with the lack of recognition for street performers. "Government help has not been available for such street artists or buskers as our work has not been classified as a formal profession," Khan said adding that those who represent the country on the world stage through their art form should not be left in the lurch.

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