PONDA: Instruments made of monitor-lizard skins are banned at the State-level Ghumat Arthi contest that will be organised by Rajiv Kala Mandir, Ponda, from October 21 to 26 and the finals are on November 3.
Announcing the contest here on Thursday, Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude said that ghumat has been declared as a heritage instrument by the government. “However, the participants at the State level Ghumat Arthi contest will not be allowed to use ghumat made of lizard skin, as the reptile is protected under Forest Act. We will disqualify the groups using ghumat made of lizard skins,” he said.
Every year hundreds of monitor-lizards are killed for their skin to make ghumats and for other purposes. Due to this, the reptile has become endangered and is on the verge of extinction.
Recently, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar, after watching the photograph of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant playing ghumat made of lizard skin, criticized the CM.
For many years, artists were using ghumats made of lizard skins at the contest. However, in 2018, a local activist Nishant Sawant filed a complaint with the authorities of Rajiv Kala Mandir against use of such instruments at the contest. He had pointed out that monitor-lizards are a protected species under Wildlife Act of 1972, as such, killing the reptiles for their skin was against the law. He had suggested use of goat skin instead.
Following this, the office of the deputy conservator of forests issued a notice to Kala Mandir asking them not to allow ghumat made of monitor lizard skins at the contest. “Though it is a tradition to use ghumat made of monitor lizard skin at the contest, yet it is in contravention of law. This has resulted in bringing the monitor lizard on threshold of extinction in the State,” the notice stated.
Following this notice, the Ghumat Arthi contest was cancelled in 2018.
According to environmentalists, female pregnant monitor lizards are caught in large numbers by poachers as they cannot run fast due to pregnancy. Due to this, the reptile is on the verge of extinction.
Ghumat artist Anil Naik said that instruments made of other animal skins will not produce the same music as that of ghumat made of lizard skin. “But we should now show our skill on ghumat made of other animal skin, as there is a law banning killing of monitor lizards,” he said.
