In recent times, tourism is increasingly used as a unique medium of achieving development goals in many countries. Specific cultural practices of communities are projected to attract tourists and, thereby, the local communities become able to eking out a livelihood. But such practices sometimes badly affect the community life. In the present article, we have tried to portray how the Kalbelia dance form of the Kalbelia community in Rajasthan, India, helps the latter to sustain their livelihood strategy, on the one hand, and provides deep rooted impact on the family structure of the community, on the other, since the female dancers are often subjected to abuse, verbally and/or sexually, by the tourists. The dancers prefer not to resist owing to the fear of losing their earning source which is available mainly during winter. Thus, tourism for the Kalbelia is found to be the main source of income and, simultaneously, the principal reason for their exploitation and social discrimination.
