The Snake Charmer!

There was much commotion at home today. A snake was spotted in the garden. This first-time-ever event raised an alarm and as anyone else would do these days we surrendered to google for phone number/s of “snake catchers” who would help. 

I found the number of one Madhu whom I phoned and gave directions to reach home. Within ten minutes Madhu was at the doorstep and lo and behold Madhu turned out to be the “weaker sex” of the human species! On hindsight I think the voice on the phone sounded feminine but in the moment of panic I had not paid much attention.

Madhu walked in with confidence; her aura spoke of a person who sends vibes to the unseen snakes - “Hey listen!! You cannot escape me”, she seems to say to the snake, wherever it may be lurking. 

Madhu came all equipped, with a stick and a bag and of course, being from modern times, a phone-video camera that was switched on from the minute she alighted from her two-wheeler. Digital media is the way by which people find her. 

Speaking rapidly in Hindi, she imparted gynan on different types of snakes, how they are important to maintain ecological balance, what should one do in the interim period after a snake is spotted and help is on the way and so on. She is indeed anti-thesis to the Pungi/Been 'Bhajanewala' ( playing) snake charmers that the Western world thought were sprawling on the streets of India. 

Breaking Gender Stereotype

I was so intrigued seeing Madhu who has been pursuing an out- of -gender -box work that I forgot all about the invisible reptile. Chatting up with her I learnt that she has been pursuing this job (should we call this a profession), over the last 18 years. She says that she is the first woman to break this gender stereo type in Karnataka and many women have followed suit, in other States too. Madhu has indeed redefined gender norms and ideologies that the patriarchal society has strongly entrenched in our psyche.

Men are also tempted to try their hand in catching the slippery reptile as it wins a lot of appreciation and accolades which is ego- boasting. (Madhu has lakhs of followers on You Tube and Instagram).  However, those who join this profession for fame do not last long, as saapns’ allow only well-meaning, caring people to go near them. 

Madhu says that catching snakes was neither her childhood dream nor a chosen profession but now that she has learnt the art and has understood the importance of the Ophidian in balancing the ecology, she cannot imagine a life without them! 

Madhu’s love for the serpent surfaced when she was 19 years old. Her Dadaji (grandfather) spotted that “something in her” that could take his life’s mission of conserving snakes forward. Dadaji Baburao Takeaakr was actively involved in maintaining a snake park in Dholgarwadi, Kollapur district, Maharasthra which is recognised by the Government. 

Dadaji’s training in snake catching involved primarily a three -step KAS approach, building Knowledge, changing Attitude and enhancing Skill. Knowledge building on every aspect of the reptile, changing one’s attitude towards it -primarily by removing the darr (fear), followed by the actual skill of learning to catch!  The actual skill you learn on the job - ‘saamp aap ko seekathe hai’ -snakes teach you, Madhu says! Being able to ride a bike/a two-wheeler is a prerequisite to snake training as the speed with which you reach the spot matters. Madhu rides a 125 CC Axis bike with as much ease as she catches a snake.

Holding the reptiles by their neck (!) and packing them in bags has become Madhu’s profession. She balances her 24x7 work pressure, home front and rearing two kids who are 14 and 12 years old. She aspires that both of them choose the same profession as hers. This job is not lucrative but a soul satisfying one. The kids have been taught to be fearless and she says, if I cannot imbibe this in them, how can I teach the world?  

Passion, fearlessness and love for the limbless cold-blooded reptiles can make one a successful ‘saamp’ (सर्प) catcher. And successful Madhu is. She has rescued over 7, 000 snakes so far. She says, with pride, that she has not been bitten even once by any poisonous snake not even by the Russel snake and she has caught many. Non- poisonous serpents have stung her many times but that does not rattle her at all! 

(Some amazing photos/ videos posted on her YouTube and Instagram are proof of this. Look out for Snake Saver Madhu Nirzara).

Old school norms for women are difficult to change but one should understand that there is nothing that can deter a women from becoming a snake catcher. Women do not lack either the brain power or the agility to deal with the reptiles and be fearless. Madhu recalls, with pride, of how on an unusual day, she received 30 calls, and she was on her toes from 10 am to 11.30 pm, carrying all her “snake- collection” in one big bag throughout the day before she could release them in their natural environment.

Society judges a woman based on gender ideology that is beliefs and values that characterize what is right for men and women. People’s disbelief is visible in their expression when they find a woman easily handling a naga. Madhu has often heard people, who see her at the snake-spot, smirk and say ‘what can she do, even strong men fear the animal’. But the irony is that they cannot refuse her services, they have no option when a snake is in hiding. They cannot exercise any gender preferences at such times, she laughs. But, yes, she has to pump in that “extra energy” to prove that she is good, on par, if not better than men. The gender gaps in this profession is skewed too, there are seven to eight snake-catching men in the city of Mysore and Madhu is the only woman. 

Life's Mission

Madhu is unable to fix charges for her services, she does not come with a fixed menu for catching different types of snakes. Whether it is a rattle snake or a cobra or a non-poisonous one, the rates are not fixed! Obviously, there is no snake -catcher union which decides on this!  Surely the level of difficulty is different in each case!!  The irony is that the actors who portray as snakes- “ichhadari Nagin” -in TV soaps make tons of money but the real sheroes- the ones who risk their lives in trying to catch the errant ones are nowhere on par!   

Madhu also says that those who call her when in panic and sometimes pledge their life to her, change their stance and begin to bargain after the snake is caught. And it’s worse when the snake is not found despite her efforts. People do not understand that the snakes are not waiting for her to arrive and to be caught! People refuse to pay and her effort as well as the amount spent on petrol are not compensated. This just goes to prove that humans are more unpredictable and dangerous than snakes, even the most poisonous ones at that. What if she becomes a Pied piper? I shudder to think but she is nonchalant. She says that she accepts whatever amount is given, her fear is of a different kind. People may restore to killing the snakes, if they are presented with a bill and this is totally against the mission of her life! 

What if all snakes become safe and sound, I asked her. Will she not face unemployment? She says that she would be too happy if there are initiatives by the government and others which nurture the snakes and keep them safe. She and her brethren will find other jobs. It is the rattlers that matter!

Madhu understands the hisses of the snakes (must be their language!!) but is unable to speak Kannada fluently! This has been a handicap in answering calls, calming callers and giving them instructions on how they should never let the snake out of their sight till she reaches the spot. Her children, who grew up in Karnataka, help translate. 

Before leaving, Madhu did not forget to build awareness on snakes and snake bite management, their need to be in the natural habitat, their contribution/s in balancing the ecology. She strongly advises people not to have blind belief, not to kill any snake and yes, please call her (Ph: 73376 93392), she is available 24x7 to rescue a snake and leave it in its natural surroundings. Her pleasure in finding an unusual snake is amazing, the other day she found a Tree Snake which is rare to catch as it moves with extraordinary speed, and she was reluctant to part with it! Madhu indeed has an unusual passion for the hissing kind!! Long live the likes of Madhu!