It’s a tale of a group of young sensitive men from Karkala trying to protect nagabanas (the natural habitat of snakes). It’s also a story of religious sensitivity and harmony with a Muslim developer approaching the youths to nurture a nagabana on his plot of five cents.
The nagabana is in Shivapura, Karkala taluk. The plot on which the nagabana is to come up belongs to real estate developer Mohammed Ansar.
This unique effort is to spread awareness among the people about safeguarding the naturally formed nagabanas or snake groves in the coastal region, said Gururaj Sanil of ‘Namma Mane Namma Mara’ team. Members of the group, Avinash Kamath and Raviraj H P will work shoulder to shoulder with Sanil to protect the grove as per the wishes of Mohammad Ansar.
The group has done work in protecting nagabanas in the area.
When asked why the youngsters took up this unconventional activity, Sanil said he was approached by Ansar, who wanted a nagabana on his newly-acquired land. He wanted the grove to be protected but coming from a different faith he did not know how to go about it.
It is a Hindu tradition to worship snakes and their groves. “He knew there was an elaborate procedure for setting up a nagabana where one needs to take special care of the trees, vines and shrubs that are grown around the grove,” he said.
“I was asked by Ansar about the ways in which a nagabana can be safeguarded. He was developing the three-and-a-half acre land for construction purpose. Earlier, this plot had a rubber plantation, which became the home to four snake groves. I suggested that a sacred grove be created in just five cents of the land by incorporating various sapling varieties.”
Ansar, the builder on whose newly acquired plot the nagabana is being nurtured, said, “I want to protect the snake species. I believe developers too should ensure that environment is protected and nurture nagabanas instead of destroying them. I will advise many to do so.”
Saplings will be planted in the area on Sunday and will be allowed to grow without much human intervention, apart from initial efforts to nourish them. About 51 varieties of saplings having timber value will be planted here.
“In a few years’ time, we want to make the public fully aware about snake groves. The area would soon be home to a wide variety of creatures including serpents and birds. This is an effort to kindle awareness among the public to safeguard the sacred groves which are found abundantly in the coastal belt,” he said.