BENGALURU: Growing up in India, you might have come across either or both of these representations of snakes – one is the picture of a shapeshifting Naagin (snake), often plotting some deadly revenge or peacefully nestled on the shoulders of Lord Shiva. Perhaps, someone who was not prepared to face this dichotomy head on was Smita Kalki after moving to Bengaluru from the United States of America.
“When we came back to the city – to Whitefield, in our area, there were snakes spotted almost every other day, and as any innate human being would do, the reaction was to get scared and kill it at sight,” recalls Smita, a Bharatnatyam dancer by profession.
The prevalent reaction of fear and aggression towards these snakes sparked curiosity and concern in Smita’s son Yatin who was only a teenager at that time. “He was full of questions for me where he said, ‘You have always been representing snakes, in your mythological dances – as either Vishnu who reclines on a snake or Shiva who has a snake as an ornament around his neck – so when snakes are being worshipped, why is there this kind of hypocrisy where you kill it at sight?’,” shares Smita.
Sharing one such incident that made a deep impression, Yatin says, “I remember I found a vine snake sitting on a plant at the age of 12. I excitedly called my grandma to see the snake, but she called a security guard who killed the snake in front of us and it really upset me.”
Today, Yatin is a well known wildlife-biologist, who has worked with the renowned American-born Indian conservationist, Romulus Whitaker, also known as the ‘snakeman of India’. But he started rescuing snakes in his locality at an early age of 16. “I practised snake handling with the harmless Rat Snakes and Keelbacks, and then moved on to handling Cobras and Vipers. Through my snake rescues and regular snake awareness sessions, the community slowly stopped killing snakes and changed their outlook on snakes,” says Yatin.
Despite the awareness programmes, misconceptions still persist, points out Yatin. “The biggest challenge is changing peoples’ perspectives and getting them to care about snakes. India is the country with the most snakebite deaths, accounting for over half of them globally, so people are understandably scared. Educating people about snakes, dispelling their myths and superstitions, and teaching them what to do if they see a snake or if a snake bites them is incredibly important,” he explains, with Smita adding, “We’ve encroached on their property. They used to live here once and it’s very important that we respect them for what they are and try to coexist peacefully.”