Snake Shyam
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Snake Shyam (M.S. Balasubramania) is a snake enthusiast in Mysore, India. He looks the part, and plays it well too. Meet Snake Shyam, Mysore's celebrity serpent-catcher.
Born to M.R.Subbarao and A.Nagalakshmi Mirle in K.R.Nagar of Mysore , Balasubramania had an inspiring childhood even than eventually turned him into ‘Snake Shyam’. At a young age a snake sneaked into his neighbor’s house. People gathered to kill the snake. But Shyam (Balasubramania) pleaded not to kill the snake. To everyone’s surprise, he caught the snake and left in a garden. And that earned him the name Snake Syham.
Professionally he’s not a trained herpetologist. But he could easily identify the 3 dozen odd species of snakes in the area.
Every time a snake is spotted in the neighborhood, people call him for help. He rushes to the spot in his autorickshaw.
He studies the surroundings and listens to the people before start his action. According to him smaller snakes are difficult to catch. Because they are younger and swift in reaction. Once he catches the snake, he secures it inside a cloth bag and head towards Bandipur or Thitimatti forests. The snake is let off into the jungles.
"I have studied the books of herpetologists like Romulus Whitaker and J.C. Daniel on snakes. In fact, Whitaker sir presented a copy of his book to me recently. I also interacted with the head of the biochemistry department at the Mysore University," he says.
He maintains a register from the year 2000 (?) onwards of the snake he has caught. The register has so far records of more than 14,587 snakes. But according to Snake Shyam he might’ve caught more than 40,000 snakes in his ‘career’.
He does this service for free just because of his love for the serpent. For a living he works as a driver.
He has written 3 slogans on his Autorickshaw.
- Snakes are not as poisonous as human beings.
- Care for the rare.
- Save nature for future.
Local telephone directories had added his cell phone number under the emergency contact categories.
Also a street is name after him in the Mysore city. Ared shirt, Indiana Jones hat, bushy moustache, sundry bead necklaces, some ten rings on ten fingers, half-a-dozen metal bangles and an earring—what would you make of such a person? A part of the grand Mysore Dasara tableau? No, this man has a much bigger, and permanent, role—he’s Snake Shyam, Mysore’s master reptile-catcher. He is as popular as the city’s mayor or the former king. In fact, he even has a street named after him. And off Shyam goes in his newly acquired second-hand Omni. His snake-catching gear is as much a shock as his figure: an old badminton racquet minus the guts.
National Geographic has made a feature on him.
There is an old concept that the person with "Garudarekha" on his palm can catch any snake. But Shyam sternly denies that and says that it is all "bogus". According to him, to catch any snake the main thing you need is courage and confidence. One has to study the nature and behavior of various kinds of snakes. One should be confident and not over confident. And lastly he says that one should not have a hunger to live long. When I asked him about what the future of your family will be if something goes wrong while you catch a poisonous snake he quickly replied that the wife is very co-operative and she is working also. If there is a call in the midnight she wakes him up. He has caught snakes on a couple of times when he was having high temperature. He asks people to arrange for a vehicle only when it is impossible for him to move around.
He narrated a couple of unforgettable incidents. Once he had been to a hut in B.M.Shri Nagar to catch a snake. When he caught the snake and put it in the bag, the owner of that hut, an 80-year old lady gave him a glass of milk and exclaimed, "You came like a GOD". Shyam still feels very happy when ever he narrates this particular incident. Another one is a bitter one. He went to catch a snake near the Kamakshi Hospital Park. After finishing his job when he was about to leave he got a message on his pager. So he requested the owner of the house, a lady, to allow him to ring up that particular number. The lady coolly went inside, closed the door, went to the phone and gave the receiver to Shyam through a window and asked the number to be dialed. Just imagine how this poor man might have felt!!!!!
When I asked him whether people offer or pay you anything he said only a few give him some money. In many cases not even a "thanks". Whatever he receives he spends on the education of some poor children.
He is a fan of Sir M.Vishweshwaraiaha and film star Rajanikanth. He believes in Buddhism. And if God lifts him financially he wants to start a snake park along with a Balasubramanya temple. Lately a social worker Mr. Anwar has donated him a mobile phone. But Shyam is very much worried about the payment of the monthly rent of the mobile.
When asked whether the Government has offered any help to you he replied in the negative and said, "I am not going to ask them. I am not a beggar".
With all these according to Shyam he lives by the blessings of the poor in whose premises he has caught snakes. The loan of the auto is still unpaid. Because of this social work he is not in a position to run it throughout the day. Moreover to attend a call he goes by his own auto.
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