Earlier today I watched one of the best feel good stories I have ever watched on television. It brought tears to my eyes like no Bollywood tearjerker ever can.
National Geographic was running a feature on Mysore’s “Snake Shyam”. His real name is M. S. Balasubramania and he looks like an actor straight from a south Indian film. Complete with a sun hat, dark sunglasses, a bushy mustache, and a bright red t-shirt, he is an impressive character with rugged good looks.
Snake Shyam has been catching snakes in the city of Mysore and releasing them back into the forests for the better part of three decades. He is a legend in the city of Mysore. Whenever a snake is sighted in a home, lawn, drain, or field, people just pick up the phone and call him to catch the snake. Doesn’t sound like much until you see the sheer magnitude of what this guy has done – an estimated 40,000 snakes, mostly cobras caught alive and released into forests since 1982. That is 30 snakes a week, every single week, for 26 years running!
Add to that the fact that the man does it only for the love of nature and snakes. He does it to prevent the killing of snakes. In his words “Snakes are good animals”. Snake Shyam gets paid nothing from anyone for his efforts. To support his family he ferries school children to and from school on his auto rickshaw. He answers every snake call on his cell phone, and is on call 24X7. Think about it – more than 4 snakes a day for 26 years, at great risk to his life, with nothing but the love of nature and snakes as motivation. Amazing!
Two National Geographic reporters spent 24 hours with Snake Shyam, going on calls with him, and looking at his work and methods. The most touching moment on the show was when Snake Shyam answered a call from a local hospital to help a snake bite victim. Shyam was needed to identify the snake to help the doctors administer the right anti-venom treatment to a little boy. One could feel the tension as Shyam drove to and then walked into the hospital and opened the bag that held the dead snake. The family looked on transfixed as Snake Shyam took one look at the snake and broke out into a big smile – the snake was non-venomous. Sitting in front of the television set I breathed a sigh of relief and saluted this marvelous human being.
A large sign on Snake Shyam's auto rickshaw says "Snakes are not as poisonous as human beings". As I look at the world around me, I can't help but nod in agreement.
National Geographic was running a feature on Mysore’s “Snake Shyam”. His real name is M. S. Balasubramania and he looks like an actor straight from a south Indian film. Complete with a sun hat, dark sunglasses, a bushy mustache, and a bright red t-shirt, he is an impressive character with rugged good looks.
Snake Shyam has been catching snakes in the city of Mysore and releasing them back into the forests for the better part of three decades. He is a legend in the city of Mysore. Whenever a snake is sighted in a home, lawn, drain, or field, people just pick up the phone and call him to catch the snake. Doesn’t sound like much until you see the sheer magnitude of what this guy has done – an estimated 40,000 snakes, mostly cobras caught alive and released into forests since 1982. That is 30 snakes a week, every single week, for 26 years running!
Add to that the fact that the man does it only for the love of nature and snakes. He does it to prevent the killing of snakes. In his words “Snakes are good animals”. Snake Shyam gets paid nothing from anyone for his efforts. To support his family he ferries school children to and from school on his auto rickshaw. He answers every snake call on his cell phone, and is on call 24X7. Think about it – more than 4 snakes a day for 26 years, at great risk to his life, with nothing but the love of nature and snakes as motivation. Amazing!
Two National Geographic reporters spent 24 hours with Snake Shyam, going on calls with him, and looking at his work and methods. The most touching moment on the show was when Snake Shyam answered a call from a local hospital to help a snake bite victim. Shyam was needed to identify the snake to help the doctors administer the right anti-venom treatment to a little boy. One could feel the tension as Shyam drove to and then walked into the hospital and opened the bag that held the dead snake. The family looked on transfixed as Snake Shyam took one look at the snake and broke out into a big smile – the snake was non-venomous. Sitting in front of the television set I breathed a sigh of relief and saluted this marvelous human being.
A large sign on Snake Shyam's auto rickshaw says "Snakes are not as poisonous as human beings". As I look at the world around me, I can't help but nod in agreement.
