I was busy with some important work at office, and I got a call from my wife. She said a snake has come into the house, and she is scared ? obviously. She lives alone at home with my daughter Tejeswini and dog Venus. My house is some 5 kms from my office, and I could not reach my house in less than 20 mns. Intelligently, at least I thought I was, I asked what is the colour of the snake and she said ? full green. I immediately knew it wasn?t poisonous, and asked her not to kill the snake!
I got a call in another 15 mns, my daughter who has just started talking said ? the snake is dead! My wife had already killed the snake by hitting it with a stick. I asked her to keep the dead snake safe till I reach home.
We had a BIG argument at home about why she killed the snake when I said it was non-poisonous snake, and she kept arguing that it was poisonous according to what she had known.
Snakes are basically very shy animals and they avoid people as far as possible. They can sense the noise of human steps using its tongue and mostly slide away. It attacks only under dire situations when it feels its life is under danger.
Today snakes have become endangered species just because most snakes are killed under the impression that they are poisonous. The pathetic part is we aren?t educated enough to identify them or to catch them alive, which I feel is a must for every individual if we need to preserve them.
In India most of the things around us has been given a divine significance and snakes are one among them. Lord Shiva has a snake whirled around his neck, looks quite impressive in photo or sculpture. I am not sure how many people would enter a temple if Shiva idol had a real snake around its neck?
Pouring milk or providing eggs once a year to snakes, and killing them for the rest of 364 days is mere nonsense. The best way we can impress the God is to keep them alive, and learn how to deal with them.
Man has been proven to be the most selfish and the dangerous species on the planet. He has killed most of the animals around him, and also killed enough of his own breed. No other animal in the world kills its own species without reason?it is a copyright activity of human beings.
I reached home and did my last ritual to the dead snake. I burnt it, and prayed for its soul. All said and done, I am not sure what would I done if I was at home instead of my wife in a similar situation!