Magicians of anti-venom
Most people will mock the idea of getting cured of a snake bite by hearing some mantras over the mobile. However, when it is a matter of life and death, snake healers provide relief. They have saved lives of many who have been turned away by hospitals. Shalini Saksena talks to some healers and those who have been pulled out from the jaws of death Year: 1960. Place: Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. A man is walking towards his home when he sees a huge King Cobra slither past him over the tall grass. Seeing snakes during rainy season was not rare, but this one had wandered too close to the human habitat. “ Lana toh danda, bahut bada hai (Get me a stick, it’s a big one), ” he tells a few workers who had been working at the construction site nearby. Immediately, the snake turns back and bites him in the ankle. The man, who happens to be the chief engineer’s manservant is rushed to the Government hospital. The doctors do everything in their power to save him, including administering an...