Meet the Bhatkalli boy who caught 185 cobras and 31 pythons

Bhatkal – He is no pied-piper but the people of Bhatkal know him very well for his exquisite snake handling skills. Meet Misbahul Haq, a 22 year old student who is known for his courage and valor. His extra-ordinary talent in handling snakes and pythons with ease has earned him a repute in Bhatkal. Helping people ward off snakes from residential colonies and houses, Misbah is a silent hero who has selflessly served the people of Bhatkal for 11 years without any reward. More recently he caught 5 pythons in the Muttalli area. Bhatkallys.com reporter, Rizwan Gangavali set the record straight with this brave youngster to know more about his unique ability. Here are excerpts from the interview. Bhatkallys: Tell us something about yourself. Misbah: My name is Misbahul Haq Umer Shaikh. I was born on 23rd May 1989. I completed my early schooling from Shams and Naunihaal and followed with my SSLC education from New English School. Later I joined Guru Sudhendra College and completed my PUC from there. Now I am doing my B.E in Civil Engineering from Anjuman Institute of Technology and Management. Bhatkallys: When did you first develop an interest towards handling snakes? Misbah: The first time I saw a snake was at a zoo. I was thrilled and soon this fascination caught on to become a craze as I was hooked on to educational documentaries on the National Geographic Channel. Initially I was fearful of snakes but my father inspired me a lot. One day when I was visited my father’s hometown in Valki, I saw a snake in the river and unfortunately I killed that snake with a stone. This was the first time I touched any snake with my hand. Later it became my hobby to catch snakes. To date, I have caught several different species of snakes including red snake, cobra and python. Bhatkallys: How many cobra and pythons you have you captured so far? Mibah: Till now, I have captured around 185 Cobras and 31 Pythons. Bhatkallys: I have heard that the forest department also takes your help in catching deadly snakes? Misbah: I am in touch with them since the last 3 years. There is a person in the forest department who catches only non-poisonous snakes. Whenever they are made aware of a poisonous snake, they call me. Bhatkallys: Do you get any compensation for your service and do they provide required safety for you? Misbah: No. I am not getting any reward from people I help. Let alone a reward, no body even cares to ask for the traveling cost or the snake stick used to tame the animal. I have to arrange all these things myself. They are not keeping any record of my service. Bhatkallys: What thoughts run through your mind when you recollect the incidents? Misbah: My main aim is to help people from deadly snakes. I use to catch it and hand it over to the forest officials. Nothing else. Bhatkallys: Do you have got any recognition from government or NGO’s for your social work? Misbah: No. So far nobody has approached me regarding this. Bhatakllys: Why don’t you keep record of your work? Misbah: I don’t want to involve myself in these things. I had already lost one year of my Degree course because of this. Now, I am answering only selective calls and not going everywhere like before. My first priority is to complete my degree and do something for my family. Bhatkallys: Have you suffered from any snake bites? Misbah: Yes. Twice I have been bitten but luckily they were non-poisonous snakes. Once at Sonarkeri while giving a seminar on the topic - "How to provide first aid for Snake bite victims". Bhatkallys: What goes through your mind when catching a snake? Misbah: While catching any snake, I concentrate on two things. One is to save the life of people and the other is to save the snake itself from getting killed by other people. I have a very strong interest in Veterinary Science, Insha Allah, I will seriously think about it after completing my degree. I need everyone’s support. Bhatkallys: Thank you very much for you time. Allah Hafiz Misbah: Allah Hafiz