Snake Dance at Cubbon Park

This story and pictures so happened when I was sitting and whiling away time at the Press Club of Bangalore in Cubbon Park, with old friends from the same fraternity as me on the 24th of November, 2207.
All of a sudden there was commotion in the park area just outside the club premises and as all photojournalists react to any emergency situation we all ran out and witnessed an interesting fight between a Snake and two parakeets that were perched atop the same tree. This was nature at its best since we the humans have occupied their space and so the onus was left to them to fight for their living space.
A bloody battle raged for more than one hour before a snake catcher came to the rescue and the parakeets were given their space atop the tree. But not before the parakeets had wounded the snake in its tail and had chased it from one tree branch to another tree branch thus showing us that one need not be strong to defeat the guile of the faces of terror or for that matter a schemer who is plotting another’s downfall, but instead work as a team to defeat it or them.
A lesson learnt from the parakeets I discussed this story with the Editor K R Srinivas of the Bangalore Mirror were I was previously working, he reacted and said that take the help of Vaishalli Chandra to write the copy and we will run it as our page one story for the day.
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Two parakeets versus a snake. Not a fair battle, is it? Certainly not! Bangaloreans who were strolling through Cubbon Park on a lazy Saturday afternoon thought so too. That’s why they rescued the poor snake from the angry parakeets.
It may appear bizarre, but the logic-defying scene was witnessed by several people at Cubbon Park. A seven-foot-long rat snake in search of lunch was making its way up a tree, only it chose the wrong nest. For the nest belonged to two parakeets who were determined to protect their young.
A crowd gathered below while the wild ones battled it out above. Slithering from tree to tree, the hapless rat snake tried to reach the while the green pair did their best to dissuade their unwelcome guest. The people watched – some excited, some scared, but most of them had a chill run down their spine just being in the presence of a snake.
However nothing deterred the birds. Face-to face with the snake, they were just lunch. Clearly, they had their strategy worked out. So they went for its tail instead. Taking turns, they had the rat snake nicely cornered. The crowd could only look on in awe at the strategic placement of the birds. Perched on the adjacent branches, the birds took turns to attack the snake. The ringed Indian parakeets went full throttle attacking the snake and injuring it tail, all in a bid to save their nest.
The drama was, however, far from over. While the good Samaritan was placing the snake in the bag, the hassled and scared snake attacked its saviour. Though trained to rescue snakes, the bite left Mohan a little shaken.
On reaching the ground, he cleaned his wound. He also brought the snake out of the bag and cleaned its tail. Mohan assured the crowd that the bite wasn’t poisonous. An impromptu lesson in snake safety and he was on his way. The snake treated and released in the wilderness around Bangalore.

The rat snake making its way up the tree branches in search of its lunch as it comes face to face with the two parakeets perched atop the same tree.

The rat snake tries to approach the parakeets who were guarding their nest.

The Rat snake slithers cunningly across from one branch to another to get to it lunch even as the two parakeets watch carefully on the move and size up on how to counter attack it.

The assault on the creepy reptile with one parakeet facing him and the other pecking at it's tail. this they did for more than 10 minutes taking turns to fly around in a circle thus ensuring the snake to move little at a time and also making sure that the snake retreat in a haste.




Finally the rescue of the frightened and hurt snake by snake catcher Mohan who climbs the tree to get the rat snake then give a few moments to relax in a bag and wash its wounds on it tail inflicted by the two member team parakeets, before showing the rescued snake to the frenzy fotog clicking away to the tummy fill.

Locks Are Key To Health Here

This story below which was published in the Bangalore Mirror edition dated March 6, 2008 came about after my wife who read the Tamil newspapers said that such a thing happens even today in a city which as shunned religious beliefs and have taken up to god man’s who preach what our grandparents had once told all of us during our favorite bed time stories. So I quickly went to the Bowring hospital and spend some time and learned that how faith can turn one’s life from the almost gone to a win-win situation.
I then discussed this story with my editors and they gave a few points which I will have to look into and than develop the story. What you get to see down is a ground work of more than 3 days since Pushparaj was away from Bangalore the first three days. And another thing that changed my presupposition of the English dailies being the best to the local lingual dailies giving more apt and comprehensible news than the fluff and bluff which the English dailies churn out day in and day out.

Cutting up bodies in the post-mortem department and running a temple in the vicinity are all in a day’s work for 54-year-old Pushparaj, a fourth-generation employee of Bowring Hospital in Shivajinagar. According to him, the idols of Muneeshwara and Katteri-amma were found at the hospital site in the 1880s by his great-grandfather Muniyappa, and the family has tended to the temple built to house the idols ever since.

Pushparaj near his family run temple inside the Bowring hospital (left), and of the main building which houses the OPD near the main entrance of the hopistal (right).

The temple’s renown is such that people from all walks of life, including doctors, judges, students and relatives of patients, offer prayers here. Most of the devotees claim their prayers have been answered.
According to Pushparaj, his great-grandfather Muniyappa, a dafedar at the hospital during British rule, found the idols while they were digging the site for the construction of the first hospital building in 1882. The British did not want idols kept inside the premises, but seeing the resentment of their Hindu employees, allowed the shrine to come up. “Later, the temple had to be shifted as another building was coming up, and was relocated near the main gate of the hospital, said Pushparaj.

Pushparaj stands outside the building where the idols were found (left) and next to the mortuary where he presently works by cutting the bodies (right).

Given the nature of his work in the post mortem department, Pushparaj performs the pooja in the temple early in the morning while his wife Mahadevi performs the evening pooja. Mahadevi said that after them, their son Babu will continue the family tradition of running the temple.
Sister Selvi, a nurse at the hospital, said she offers a prayer every morning for the welfare of the patients under her care. Her sentiment was echoed by fellow-nurses Prabha and Shanta.
Two regulars at the temple for more than 25 years are city residents Kitty and Prakash. Pushparaj said that every Friday, however busy they are, they come and pay their respects to the deities housed in the shrine.

A doctor, who did not want his name mentioned, said that for more than 30 years, ever since his college day, has been a regular at the temple and all his prayers have been answered. A unique aspect of the temple is that visitors to the hospital attach a lock to the gates of the temple, asking for the quick recovery of their relatives. Sudha, whose daughter was admitted to Bowring for her delivery, offered a lock and said her prayers for a normal delivery were answered.
Latha, the mother of an accident victim who was brought to Bowring in bad shape a month ago, also offered a lock to the temple. She said that within two days, her prayers were answered and her young son is now recovering well, much to the surprise of the doctors.

Whether it works miracles or not, what is in-disputable is that this little shrine has been a source of solace down the years for thousands of visitors while their near and dear ones recover in the wards of the hospital.