With Snakes, at Peace

Raji was with her friend while we, the Brand Kerala team visited her. Seeing her friend, we were scared. She was holding a cobra in her hand and cobra seemed to be too comfortable in her company! A typical housewife from Vithura, Raji Anilkumar is with a bundle of extraordinary talents. Her other interests include riding bullets and driving heavy vehicles.

She recollects her journey, “I loved snakes while I was a kid, gradually that love for snakes grew with me. My parents were rubber tapping workers. I used to accompany them and help them. Once, a snake crawled up on my shoulder while I was having a bath from the nearby river. My friends were shouting with fear, but I felt it as a kind of plantain fiber. After that incident, I started watching videos related to snakes and started catching snakes.”

She has the credit of catching 492 snakes and can identify almost all kinds of snakes. She adds, “I have asked for help from many snake catchers and experts to study the science and techniques of snake catching. Unfortunately, none of them helped thinking that I would harm snakes while catching and that would create more problems. We need approval from the forest department to learn snake catching. Babu Palalayam sir taught me the basics of snake catching. I was the only lady to attend that awareness class. From there I learned to identify venomous and nonvenomous snakes.”

Taxi service earns her income for living. She talks about her first snake catching experience,” My first snake catching experience was at a school in Pacha junction. A cobra was lying on the road. People over there called me to catch it. I could easily catch it. Now, I have been going to catch snakes in the night time too. Mostly my husband accompanies me or else my mother will come.” Her love for Jeeps and heavy vehicles makes her popular, among the natives. “It is only because of my husband’s immense support; I could do all these. I learned to drive Jeep and became a good driver. Then I took a heavy motor vehicle license.” She explained.

She adds, “I just don’t care about criticisms, and this is the message that I would like to share. Do not mind negative criticisms. We can do things if we have a strong belief. I do conduct classes for people on catching snakes. I am a happy soul with my husband Mr. Anilkumar and two daughters, Namitha and Abhirami. She concludes by sharing her next dream that is “to fly an aircraft!”