Over a dozen traditional snake handlers who make a living out of films, television serials and street shows in Kerala are on the run. The forest department which busted a racket smuggling out snake venom last month has asked all those who kept snakes illegally to release them into the forest.

While the big sharks have managed to take cover, the most affected have been those who have traditionally been handling snakes but did not care to take a licence. For instance, A T Shamsudin and his eight brothers of Cherpulasseri near Shoranur are famous snake performers cum magicians. Their legendary grandfather made snakes drink water and dance in Tamil films like Bhakta Prahlada.

 Shamsudin himself earns a living by performing a street show with snakes and loaning them to films and TV serials. He is also adept in the green mango trick, where a mango sapling grows from a seed in a matter of minutes. His snakes have graced such hit films like Santhosh Sivan’s 2005 movie Anantha Bhadram in which a small king cobra is seen guarding a diamond.

Films, TV serials hit
“Since January, life has become hell for us,” said Shamsudin. “I have bookings for TV serials like Ayyappanum Vaavarum, Sreekrishna leela and Amma Manasu. Now, I am not allowed to keep even one snake with me.”
The 50-year-old, who calls himself a snake ‘player’ (paampu kalikkaaran), says he used to keep a python and three cobras one of which was gifted by a Rajasthani. Shamsudin used to get Rs 2,000 per film for a ten-day assignment. His show was mainly intended to make people aware of snakes. Now, the family is on a hand-to-mouth existence.

Palakkad divisional forest officer Sasikumar said they could not find any snake in Shamsudin’s custody, but they had not given up. “None will be allowed to keep snakes barred under the Wildlife Act. We are keeping a tab on all those handling snakes,” he said. He pointed out that snake venom crystals worth crores of rupees were confiscated from four people in Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.

“These reptiles are our traditional livelihood and we will not take venom from them,” says Shamsudin. “We cannot bear to see snakes suffer. They are useless without their fangs. Authorities should go after the real culprits instead of destroying the livelihood of poor people like us.”