At an age, when Bihar’s Hariom Narayan should have been having fun with his friends at college, he prefers to devote his entire time to the rescue of snakes. He is only 19 but has rescued more than 4000 snakes so far. He has been bitten by snakes multiple times, but that does not deter his will to carry out his responsibilities. He is called the Snake Man of Bihar.
Bihar: Hariom Narayan was only 8 years old when he started rescuing snakes. It sounds impossible to imagine the fearlessness of a kid this young, but Hari is an exception. Till date he has rescued over 4000 snakes. He was bitten by the snakes he rescued, but that did not discourage him from continuing his work.
Who is Hariom?
Hariom is a resident of Dalsagar, Buxar. His father works as an astrologer. His brother works in Punjab National Bank. He lives in a joint family, where meals for 115 people are cooked daily. After completing his schooling, he took admission in a BSc programme.
Hariom shares a story that when he was 8, he was bitten by a snake during one of his first rescues. The snake was not venomous and surprisingly, he did not get scared. He transferred that snake to a nearby pond. From then on, he became friends with snakes and started taking care of them. His family and the villagers were worried about his wellbeing, but Hariom was brave enough to break all the misconceptions about snakes.
Rescuing cobras
In past 10 years, Hari has been bitten by more than 200 snakes. He was bitten by cobras three times, which resulted in the hospitalization for three days and bedrest for three months.
Hariom proudly shares that people must not have seen as many snakes in their lives as the number of snake bite marks on his arms. So far, he has rescued 4000 snakes. Once, Hariom rescued 35 cobras from a single house. A female cobra had given birth to many others, and that house became a home for them.
Working with Discovery channel
Hariom was already popular as snake’s friend in his village. In 2019, he received a call from an unknown number, he became overjoyed after the conversation. The call was from Discovery channel; he was informed about a documentary shooting in Siliguri, West Bengal.
Hariom immediately accepted the offer. This adventure resulted in many learning sessions for Hariom. He met a lot of professionals who taught him about the methodical rescue process of snakes. He learned how the injured snakes are treated and how they are sent back to their natural habitats after the treatment.
Making a rescue centre
After returning to Buxar, he wrote a petition to the Bihar Government to help him build a rescue centre in Buxar. Even after several reminders, the government did not make any efforts to help him out. Hariom decided to rent 6000 square feet of land in Churamanpur.
He had received a good sum of money from his work with the Discovery channel; he invested the entire amount in building the rescue centre. On 25 December 2021, the rescue centre was up and running. He had constructed a centre not only for the rescue of the snakes but also for the treatment of other animals. Hariom pays a yearly rent of Rs 50,000 for the centre.
Unfortunately, a group of people put fire to the centre thinking that Hari was inviting danger in their village. Many rescued snakes died and medicines worth Rs 3 lakh went into ashes. Hari was disheartened by it, but he was determined to continue his work and so he rebuilt the centre at the same place.
A snake charmer
Monsoon is the season, when it is most likely to see snakes come out of their habitat to find a safe place somewhere else. Hariom receives most calls during this season. 5 to 6 cases of snake bites are reported daily. Hariom has saved lives of more than 27 people, but due to the lack of awareness in the village, he is still considered nothing more than a snake charmer. People still warn his parents that Hariom is risking his life by doing unholy work.
Effects of snake bites
Hariom shares that snake rescue is his hobby and passion. Once he was bitten by a cobra on his foot, which made it difficult for him to walk for months. The joy from this passion comes at a cost. These hundreds of snake bites on Hariom’s bodies have made him incapable of doing certain tasks.
His liver has become weaker, he cannot lift heavy weights. He cannot engage in physical exercises like running and jumping. He says that his mother has been a source of motivation for him. She is the only person in his family who supports him wholeheartedly. She has immense knowledge about snake poisoning and treats Hariom’s injuries before sending him to the hospitals.
Hariom’s uncle works at IIT Madras. Observing his interest and dedication in snake rescuing, his uncle gifted him a book ‘Snakes of India’ on his birthday.
Spreading awareness
After Hariom’s centre was burned, he started charging Rs 1000 for snake rescues. The entire amount goes in the treatment of injured snakes. Apart from snakes, he has treated animals like, goats, dogs, owls and vultures. Post the treatment, the animals are transferred back to the forest areas.
Hariom’s work is not limited to rescue operations. He educates the villagers about what must be done in case of snake bites. People are still superstitious, and they visit the local pandits to get their wounds treated. He wishes to spread awareness about the same to create a safe environment for all the animals without hurting them.
Making a snake repellent
Hariom wants nothing but a peaceful world where humans and animals can co-habit the same place in harmony. People need to realize that killing them would not result in a better future. There are instances where people kill snakes the moment they see them fearing that the snakes might harm them. To prevent this, Hariom has prepared a snake repellent that will prevent the snakes from entering people’s houses. After receiving approval from the government, he will make them available at every medical store.
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