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Part 2 | Part 1

Deep inside him, Yenkta might be aware that he is becoming lonely and lost. I have seen him struggling to earn bread by playing the snake flute in front of the sleeping boa constrictor using all his wit and tricks to entertain people, and also his patience in answering to all those people who scold him ‘Cheat bastard’.

Yenkta was also waiting as the Indian forests; rivers, creeks, and their habitats were waiting patiently for their extinction. History has long decided his future. He was battling in the war that is destined to loose standing by the street side.

Few of the scientists from the Agriculture Research Center came to me asking where they can find Yenkta before I could see him for the next time. The reason was that a snake sneaked into their office. While the snake was struggling to slither on the smooth surface of the concrete, people thought it’s trying to bite someone and ran out of office. How scary it is to spot a snake as there is a direct relation between the death and the snakes!

“Why would do you need Yenkta to kill the snake that slithered into the office? One may need him to play the snake flute and call the snake if the snake is hiding in a snake hill or bushes of the jungle. You guys would have killed it” I asked.

“My wife is pregnant. I can’t hit a snake during these times” one replied.

“I am a Lingayath, We worship cobras. How can you suggest me to kill the snake?” another declined.

“It’s listed as endangered species. It’s against the law to kill it” another declared.

So everyone ran out of the office fearing their conscience and the law. Someone reminded them about me talking about some snake charmer. So they sent me some people to enquire about Yenkta.

When I went there, I saw a pile of empty sericulture trays, some age old files and books in front of the office. When the snake got in, everyone got out and did not see the snake going out. When they got in after a while, everyone was scared to death and afraid of snake spring popping and attacking them out of any table’s drawer or file they open. Unable to continue their work in this constant fear they decided to pile up all the office sundries and giving a ‘thorough checkup’. Someone was claiming that the snakes are attracted to the fragrance of cardamom stored in the office and another was claiming that they come for the mice that are holed up in the office.

The one advantage of this incident to me was my scientist friends greatly reduced their teasing on me in the matter of snake charmer Yenkta.

It’s been a longtime past after this incident occurred when I met Yenkta for the second time. Yenkta quickly recognized my change in opinion on him by the way of my talking itself.

“There is no doubt that you release your pet snakes around and catch them. Tell me, how is it possible to catch so many snakes in a day when we don’t even spot a single snake for these many days?” I yelled.

“Common Sir, When did I come to spread my pets around here? If I spread them the night before for instance, do you think they wait for me until I come and catch them next day? Even now I have two cobras in my basket. I caught them at Krishne Gowda’s estate. I can release them here and play my flute. See for yourself that they run into the jungle hearing the flute or they come to me” Yenkta released those cobras and started to play his snake flute. The snakes were trying to escape. Worrying what if they escape, I asked Yenkta to put them back in his basket.

“May be you create illusions to us as told by Kariappa” I said.

“Did Mr. Kariappa say that? What does he has to loose by saying it, Sir. He keeps saying it to everyone. Isn’t it if I knew magic or illusions, instead of catching snakes and begging people for spare change money, I would have put spell on people to bring all their money and drop it into my rag sack?”

“Then show me the snake’s ears. How can they come hearing your music?”

“Sir, does it mean snakes can’t hear if they don’t have ears like us? In that case, they don’t have legs like us either. Does it mean they can’t move? It’s all the strange illusions created by the master, the God. Such a learned scholar like you should not talk like an illiterate villager, Sir!”

Yenkta answered snappily in his own way to all of the suspicions raised in me by my scientist friends. I became the fool stuck between my scientist friends and Yenkta. Both had teased me that I talk like an illiterate villager. I felt I can’t defeat Yenkta logically by arguing with him. I decided I should catch him red-handedly while catching the snake but definitely not by arguing. I don’t know whether he knows any magic or not but he was sure indeed putting some magical spells in his talking! I started my predetermined tests deciding whatsoever I should not get mesmerized by his talks. I checked his waste line whether he hid any snakes around his waste. I just found some bunch of herbal roots there.

“If you are so suspicious, I can bear down to underwear and catch the snakes” he said.

Looking him pulling his snake flute out, I asked “Do snakes come if anyone plays it?”

“Sure they come. But one should have the sharp eye to spot and catch them. They just pop their head out and watch hiding in the fallen dry leaves and twigs and run back. Haven’t you heard the news that a cobra came into the movie theater when they played snake flute music on the record player in Hassan? Similarly, we call the snake conveying that there are kids around here, infants around here, people walk around here, this is not the place for you, and there is only trouble and nothing else for you around here. So please come to me, I give you eggs, I give you milk, I give you chicken. Please come to me; let’s not stay any more here. Once the snakes believe us and come to us, we catch them and yank their fangs and put them into our basket” he enacted his snake flute music verbally in the very own snake flute tune.

It seemed by his instantaneous answers that these are all very common questions to him. He was giving readymade answers. I felt obligated myself to prove him cheater since my scientist friends somehow linked Yenkta and the superstitions. His answers convinced more of his wit rather than his skill of catching snakes by playing the snake flute.

I asked Mara and Pyara to stand vigil in different directions and keep an eye whether the snakes really come or some cheating going on. I guessed its impossible this time to cheat as we were alert and prepared. Either he will be exposed or he will return without catching a snake.

Yenkta playing his snake flute in all directions for a while started to concentrate on one direction.
“What’s up, not a snake yet!” I teased.

“There is a snake around here, Sir. The snake flute is blocking the notes. But still the cobra king is not coming out” said Yenkta.

“How do you know?”

“While playing the flute, one of the flute holes gets blocked. That’s how we know the snake is responding” he said.

Without the knowledge of snake fluting, I did not understand how to feel the block of those holes. Yenkta continued to play his flute in the same direction again. We all three were alert and watching even a slightest withering of a leaf. I was feeling happy that I will expose his tricks today.

Suddenly, Yenkta screamed “Sir, jump next to me! See besides your feet, there is a snake, a cobra!”

I jumped towards Yenkta in shock. Screaming ‘Oh, mama’, Pyara ran away. There’s a six feet long cobra at a ten feet distance from where I was standing, head stood hissingly alerted by my jump.

“Oh Lord Shiva, What a tragedy would have happened, Sir. What if it would have bit you? May be the cobra king heard you teasing it as an illusion and wanted to show you whether it’s real or not he came by your feet! But it’s OK when I am here, there is no danger” he dramatically teased seeing us in shock. I didn’t get it! How in the world had snake popped beside my feet from the fallen leaves when we all three were on such a watchful alert.

“Is this what you were watching?” I scolded Mara and Pyara.

“We were looking towards the jungle. Why would we watch your feet” Mara answered.

The cobra was furious. It was hissing and swinging its head in all directions and waiting to pass a deadly blow to anyone who comes near it.

“What a hissing! It seems even the feel of its breath would kill people. Grab it quickly and put it into your basket” Mara requested Yenkta looking at the snake’s anger.

“Senior, do me a favor! The master has promised me a rupee for each snake I catch. I will add another rupee to it and give it to you. Can you please catch the snake; don’t be afraid when I am here” Yenkta asked Mara.

“Oh, no my friend, I am planning on living for a few more days. I beg you please put it into your basket” frightened Mara begged Yenkta as though he was death sentenced.

“Sir, this is not an ordinary cobra. It’s a special one. See that horizontal line below its head. That means people have a fraction of an hour to survive from its bite. That’s why it took all my breath to call it. I worked hard playing the snake flute for more than an hour, Sir. You must tip me five rupees. You should not negotiate on the tip once I catch the snake. ” Yenkta said looking at me.

I was raged by his blackmail tactics. “I agreed to pay a rupee and that’s all I pay” I said.

“Then let’s do this. I have a cobra stone in my pocket that defuses the cobra. You please take it and catch the snake. I will not take any money. I will take care if anything goes wrong” said Yenkta. It was clear to me that he is teasing us taking revenge on me for suspecting and yelling at him.

“Who came to me asking a rupee for each snake caught? You better catch that snake. Don’t you dare to negotiate now after calling the jungle bound snake by playing your flute” I warned.

“What is this bargaining, Sir? If I try to catch it then my life is in danger, if I quit then your life is in danger. Isn’t the human life worth just five rupees? Isn’t it if you dust off your pants, hundreds of such five rupees will fall?” Yenkta said in a bit of ‘R’ rated referring to body hair beneath my pants.

The snake slowly started to slither back keeping the head stand position. The firewood storage was at a reachable distance. If this snake gets in that storage, Mara and Pyara would never go near it to fetch the firewood from there. Yenkta though utilizing the opportunity, started negotiation under the cobra’s head stand. It’s my mistake that I went on testing him. I felt the quest for the truth becoming expensive.

“Look Sir, the snake is slithering back now. If the snake called returns in fear, it would never come back no matter you offer hundred rupees. No matter how long I play the snake flute later, it won’t come back. Please don’t drop the ball on five rupees” he said. His words sounded like a last warning to me.

“Why do you behave as though you live just for money? Alright, I will pay you five, catch it” I said. Yenkta held the snake’s head by pressing its neck with a stick. I was shocked to see the snake hissing and slapping its head towards Yenkta when he tried to catch it. There was a lot of difference in the behavior of this snake and the fangs removed snakes that were in the basket.

Showing the wild fleece on the snake’s body, Yenkta said “Observe this Sir, Don’t you see the wild fleece on the snake body? Don’t just yell that its an illusion, magic, pet snakes, bla, bla believing what others say” and shown the fangs of the snake by split opening its mouth with his knife and removed the fangs.

Yenkta also caught a huge Russell’s viper that day. Russell’s vipers are slow and sluggish. They don’t escape by hearing the foot steps. They are just laid until someone steps on them. If bitten, people suffer the necrosis of legs.

The viper withered its tail struggling and dropped bunch of juveniles from its tummy when Yenkta was removing its fangs. I was surprised to see it giving birth to babies as I thought snake laid eggs. Yenkta told me that the Russell’s vipers give birth to babies and make an unusual sound while giving birth, then the coucal birds hearing this sound would come and eat all the juveniles sparing just two to live on.

I had seen greater coucal birds eating the juvenile snakes. But it may be Yenkta’s imagination that the coucal spare two to live. Mara cursed “Oh, my god! These many are quite enough to destroy a town. Death to these snake generations” and beat the juvenile snakes to death accompanied by Pyara.

“What do you do with the snakes you caught? I asked Yenkta. Since snake catching is his living, I suspected that he release them around later. He said that he keeps them for sometime and milk venom from them and sell it to some swamiji (medicine man) in Coimbatore. After enough venom milking for some days, he would skin them and feed them to his boa constrictor it seems.

Yenkta collected his pay along with a tip of five rupees. Mara couldn’t stomach Yenkta getting that much money. Tight lipped until he is gone, “Bastard, all he does is create this illusion to pull some money out of people like you” Mara said.

“In that case, why didn’t you catch the snake when he said he will give all the reward money to you?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t touch a snake even if you offer one thousand rupees” he replied. He himself didn’t know why he is so disgusted.

I still see something secretive about Yenkta even after testing and confirming that he caught the real wild snakes. Why didn’t the snake come to our sight when we three were so alert? How did that cobra appeared besides my feet without any signs? Isn’t it that his behavior was quite dramatic after spotting the snake? Is it a coincidence or accidental?

After Yenkta left, I remembered about photographing his snake catching. I had totally forgotten about it arguing with Yenkta.

Three months later, right before the monsoons I met Yenkta accidentally on the street. I asked him to see me later so I can photograph his snake catching. But I didn’t tell him the reason behind photographing. He responded immediately saying “Please ask me anything except that” expressing his worrisome.

Something suspicious about it! He used to agree happily for all the tests but why not this one? I thought I got him.

“Yoh Yenkta, May be you are cheating. Otherwise why not photograph?” I asked.

“There are no tricks, Sir. Once I had almost died posing for a photograph. That’s why I said no” he said. Curiously, I asked “what’s the matter?” Exclaiming it’s a long story, he elaborated the whole story for an hour standing on the street itself.

It seems once Yenkta camped at Hangare on a market day selling his usual herbals, roots along with his boa constrictor next to him. It was a typical day for him in the market. Some travelers heading Belur were enrooted through here. Seeing his snake skins they stopped by him to buy or just to have a closer look. One of them had a camera. He asked Yenkta to pose with his cobra for a photograph promising him some money. Yenkta opened his basked and poked the cobra to do head stand and enticed the snake playing his snake flute. After taking couple of pictures, the photographer asked Yenkta to pose with the boa constrictor. Yenkta told him that it’s a dumb snake and it won’t play head stand for the tunes of the snake flute.

Determined to take some photographs with boa, the photographer asked Yenkta to pose holding the snake on his neck. Yenkta posed wearing the snake around his neck. When the photographer was moving around figuring a best angle, the snake slowly started to move around Yenkta’s chest. Once it surrounded a complete circle around his chest including the right hand, it started to constrict. It all happened pretty quickly. Yenkta ran out of air by it’s constrict and couldn’t speak. The crowd thought that he is suffering from fits and did not figure it’s the snake that’s constricting him. Even if the crowd would have figured, it wouldn’t be possible for them to release Yenkta from the snake.

Yenkta fell down struggling to escape. In his struggle, the snake basket got opened and freed three to four cobras that were in there. The crowded people got scared by these cobras ran away. Yenkta became alone and the boa was constricting him to death. Before he went blackout, Yenkta pulled his knife and slit the boa’s body. The snake’s grip slowly started release.

When Yenkta woke up from the unconscious pass out, he saw the boa constrictor trying to escape passing the street along with the knife stuck to its body. It couldn’t escape further blocked by the knife stuck between the fence and its body.

When Yenkta explained me all this, suddenly I remembered his wife’s mysterious death. The pictures of her corpse lying, the boa constrictor rolled up to the tent pole and the crowded people suspecting Yenkta slowly came on my mind one after another.

When I thought more about it, it became strongly evident that the boa constrictor was the reason for her death.

The End.

Part 2 | Part 1

Ravi Hanj
obba.odhuga@gmail.com
Translation of Sri Poorna Chandra Tejaswi’s “Yenktana Pungi” story

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