Students get lessons in handling snakes in Udaipur

Udaipur (Rajasthan), Sept 23 : Students in Udaipur are being taught how to handle snakes by a snake catcher with an aim to protect these reptiles.
The credit for the mass awareness goes to snake catcher Chaman Singh.

Students are learning to handle and play with snakes with the objective of dispelling misconceptions about reptiles.

"People in Udaipur have many misconceptions about snakes, and on sighting these reptiles, they kill them mercilessly. The purpose of my choosing kids is to negate such wrong notions. I hope they have learnt how to handle snakes safely and relay this message to others at their respective schools and society at large," said Chaman Singh.

Some students displayed their comfort with snakes by wrapping them around their arms and legs and even playing with them.

I feel snakes are good friends of mine, and I am not afraid of them anymore. People kill snakes because they are scared of its length. But I play with them," admitted Shraddha Purohit.

Chaman Singh has taught his students how to distinguish between a snake that is poisonous and one that is non-poisonous and the need to conserve them.

Chaman Singh is satisfied with the encouraging response to his classes.

Though initially, many parents were apprehensive about sending their wards, in due course of time, even adults have enrolled themselves.

Chaman Singh wants these students to relay the essence of what they have learnt from him to others at their schools. (With inputs from ANI)