THE OTHER SIDE: While devotees perform puja at a snakepit at the Railway hospital on the occasion of Nagula Chavithi on Thursday (left), urchins have a field day collecting the eggs offered by the devotees. — Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

VISAKHAPATNAM : The streets wore a festive look as hundreds of devout women carrying milk and other puja items observed `Nagula Chavithi' here on Thursday.

Nagula Chavithi is celebrated on the fourth day after Deepavali that falls on a new moon day. On this day women and children observe a fast and worship the snake god to seek protection. Some complete the ritual at home by placing a picture or image of a snake.

After daybreak, brightly dressed women along with their families gathered around snake-pits and poured milk and offered eggs on the pits to seek blessings from the snake god. Snake pits were strewn with `kumkum' and flowers as devotees thronged areas like Railway New Colony, Andhra University campus and Old Town Area to offer prayers. As part of the ritual, some devotees dropped eggs into the pits.

Illegal activity

Others offered sweets made of sesame and jaggery. Some of them burst crackers in the hope of bringing out the snakes from their pits. It was a field day for urchins who arrived at the pits and took away handfuls of offerings made by the devotees.

Every year, just a day before Nagula Chavithi, large hordes of snake charmers make beeline to the city from Anakapalle and neighbouring areas. They spread all over in the city to seek money from people who wish to offer milk and eggs to the snakes. Despite the fact that their occupation has been declared illegal, and even after repeated raids conducted by animal activists and the Forest Department, the snake charmers stubbornly continue with their traditional occupation.

According to Laxmi who comes to the city during the festival every year from Anakapalle, snake-charmers from the neighbouring areas of the city and the agency area keep snakes in captivity and clandestinely bring them to Visakhapatnam during Nagula Chavithi. "If someone is willing to give us money, we take out the snakes and let them do the puja and get the satisfaction of feeding the snakes live," she says as she quickly hides the snake inside the bag.

However, with the strict vigilance enforced in the city, it's no longer an easy task for them.

Sustaining themselves on the basis of this has become quite difficult. Hence, once the puja is over, they send the children to collect eggs from the snake pits and sell these to the roadside eateries.

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