Being a councillor has not stopped this man from continuing to do the job that he enjoys best.
M.S. Balasubramaniam, popularly known as ‘Snake’ Shyam, is a well-known figure in Mysore. But, not only has he been rescuing and releasing snakes into the wild for more than two decades, he also ferries children to and fro from their schools, something he has been doing since 1990.
Mr. Shyam tasted success on his first attempt in the political field.
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He was elected to Ward No. 17 of the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) on BJP ticket.
“I have been elected for five years, but my job, which involves ferrying children to their schools, is for much longer. This job gives me happiness. I entered politics to obey people’s wishes,” said Mr. Shyam
He said: “It may not be possible to continue this job if I reach higher political positions in the future. In that case, I will employ someone who will continue doing this on my behalf.”
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To a question, Mr. Shyam said: “My position as a councillor never came in the way of my job of driving children to their schools in my van. The position has not changed my thoughts.”
Mr. Shyam grabs attention as much for his appearance as his school van, which sports many stickers with eco-friendly messages. Earlier, he owned an autorickshaw which he used to ferry the children.
Nearing 28,000-markAs for his other job, Mr. Shyam is well on his way to catching 28,000 snakes. “I am short by 35 snakes. I started keeping track of the snakes I caught in 1997, although I entered the field in 1980.”
He has trained 10 youngsters to rescue snakes. If he is busy, his assistants attend to the calls from residents.
People from various parts of the State also come to him to learn the art of catching snakes.
“I advise youngsters to respect nature. They should be humble and serve nature,” he said.
Being a naturalist, he delivers lectures in schools on nature and wildlife conservation. Mr. Shyam has also been featured in National Geographic .