Meet the IIT Bombay snake charmer

Mishra,a final-year PhD student in the chemistry department of the institute,and his team of fellow students Atanu Sarkar (26) and Amey Sahastrabuddhe (22) have caught over 2,000 snakes of 15 different species in the last five years.

Their biggest catch was a python weighing 38 kg in January 2011. Besides rescuing and releasing them back into the wild,the team studies and keeps a count of the snakes by tagging them.

Mishra of Orissa developed an interest in snakes in his childhood when his father taught him about their various species.

“Gradually,catching snakes became my hobby. By the time I came to IIT Bombay in 2007,I could catch most snakes,” he said.

His skill came in handy at the Powai campus,where snakes from the surrounding greenery and nearby Borivali National Park often stray.

“We have caught 2,007 snakes on the campus,” said Mishra.

Everyone on the campus knows phone numbers of the team and contacts it on spotting a snake.

Sarkar,a second-year PhD student,said,“I am fond of animals and have had many pets at my residence in Durgapur,West Bengal. But it was only after I joined IIT Bombay in 2011 that I came across snakes. I saw Mishra rescuing a Russell’s Viper and got fascinated. I met him,studied different types of snakes in the next six months and started participating in the rescue act.”

The team is now planning to involve other interested students,so that the work started by Mishra can continue even after they graduate from the institute.

“We don’t train anyone as that is against the law. But if a student has interest and knowledge of snakes,we can guide them,” Sarkar said.