It was roughly 9 am, the sun was fairly high, and the songs of the birds could be heard echoing through the verdant and concrete structures, I was sitting in front of my computer creating a project proposal for a workshop from a University and replying to some emails. All this was interrupted by a low-pitched shout – Ammaaarrr!!! that came from the back door.
This shriek was not unusual! It was my grandma, I got out off the couch and headed outside slowly; because this was the call that I usually came across when I slept too much when I postpones lunch and even I stayed in the shower for some time. while I was halfway through, my grandma was in front of me walking with fright but yet slow and steady as usual. As soon as I was in front of her eyes, I could sense fear mixed with anger!. So, I asked her
“Why is it Umamma?” she replied, “There is a snake just behind the rose pots”
Roses are my grandma’s favourites, she usually works with them; she fertilizes them and prunes them even during extreme conditions!
This has been the second time in 3 years. I walked passed her and started to inspect, What I saw was a python slithering through the bushes into the bushes.
Getting to know that a reptile shares your living space is quite annoying. It makes you check whether the door is tightly shut and windows locked, it kinda keeps your goosebump instincts ready!. Certainly, going into its dominion (the garden-now); you tend to stretch your arms to the tools you could find, in my case- the hockey stick or the broom that laid aside!. Each step is taken care of as if you are in an arena of landmines, The eyes and ears work super effectively. You feel like you are the dragon warrior in the Kung Fu Panda Movie- where the prophecy promises powers similar to the said above!. Even the smallest screeches and the lightest movements could be felt. You start to recall defence and attack moves you’ve learnt or at least watched, You are on High alert!
Now, the snake had to be taken rid of! Ayyash is the person who deals with these kinds of stuff. I act as a spectator or sometimes as the supervisor. We had to go through the lengthy ritual of luring the creature to its final, He whisked through the bush and then! it slithered through. Seeing this- The game was on. Unfortunately, the snake found itself on a dead end and it was left dead with a bang on its head! – The hockey Stick is actually of good use when it comes to assassinating rodents and these types of reptiles- It keeps you at a safe distance while allowing the user to give a hard blow.
Something had to be done. This couldn’t be tolerated. Killing the creatures that entered isn’t the answer to the question. The answer had to be final. We had to look for its routes. I looked for the place of its being or the place that it used to come in and get out!. We ransacked the garden, and all that I could find were some old- electronics that were put aside years ago, some spoons and an old shoe apart from the greenery, rocks and grandma’s gardening utensils.
I went a step further, I peeped into the neighbours’ quarters, and what I saw- turned out to be the disease carrier. At the edge of his land was a bush of bamboo. Even though it was cut down some years back, the sprouts had grown causing the pathway. It turned out that, it was not just for the snakes but for the rats as well.
We talked to the neighbour and eventually got the bush cut down and this time burnt from its roots!. That was it!. It’s been a few months now and thank god, we didn’t have to see the fifth snake!
So, how does this relate to the Schools, Communities and even politics? Well, it does perfectly. Getting rid of the problem causer after an incident isn’t quite enough. More of them would just sneak in and continue to reflect upon their values despite the dress they wear, friends they have and motivation and counselling they undergo.! Sometimes the best option is to dispose of the root cause and fix the hole- delete the path!
Just as throwing towels under a leaking sink wouldn’t do, but rather the leak has to be fixed
The issue can be in misunderstanding-as how I responded to my grandma’s call at first, It can be to the tools we use to counter it, It can be also the fact that we should look from the other side of the wall as well!
Let us play our role to get rid of the snakes that poison this community!