It is a village named Sarapalle with a population of about 600. The village is near the forest. All the families are agriculture-based. Every family has an independent house on approximately 1,000 square yards of land. The house walls are of kneaded mud, with a front verandah, a central room, and a kitchen. The front yard is used for cattle, and the backyard has an open well and a women’s bathroom.

Rajaiah and Lachavva have two children. The eldest is a 10-year-old girl, Rani, and the youngest is a 6-year-old boy, Kittu. There is no school in the village. They need to go to the village 6 miles away for primary school. It is a school for the students from the surrounding villages. During the rainy season, going to school becomes difficult.

Lachavva helped her husband collect, transport, and spread the local manure in the fields. She helped him spread and divert water from one small plot to another. The fields are divided into small level plots to retain water. Otherwise, the entire water will drain away due to the land’s slope. She helps him spread the water from the village tank onto the plots after ploughing. Lachavva trained Rani to help in the kitchen, cook, and take care of her brother. Hence, Rajaiah and Lachavva did not prefer sending them to school. Whenever Lachavva is busy with kitchen work, such as preparing pickles, pounding rice, grinding pulses, making chilli powder, or turmeric powder, Rani will help her father in the fields.

Crops are grown in two seasons: 1. Kharif Season and 2. Rabi Season

Kharif Season: Sowing is done in June-July, and harvesting is during September-October. During this season, crops mainly dependent on rainfall, such as paddy, maize, pulses, groundnuts, and cotton, are grown.

Rabi Season: This is for crops that require less water, a cool climate at the start and a warm climate to ripen. Sowing is from October to December, and harvesting is from February to April.

This season is for crops like wheat, barley, chana gram, mustard oil seeds, coriander, and garlic.

Some farmers do not grow any crops in the Rabi season because they don’t have a well in the field, or the well dries up.

The water level in the village’s natural water tank gets reduced during the rabi season. The water can reach the fields near the tank bund. The water will not reach the faraway fields. Only the fields below the tank bund will receive some water. Once the water level falls below the sluice bottom, water supply to all fields stops.

During the Kharif Season, when water fills the field plots, frogs, crabs, and snakes enter these plots. These eat pests that damage crops, thereby reducing the need for chemical pesticides. The negative effect of crabs is that they burrow below the ridges, thereby drawing water from the field. During the harvesting period, crabs leave the fields, and snakes make a living in these burrows. Venomous and non-venomous snakes will inhabit these burrows. Farmers must be careful with snakes. They should be able to identify the venomous and non-venomous snakes. Otherwise, it becomes dangerous for them.

Snake Bites Lachavva

It was the month of October. The paddy crop was ready for harvesting. Rajaiah and Lachavva engaged labour to cut the crop. Rajaiah and Lachavva joined them in cutting. Most of the labourers were women. They were all singing folk songs and cutting. Lachavva was on the ridge side. Their attention was on cutting the crop and placing it to dry. As Lachavva was engaged, a long snake suddenly appeared from the burrow and crawled onto her left foot, biting it. She felt pain and shouted, “Snake, Snake.”  All the women surrounded her. She was holding her left leg. They all looked for the snake. By this time, the snake had gone into a burrow. and was not found. They searched for it, but it was not found.

Rajaiah was worried. Someone suggested that they pray to the deity on the tank bund, “Katta  Maisamma,” so that she is relieved of pain. Rajaiah lifted her in his arms, took her to the tank bund temple, placed her before the deity, and prayed for Lachavva’s life. One of their relatives brought a coconut, and Rajaiah broke it and offered prayers.

None of the prayers relieved her pain. Another friend suggested they take her to the local sorcerer. He will cure with his mantras. Rajaiah took her to the sorcerer.

The sorcerer put the sacred ash in horizontal lines on her forehead and smoothed the bitten area with neem tree leaves. This took about half an hour. This process did not help her reduce pain, but she had froth at the mouth.

On seeing the froth in her mouth, Rajaiah’s worry increased as it was taking a serious turn. He was afraid and took her to a local self-taught ayurvedic practitioner. He prepared a mixture of locally available leaves, ground them, and wrapped the area around the snakebite with a cloth. He said, “She will be cured.”

Rajaiah waited for about an hour, and  Lachavva became unconscious. One young fellow said that not every snake is poisonous. Hence, all these methods of prayer, sorcery, and local medicine might work. But, in Lachavva’s case, the snake seems to be a poisonous one, as she is spitting froth and going unconscious. My sincere advice is that we take her to the nearest city hospital for treatment, where they have antivenom injections. We have already delayed. Further delay might lead to serious complications. Every minute is important now. Let’s be quick.

The young person brought his recently purchased motorbike, made Lachavva sit behind him, and had Rajaiah carry her carefully.

About an hour later, they arrived at the city hospital.

DOCTORS

They were quick to take her to the emergency room and test her. They noticed the froth from her mouth, and her eyes were drooping. She was unable to speak.

The nurses removed the ground leaf patch on her foot and tested the bite point.

DOCTORS asked RAJAIAH

 “Why this delay in bringing her to the hospital?”

RAJAIAH

 “We tried our local methods of treatment in the village. Her condition worsened, and I am afraid. My young friend suggested that we take her to the hospital. We brought her here. Sir, please save her.

DOCTOR

Have you seen the snake?

RAJAIAH

No, DOCTOR. My WIFE told me it was long and looked like a cobra.

DOCTOR to NURSE

Prepare the standard antivenom injection.

NURSE

Yes, Sir and prepares the antivenom injection.

 If we correctly identify the snake’s type, we can give the appropriate antivenom. We are now trying a standard antivenom.

We will give the standard antivenom injection. If this injection cures Lachavva, we are fortunate. Most of the time in this region, this injection works.

DOCTOR

Can you name some of the venomous snakes in your area?

RAJAIAH

I know Cobra and Krait.

DOCTOR

Yes, you are correct. But some more venomous snakes are in this region.

  The venomous snakes in this region are 1. Cobras 2. Common Krait 3. Russels Viper and 4. Saw-scaled viper.

They are mostly found in fields, the backyards of houses in villages, thick bushes along the ridges of fields, and under the trees of stream banks and small canal bunds that supply water from natural water tanks to fields.

There are about 60 venomous snake species in our country. The quality of venom and its toxicity vary by region, and the medical complications differ.

He continued, there are nearly 58000 people who die due to snake bites every year in India, and worldwide it is twice that.

YOUNG PERSON to DOCTOR

 We treated our sister LACHAVVA at our village. All those methods did not cure her, hence we brought her here. Some people get cured with their treatments, but they did not work on our sister LACHAVVA.

DOCTOR

There are reasons for their curing. All snakes bite to protect themselves. They do not bite if they are not afraid. There are also non-poisonous snakes. Their bites do not cause health issues, except for minor pain at the bite site.

 In cases of venomous snake bites, the health complications depend on 1. The amount of venom injected, 2. The quality of venom, and 3. The type of snake.

The FAITH HEALERS and LOCAL TREATMENTS will succeed in case of non-venomous snake bites.

Delays in seeking medical care increase the risk, as the venom can enter the bloodstream and cause complications. 

RAJAIAH to DOCTOR

 How is my WIFE, Sir? It has been half an hour since the injection.

DOCTOR

Checks LACHAVVA. Her heart beat is normal. Froth from the mouth has stopped. She opened her eyes.

LACHAVVA

Where am I?

NURSE

You are in the hospital for treatment of a snake bite.

 LACHAVVA

Where is my husband?

RAJAIAH and the YOUNG PERSON

To LACHAVVA:  Thank God. You are now alright. We were afraid. This YOING FELLOW suggested taking you to the hospital.

I am thankful to the DOCTORS and NURSES here for prompt treatment.

DOCTOR

We will observe her for a day and discharge her tomorrow.

RAJAIAH

OK, Sir.

The next morning, LACHAVVA was discharged from the hospital.

YOUNG PERSON

 The next day, he takes RAJAIAH and LACHAVVA to the village on his motorbike.

****The End****