Snake Shyam is an Indian snake enthusiast, lecturer, former consultant to the Mysore City Corporation and a wildlife conservationist from Mysore, India. He is known for his passion for snakes.
Wiki/Biography
Snake Shyam aka MS Balasubramania (alternative spelling Balasubramanya) was born in May 1967 (age 56; as of 2023) at Cheluvaamba Hospital in Krishnarajanagara, Mysore State, India.
appearance
Hair color: salt and pepper
Eye color: dark brown
family
Snake Shyam was born into a poor family in Mysore.
Parents and siblings
His father’s name is MRSubbarao and mother’s name is A.Nagalakshmi Mirle.
wife and children
His wife’s name was Satyavati. His son named Surya Keerthi is also part of various snake rescue operations. In 2000, his son was born.
son of serpent sham
caste
He was born into a Brahmin family.
Profession
auto rickshaw driver
Before starting his career as a snake enthusiast, he worked as a rickshaw driver for 25 years, transporting children to school.
acting
Movie
Snake Shyam has been an actor for five years. He made a special appearance in the film Kalaya Tasmai Namaha (2012).
Kalaya Tasmai Namaha(2012)
television
He acted in Colors Kannada’s TV show Gandhari (2015-2016).
snake passion
He has been interested in snakes since he was a child. When he was young, a snake invaded the home of one of his neighbors. He was called to the spot and asked everyone not to kill the snake. He caught it himself and released it into a nearby garden. After this incident, in early 1982, he was frequently asked to catch snakes when they invaded people’s houses. He uses a pillowcase and a badminton racket without strings to catch snakes. He was often asked to catch snakes, which became an unpaid job for him. Shyam had always wanted to save and free the snakes, not kill them. This cost him a lot of money and the Mysore authorities decided to compensate him by paying his phone bill. As of 2008, Shyam had only been bitten four times by snakes during rescue operations. During the rescue, he developed an allergy to antivenom. Shyam is very knowledgeable and he can easily identify 28-30 species of local snakes. He gained this knowledge based on his personal experience. He learned more about snakes through reading works and conversations with professionals such as Romulus Whitaker, J.C. Daniel and various faculty members at the University of Mysore. Apart from this, he also educates people about saving snakes. Not only that, but he sometimes gets calls from local hospitals to identify the species of snake in order to treat snake bite victims. Because of his extraordinary rescue skills and abilities, he was worshiped by people after the rescue.
reality show
In 2022, the city of Mysore became the first city in Asia to be selected for documentation research on snakes. This is the ninth season of the reality show “Snake City” aired on the National Geographic Channel. This documentary features Simon and his wife, Suzy, a wildlife expert. Snake Shyam supports the team on their wildlife adventures.
Snake City(2022)
In 2023, Snake Shyam participated in the reality show Bigg Boss Kannada Season 10 which aired on Colors Kannada channel. Kiccha Sudeep (alternative spelling Kichcha Sudeep) is the host of the show.
Snake Shyam plays a contestant on Bigg Boss Kannada Season 10 (2023)
Awards
- Won the Rajyotsava Award in November 2015
tattoo
He has several tattoos on his body.
Snake sham’s tattoo
Facts/Trivia
- He was also known as “Snakebite” because his neighbors often called him to catch snakes and release them instead of killing them.
- As of 2019, he has set a record of catching 32,000 snakes.
- Snake Shyam’s van has paintings and slogans such as “Snakes are less venomous than humans” and “Care for rare animals.”
- In March 2013, Snake Shyam was elected as a member of the Mysore Municipal Corporation with the support of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). However, he was expelled from the party for carrying out anti-party activities. Although he chose to compete independently, he was unsuccessful.
- The Mysore City Corporation has named a road after the snake Shyam. Among other things, the city of Mysuru dedicated its first “urban forest” to him and his fellow environmentalist Hyder Ali Khan.
A road in Mysuru named after the snake Shyam
- Throughout the Mysore region, Snake Shyam is popularly known as the “Naturalist on Wheels”.
- He has appeared in National Geographic’s “Crocodile Chronicles: Snakes,” “Karma,” “Action Specials” and the Discovery Channel.
- Snake Shyam was 23 when he first rescued a snake he and a girl found hiding under a rock.
- He has been called the “Snake God” many times.
- Shyam was known for his larger-than-life personality and was described as “the most easily identifiable character” according to a 2008 report by The Hindu [sic] Portrait of Mysore wearing a sunhat, overflowing beads and multiple rings adorning his fingers”.
- In August 2023, he made an appeal to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to provide compensation to the families of rescuers who died during various snake rescue operations. Considering the deaths during snake rescue operations, he requested that 10 beds be reserved for snake bite victims.
- Snake Shyam keeps a journal in which he records a tally of his snake rescues.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education