Horrified by the hiss? Keep calm and call Sarpa

GOPALAKRISHNAN N was on a morning stroll through his garden, still damp from the previous night's rain.

- APARNA NAIR

He was checking on the plants he had nurtured, making sure they had survived the stormy showers.

He had just stepped into the portico when he saw something wriggle. A closer look froze him in his tracks—it was a young cobra, barely a month old, positioned dangerously close to where he had placed his slippers.

What followed was sheer panic. Some family members rushed to find the contact numbers of rescuers, others gathered neighbours, and someone with a hearsay knack began smashing garlic pods, as the smell is believed to unsettle snakes.

Finally, the rescuer arrived, and the snake was whisked away.

Scenes like these are becoming increasingly common across Kerala, with the monsoon in full force and reptiles seeking warm, dry spots to cosy up in. Some snakes even enter their mating period during this season.