Martin: The Snake Charmer (1987)

[Music] There is an ancient legend. When man left heavenly paradise, God searched for the most beautiful place on earth. God's eye finally settled on a wondrous jewel. A small island amidst a large blue ocean, the island of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is my homeland and I am Martin the snake charmer. Sri Lanka lies like a pearl in the Indian Ocean. Its name is fitting. Sri Lanka means the shining land. Sri Lanka is close to India just southeast of its southern tip. But it is very small in comparison. Even so, our population is always growing. Today, there are over 16 million people. Columbbo is the capital of my country and it is an important city. Every day, tea, raw rubber, coconuts and precious stones are shipped out from its carbers. The capital is also the center of world of tourism which has become an important source of income for both the island and me. Now it is time to visit my part of the country, gypsy country. You can find my family where the roads disappear and the jungle closes in. Here I am with my friend Radja. We're about to go fishing in a nearby lake. Long time ago, my forefather sailed from India to Sri Lanka, which was once an English colony called Silon. My people have traveled all over the island without ever settling in one place. That is why the others call us gypsies or nomads. There aren't too many of us on the island. We even speak a different language from most. Our language is Telingo and originally comes from southern India. There is another thing that makes us different from the rest of the children in Sri Lanka. Raja and I have never been to school. Instead, we helped support our families by earning money. We have a very unusual trade learned from secrets passed down from father to son for many generations. We are snake charmers. The village I live in houses about 40 families and is located deep in the jungle. My family has six people. My three sisters, my mother, my father, and me. Our home is the large hut. The small hut on the right stores dried foods and other supplies. We need these things to protect ourselves against problems in the future like illness or food shortages. At night, we take down the mats hanging on the wall and roll them out on the floor to sleep on. All the boys and men in our village become snake charas. We begin learning as soon as we can walk. My friend Raja and I were only 8 years old when we first traveled to the city to earn money for our families. We must listen carefully to our fathers when they teach us about snake charming because one bite from a cobra contains enough poison to kill 15 people. My grandfather is the chief of the village and when he brings out his snakes, everyone gathers to watch. Everyone in our village works. The women are in charge of the heavy work at home. They cannot charm snakes, but they have learned to read palms so that they too can travel and earn money. Next year when we are 15 years old, most of my friends and I will get married. My father has chosen a girl for me and I do not even like her. I like another girl who I must meet secretly. This is a hard decision for me. If I do not marry the girl my father has chosen, I may be cast out of my family. [Music] My father learned the art of snake charming when he was little and it was his responsibility to pass it on to his son me. [Music] The cobra is a poisonous snake found in the tropical forests of Africa and Asia. It is also called the eyeglass snake because of its beautiful design. When the cobra senses danger, it lifts up its head and neck and spreads out its ribs. When it bites, it releases a poison into the saw that attacks the nervous system and usually causes the victim to die of suffocation. Snake chamas use a flute to attract people and make their act more entertaining. [Music] The snake cannot enjoy the music because it has no ears. Snakes are deaf and react only to vibrations, smells, and movements. Snake charas can make the cobra dance by catching its attention when they move their hands or knees in time to the music. Here, my father shows me how to protect myself from snake bites. This magical piece of wood usually keeps the snake from biting. It doesn't always work. So, my father has taught me how to survive a cobra bite. First, you use a knife to cut away some of the flesh around the bite. Then, you place a small stone over the sore and press hard. According to my father, the stone gives out an anti-poison that makes the snake's poison harmless. My family is running out of money, so father wants me to go to the city to work. I've packed my belongings and I'm ready to walk the long road to Columbbo barefoot. Raja also needs to earn money, so we will journey together. I'm glad my friend is coming along because being away from home for a month can get lonely. After walking for a few days, we come to one of our favorite spots to rest. Kala Lake. We must set up camp before dark. But first, it's fun to splash and play in the water. But then we have to check up on our workmates. It's important to have a healthy, aggressive snake. The snakes spend most of their time in our little homemade baskets, and they feel as safe and as comfortable as if they were in their own little hole. We don't have to worry about feeding them because they usually go several months between meals. The cobra is considered one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. It kills about 10,000 people every year. Even snake charmers can get killed, especially if they're drunk. That is why Raja and I have sworn never to drink alcohol. Some snake charmers abuse their snakes. They sew the mouth shut or beat the snake so much that it cannot bite. But we are genuine snake charmers and we have learned the art so well that we will never have to cheat. The first thing we learned is not to show fear. The snake reacts much like a dog. If a person is afraid that the snake can get nervous and may bite, we think about these things as the sun sets. At night, our loin cloths or what we call sarongs become blankets. and our shirts and the snakes in the baskets make nice pillows. These are the only things we own in the entire world. [Music] [Music] colorless. It is morning now and we must be on our way. Instead of toothpaste, we use sand or color dashes. My finger is the perfect toothbrush. In order to save time, we have decided to take a shortcut. We must watch out for the wild animals in our country. Here is a 6-foot iguana lizard digging for something to eat, but it doesn't seem to notice us. If we were at home, we would have killed it to make a festive dinner, but we are in a hurry. Columbbo is still far away. One animal that sometimes attacks is the wild Asian elephant. A full grown male can weigh up to six tons. We usually find them by water holes where they drink and cool themselves. Elephants live about as long as we do, but they eat a lot more food, about 400 lb of vegetables a day. We have decided not to disturb the elephants. So we choose another road. Late in the afternoon we come upon a Buddhist temple. We have been raised to worship Buddha like most of people in Sri Lanka. We show our respect by placing flowers at Buddha's feet and saying a short prayer. The Buddhist New Year begins in the middle of April and we celebrate with firecrackers. Now it is raining, so we run to the nearest bus stop for shelter. We decide to take the bus and save several days of wandering. But the buses in Sri Lanka are always full. And if we're unlucky, we will have to stand all the way to Columbbo. [Music] Here we are at the outskirts of our capital city where there are many tourist hotels. A good place to begin, especially since the money we brought with us is almost gone. Raja is trying to get the tourists attention. Perhaps they would like to see our snakes. One time a tourist gave me 300 rupees or $10 to see my snake. To me, this is a great deal of money. [Music] Soon a crowd of hotel guests gathers. To them we may be the most exotic site in Sri Lanka. So they take the photos to show their friends and relatives who live in far away lands that we'll never see. To us, tourists are a means of survival. Before our show is over, Raja goes around and collects money from the audience. We just earned 57 rupees, a good profit. [Music] Thank you. [Music] Now it is time to eat dinner. The rice and vegetables packed in newspaper and banana leaves taste good after a hard day of work and travel. For about two more weeks, we will travel around the city to earn money for our families. Hopefully, we will have thousands of rupees to carry during the long trip home. [Music] This is my life and my story because I am Martin the snake charmer. [Music]