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Back in our school days, we used to have these magicians come to our school and do all sorts of amazing things. I guess thats why they called them "magic shows." One gentleman did turn cow dung into bread, then made sweets out of it. Later, pins that he swallowed reproduced hankies. I mean these were damn amazing.

Slightly easier was this one who could walk on a long string with a width of 2 mms and ride a bicycle backward. This was a heroic stuff to do and at least every one tried it out at the end of the day, but of course not this one who eats feces and pins to produce hankies and sweets. This was definitely too far, let alone those who knifed themselves or put spears through their abdomens, pulling them out as the wounds heal in the wink of an eye.

This man was one of the many witch doctors about that I heard had been traveling around the country, promising to do every miracle for those who would seek their treatment. There are those witch doctors who have said to have been involved in beheading young children, killing, and removing private body parts of people - all in the name of getting wealth. There are also those who are poor and help married or cohabiting partners, especially the women, gain favor with their husbands and boyfriends who would otherwise stray to other women.

This man was different from all the rest of the witch doctors because he concentrated on his stuff here and lived with his family of cobras, which he insistently said were very expensive to maintain. Were they really? Well, they may have been because these things loved their master so much from the way they fought in their tattered trunk until pulled out and displayed.

'Mr. Snakeman,' as I shall call him, unsuccessfully tried to woo some customers to his wonder working herbs. These herbs were not that expensive, but as I looked at the others around me, I realized those people could barely afford any of even the cheapest herbs.

These were people who, as a matter of fact, were actually walking home after toiling on a sunny day in and around the city, and as a normal routine would retire without much to spend apart from that saved for buying gas to light up the house and something for the kids at home. Something I am sure 'Mr. Snakeman' was looking for as well, but in a smarter way.

It was a pity for me to see both 'Mr. Snakeman' and these people, who were all looking at each other for consolations or entertainment. Yes, believe me, 'Mr. Snakeman' was happy that his skills were being appreciated and was in need of money as well. The people were excited at what they saw and willing to forget their own disappointments for a while.

I cannot tell what my colleagues, especially my friend from the States, felt, but I was beaten off and could still not tell what magic 'Mr. Snakeman' had. This was my first time seeing all this; the last time I saw a snake was when it had been crushed by a car in the night and had already been frozen in the morning when I got to it. Seeing a live one crawling around freely, and above all on a human being who is supposed to be its enemy, was quite different. I dont hate animals. I know animal activists would hang me if they were to hear me use the "hate" word in reference to animals, but for Christ's sake, this was too much for ordinary imagination to conceive. It was utterly amazing!