SNAKES, BIRDS... AND BOOKS: A SKETCH OF RAHUL ALVARES By Remediana 'Remy' Dias rodrigr...@yahoo.com
What's the fate of a snake in a luxury resort in Goa? Pretty bleak. That would have been the answer till not long back. Then, Rahul Alvares (33) started his career working with resorts like the Ramada, Radissons, Dona Sylvia, The Leela and Taj Exotica. Snake killing in these properties ceased as the staff were successfully trained by this wildlife enthusiast in the art of catching these reptiles using equipment specially manufactured for the purpose -- or even imported. During the same time, Rahul also conducted lectures on snakes for foreign tourists staying at these resorts. Nowadays, Rahul conducts his own bird and snake excursions into some of the best wildlife areas of Goa. During the off-season, Rahul is off on his own excursions around India and abroad finding and photographing all kinds of wildlife along the way. For his early training, Rahul worked at the Pune Snake Park under Neelim Kumar Khaire and later, at the Mammallapuram Crocodile Farm, under world renowned herpetologist Romulus Whitaker. During this period, he also worked with the Irula tribe in Mammallapuram (better known as Mahabalipuram, in Kancheepuram district in Tamil Nadu, some 60 kms south from the city of Chennai) and trained to handle venomous snakes. He later traveled to Thailand and Malaysia to gain experience in handling King Cobras. Rahul has been retrieving snakes from human habitations in north Goa (Arpora, Calangute, Candolim, Porvorim, Panjim, etc.) for the last fifteen years. Till date, he has succeeded in rescuing (and releasing in the wild) more than 1500 snakes. During his spare time, he edits an on-line newsletter on this work called The Creepy Times [http://bit.ly/CreepyTimes]. He juggles his wildlife career with being a fitness instructor and a myofascial trigger-point therapist. His other interests include motorcycles and music. From time to time he performs as a rock singer as well. It's not everyday that a 16 year old writes a book. In fact, girls and boys of that age are supposed to spend their time studying what other people write. It is presumed that at that age they do not themselves have anything significant or interesting to say. And the education system guarantees just that. The best rewards go to those who can parrot set answers to set questions in examination halls. Those who try to use their imagination or reply differently are often punished with low grades. Rahul's first book, *Free From School*, is published by the Other India Press and is a great inspiration for both parents and children keen to take a break from the burden of formal, academic studies. Rahul Alvares did not set out to write a book. Under the encouragement of his parents, he consciously set out to try his hand at learning things outside the school framework and you might say as a result *Free From School* actually came looking for him! After his SSC, unlike his other classmates, he opted out of schooling to follow his instincts; fond of reptiles, he chased them at the Pune Snake Park, and at the Crocodile Bank at Mammallapuram. In the process he also picked up trails of spiders, earthworms and turtles. He caught snakes in the company of Irula tribals. He got bitten by hot-tempered reptiles. He came out of it all grinning and wiser. *Free From School* is his story of a year out of school, when the learning graph of his young life went up leaps and bounds. He wrote it to encourage other boys and girls his age to move out of the sterile school and college environment offered by India's antiquarian educational system, if they wish to experience another side to life and learning. He lost nothing but gained a lot. So did his parents. When you read his story, so will you. His second book, *The Call of the Snake* is a collection of his snake rescue stories in Goa. It also contains, in addition, critically useful information about snakes and how you can survive a venomous snake-bite. The simple one-syllable word 'snake' readily conjures up waves of terror in the hearts of most people. Here's a book that will help you change your mind -- and successfully treat your inherited fears -- about these creatures. *The Call of the Snake* contains consummate little stories about snakes written by one of Goa's better known snake handlers, while on his snake-catching rounds. Related with a fine sense of humour and with great attention to detail, the stories will teach you a lot about these reptiles while also keeping you wholly enthralled and entertained. After you have read and enjoyed them, you will see snakes differently forever; as friends and not as mortal enemies. The book contains, in addition, critically useful information about snakes and how you can survive a venomous snake bite. His latest book should be out soon too. The book is called *Birds of Goa*. Rahul told Goanet: "A German friend of mine has written the book and I've provided all the pictures for it. Photographing for the book was a very exciting challenge and a lot of fun for me!" Rahul has been featured on several TV channels including Channel V, Times Now, and Doordarshan. He also makes his own films the first one of which 'The Bushmaster' was released 2005. Rahul has a Bachelor's degree in Zoology and an M.Sc in Ecology and Environmental Sciences. In 2004, he was selected for the The Young Naturalist Award by *Sanctuary* magazine and ABN-Amro Bank. In 2008 he was selected for the Carl Zeiss Wildlife Commitment Award. Rahul loves being in Goa. Though he has enjoyed traveling to different parts of India and several countries abroad he can't imagine living anywhere else besides Goa! He has always lived in Goa and he loves working hard for short periods of the year making his money and then taking loads of time off to do the other things he enjoys like travelling and photography. He is not sure if this is a Goan characteristic though if he had to guess, but he'd imagine some parts of the Goan lifestyle probably influenced him into living the kind of life he lives! Being majorly interested in the natural world around him, he hopes to inspire people living in Goa through his writing and photographs to protect Goa's natural beauty. He'd certainly hope that mining isn't allowed to destroy anymore than it already has and that we can protect what's left of our beautiful forests and the fauna for the benefit of ourselves and all future generations to come. Subscribe to his newsletter by mailing him at rahulalva...@gmail.com Web: rahulalvares.com Tel: 9881961071. Mention you read it on Goanet. -- Goanet Reader is compiled and edited by Frederick Noronha. Well-written and informative articles dealing with Goa and the Goan world for distribution through this network may be sent in via f...@goa-india.org Please send your feedback on this article to goa...@goanet.org with a cc to rodrigr...@yahoo.com