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Kajol KhanEight-year-old Indian girl eats, sleeps and plays with poisonous cobras
Country:
 India |
Content:
Biography of Kajol Khan
Kajol Khan is an 8-year-old Indian girl from the city of Ghatampur, Uttar Pradesh. She lives, eats, sleeps, and plays surrounded by royal cobras. Despite being bitten three times by these venomous snakes, Kajol considers them her friends. When she appears on the dusty streets of Ghatampur with her deadly "companions" wrapped around her neck, the town's residents either scatter in fear or gather in eager anticipation of the spectacle.
A Family Tradition
Kajol's father, Taj Mohammad, has been a snake charmer in the local area for the past 45 years. He has already passed on his skills and secrets to his 28-year-old son, Gulab. However, it seems that a new participant will soon join the family business - young Kajol. Disinterested in school and preferring to spend her time with snakes, Kajol's friendship with cobras began when she crawled around them as a baby. Now, they have become her beloved companions.
A Dangerous Friendship
The cobras have bitten Kajol on her stomach, cheek, and most recently, her hand. While it was painful, Kajol believes that she is to blame for teasing the snakes. Nonetheless, she finds joy in befriending them and considers it fun and fascinating. Her father has always saved her by quickly running to the forest and returning with a secret medicinal plant. The leaves of this plant, when ground into a paste with cow oil and black pepper, can be swallowed and applied to the snakebites, effectively healing them. This remedy has saved the lives of Taj and his ancestors many times and seems to work just as well for Kajol.
Concerns and Hopes
Unfortunately, despite his reputation as a snake charmer, Taj Mohammad, also known as Bhura, earns very little - around 14 pounds sterling - by catching snakes that have entered people's homes and shops. This occupation has been passed down in the family for generations, and Taj takes great pride in engaging in such a challenging and dangerous trade. However, Kajol's parents worry that she will lack friends among the local children if she continues to roam around with cobras on her neck.
Kajol's mother, Salma Bano, is 45 years old and is not pleased with her daughter's fascination with cobras. Salma hopes that Kajol will outgrow her obsession with venomous reptiles, especially after her expulsion from school for bringing them in her backpack. While Salma would prefer to rid their home of the troublesome cobras, she refrains from doing so because she doesn't want to break her daughter's heart. Unfortunately, Kajol refuses to study and spends all day in the company of cobras, much to Salma's dismay.
The family of snake charmers receives very few guests, as people fear cobras and keep their distance, often forbidding their children from befriending Kajol. This saddens her parents. Moreover, Salma worries that it will be difficult for her 8-year-old daughter to find a husband if she doesn't stop wandering around town with cobras.
