SNAKE WINE

© HADCO

Wine is a fermented juice made by harvesting, crushing, and slowly fermenting fruits like plums, watermelons, peaches, blackberries, grapefruits, pears, pineapples, etc. The whole process of winemaking is known as vinification. Wine has been a mainstream drink of humankind for quite a long time now. Our attachment to this beverage originates from the awesome taste, its nutritious properties, and not to mention its inebriating effects. The oldest winery was founded in ancient Armenia and since then wine has managed to colonize the world except for Antarctica.

I recently found out that wine can be made with much more than just fruit and that weird ingredients are being used in wine making. Out of all the unusual wine ingredients, snake definitely tops the list. Snake wine is a strong alcoholic beverage created by mixing an entire snake in rice wine or grain liquor. I mean, how awful and creepy is that. A snake? Why can’t someone just drink a regular grape wine?

Well, the beverage was first recorded to have been devoured in China during the Western Zhou dynasty. According to the customs of China, snakes are believed to have significant therapeutic and invigorative properties. They are even believed to increase masculinity and treat ailments such as farsightedness, balding, back pain, and rheumatism. Although the tradition was started hundreds of years ago (1046–771 BC), it is still pretty much alive in 21st century China, some parts of Brazil, and other South-east Asian countries such as India(Goa), Vietnam, Japan (Okinawa).

So snake wine is categorized based on whether an entire snake or some parts of a snake are used in winemaking. Steeped is the one where alcohol is set up by putting a whole snake sometimes while still alive, inside a container of rice wine or some other sort of grain liquor. It is then left to soak for months so that the essence and venom from the snake is properly infused into the liquor. Usually the snakes get some company as sometimes other smaller snakes and scorpions are added as well. Once in a while, spices or herbs such as ginseng and wolfberries are added to enhance the flavor. The other type is mixed snake wine, where a live snake is freshly killed by slicing its belly and the body liquids of the snake are mixed at once with alcohol and devoured promptly as a shot.

https://heartforanimals.com/2015/12/snake-wine-bizarre-sex-aid/

The type of snakes used for winemaking are generally non venomous such as yellow–spotted keelbacks, which are stretched and pulled to make it take the shape of a hooded cobra. In case of venomous snakes, the proteins in the venom are denatured by alcohol, rendering the effects of the venom, making it harmless. The snakes are typically stored in some alluringly formed glass containers and lined on a side of the road close to some farmer markets and tourist hotspot, where they are sold as souvenirs. Among all the places selling snake wines, the Mekong Delta in Vietnam and the outskirts of Luang Prabang in Laos are the ones that are highly involved in the business.

Snake wine being sold as souvenirs
https://in.pinterest.com/pin/144115256797165064/

 But the question is, is it really necessary?

In the name of snake wine trade, a huge  number of snakes are murdered each year, drowned and injected in liquor to make a refreshment of questionable therapeutic advantages. Isn’t the whole process just cruel and remorseless? Suffocating the animals in liquor must have caused some level of enduring even to a creature like snake. Doesn’t it sound ethically off-base to use snakes as a cash producing business? Cobras, which are the most commonly used snakes are listed as vulnerable in the IUCN list. Some people falsely believe that it has medicinal values and others like the peculiarity factor. Yet, truly, it is just barbarous and cruel. 

It also possesses some potential hazards to humans. Though it is extremely rare, snakes can stay alive in the jars for months due to a process called hibernation. In 2013, there was an incident of a woman bitten by a snake that was kept in an improperly sealed jar for the last three months. Also, if the snakes are not properly cleaned before infusing with the alcohol, there is chances of parasite growth such as salmonella.

Snake wine may certainly sound fascinating and curious to some people. But it is clearly exploitation of snakes. Do you understand the importance of snakes in maintaining an ecosystem? A decline in snake population can have unintended outcomes such as increase in rodent population, which can in turn harm rice crops. We should refrain from buying these products and any other similar products, knowing the unverified medicinal use claims and the amount of unnecessary suffering it causes to these creatures. Though the snake wine industry is quite prominent with a large part of the market dependent on tourists, it has received less attention than other dealings such as pet, meat, and skin trades. Despite the booming industry and widespread commercialization, there is still a general lack of knowledge and awareness, which makes the hype surrounding snake wine nearly non–existent.

A SUICIDE NOTE

 

13-Jan-2019

It was one of those cold winter nights of January. I vividly remember, tossing and turning I couldn't sleep the whole night. All those weird thoughts Kept constantly running in my head, making me restless and anxious. I couldn't wait for the Morning because I have had everything planned. Meanwhile, series of flashbacks kept flooding my head.

I heard my mother calling me downstairs for dinner. She had made my favorite dish that night. One summer, she fell so sick that I couldn't stop crying but Mama had said, I'm her strong girl and that I have to take care of myself and the family. I realized that day that I owe my mother much more than I love her. She has been the bravest of all. I ended up missing her and her warmth. Maybe she could have driven away all the crazy thoughts just by simply wrapping Her warm hands around me. But she was miles away from my reach and it was Already 2:47am in Delhi, she must have been sound asleep by then.

I hardly slept that night.  I woke up right on time at around 4am. I woke up that morning not having any desire to wake up. The room was darker than usual and the morning was a lot colder. I kept lying on the bed staring at the tiny crevices between the AC and the wall, which was the only source of natural Light in the room, for straight one hour. My roommates were still so deep in Sleep; I could tell by the sound of them breathing. At 6:00, I somehow managed to pull myself out of bed, Brushed my teeth and went for a walk. I returned at seven o'clock only to find them Still on their beds sleeping. I went to washroom, washed my body, got spruced up. I had a lecture to attend at 8:30.

Everything Was decided. It was time to leave. I took a final look at the room including my unaware Roommates who were somewhere lost in their dreamlands. I looked at the walls and thought it was going to be easy. Then my eyes got stuck on this photo frame Which had me and my Baba in it. I called him up and had a very usual Conversation. My sweet Baba, my guardian angel. I wish I had tell him how much I love my superhuman.

I walked to college alone that day with the headphones plugged in. I was listening to Bohemian Rhapsody on loop. After walking a never ending road (it seemed never ending that day), I finally reached. As I entered the gate, I heard chaos from every direction, people running late for classes, girls taking selfies, the gate-keeper shouting at one of the girls as she’d forgotten to bring her Identity card. I stayed standing there for a while, listening to the sounds, taking mental snapshots, absorbing the moment. I recalled my first day in college, tried recollecting bits of memories. To be honest there was nothing much I wanted to remember but a lot to be thankful About that place.

I headed straight to the washroom upstairs. I held my bag down on the tile slab, which was as cold as ice, opened the zip of my bag, took out the box filled with what looked like paracetamol tablets mixed with my anti-allergy tablets. I locked myself up in one of the rooms in the washroom. My entire body was shuddering yet I knew and obviously I needed to do it. I was planning on killing myself by overdosing on pills. I have checked on the internet. Google says 24 paracetamol tablets are enough for killing a living human system.

. . .

When the darkness seeps in and the air slowly touches the skin,

When the fading sun rays fall on my hollowness and takes away all the happiness,

I feel a little dead inside.

I feel like nothing's left in me,

It is one of the many days when I feel like dying a little more

I don't like the Sun and its light anymore.

 

The Ferris Wheel

🌼

Have you ever sat on a Ferris wheel? 

Do you understand what it does? 

It just sits idle and does nothing.

It goes up and down and up and down, goes all over, here and there.

And it goes on like that for like what, eternity?

Except for, if you need it to stop.

It is you or perhaps some guy who just got rejected for the part, 

who chooses whether you need to get back home or go for one more round.

You know what, human beings have the tendency

to make people float in the air far far above the ground.

And the next moment, they will toss you right at the bottom,

Without even giving a warning.

But the thing is,

It's us or me or you who chooses

Whether to take the ride or not.

People all the time cry over spilt milk

The way that you like milk or not, it doesn't actually make a difference. 

Because at the end of the day,

You know it takes both time and energy to clean the mess.

What’s more, all things considered, people are lazy these days.

🌼

TRY AND IMAGINE

For centuries, animals have been the subject of every conceivable experimentation. Humans might be the most superior beings on the planet, but does it mean we have the right to exploit the rest? How humans have developed to be so selfish and greedy is pathetic and saddening at the same time.

Try and imagine yourself being chained for the rest of your life. 

Imagine not being able to run under the sun and a life where you get no chance to raise a family. Ever had a thought on what happens in a slaughter house? The silent cries followed by painful death. Don't they deserve to live as much as any other living being.  Imagine the terror of the young goats who died for a piece of mutton. Thousands sacrificed in the name of religion, but isn't religion supposed to be all about love and tranquility.

What is the fate of the mother cow who just gave birth to her calves? Are they going to make a meal out of her or is she ready for another round of torture and turmoil? And what about the calves? Will they be forced to follow their mother's footsteps?

What that sinless pig must be thinking when the butcher was preparing the captive bolt ready to cut open its lifeless body? Starved for days, no food and water. They say feed withdrawal prior to slaughtering improves meat quality. 

Have you ever wondered whether the hamburger you eat and the milk you drink are a product of rape and abuse? The little bunnies, the small chicks, the tiny mice, they all have the tendency to feel pain. Humans just cannot go on comparing sizes with the extent of pain an animal suffers. Humans can’t bear even a tiny cut in their skin, then shouldn’t we take a moment and think about the animals cramped in laboratories, whose eyes are subjected to new chemicals and whose skins are scratched and tested upon every day.

What humans are building is nothing more than a stock of suffering animals. Yes, cloning mentally disturbed animals is what humans have ultimately come up with. These genetically modified animals are constantly made to suffer until humans find effective drugs to cure diseases that they themselves have been suffering from.

I ask you this one question - does significantly reducing human sufferings morally justify hurting or killing of innocent lives?

It is high time that we, as human beings stop violating the rights of other creatures and show some concern about our falling ethical standards. 

😊

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THE FINE LINE BETWEEN TIGER FASCINATION AND TIGER ABUSE

Tigers are my favorite animal. They are one of the most beautiful animals that were ever created on Earth. Whether the orange — black or the white striped, they have never failed to fascinate human beings with their beauty and charm. Tigers are greatly admired in Asia. In a country like South Korea, where tigers have now extinct, people still use tigers as symbols to signify superiority and are believed to exorcise evil spirits. 

In India, it is believed that the Hindu God and Goddesses use tiger as their 'vahana' which literally means a vehicle, but metaphorically represented as companions. In modern times, tigers have appeared in, “Winnie the pooh” stories, and in, “Calvin and Hobbs” comic strips. 

Tigers have always been a poetry weapon, fascinating poets since centuries. Like in the William Blake’s poem ‘The Tyger’, the poet talks about the imagination and skills behind creation of a magnificent creature such as tiger. Explaining human’s fascination with tigers, the renowned biologist, E. O. Wilson once wrote “We’re not just afraid of predators, we are transfixed by them, because fascination creates preparedness and preparedness, survival. In a deeply tribal sense, we love our monsters.” 

However, the United States has a disturbing tiger fascination. The country with the largest population of tiger is not India, Russia or Africa that currently occupy ancient ranges of the massive cats. It’s the United States with the largest tiger population. The private ownership of tigers in the United States is so vast and extensive that the estimated population of tigers there be higher than the total global tiger population. There are plenty of horror stories on how these big cats are kept as pets and brutally treated. Private owning of tigers include declawing and putting them in small pens and cages. Selling cubs has become a business in the United States. There are sellers who sell tigers, who then later butcher them  for parts or ranches where they are killed in hunts. Tigers in the western culture has been accounted to be used in gladiator battles and as mascots. 

Moreover, there is a blooming culture of tiger — selfie cruelty. Tigers are endlessly jabbed with metal sticks as endless stream of tourists take turns and pose with them for pictures. Tigers are man — handled, thrown from lap to lap, forcefully hugged and even sat on. These animals are forcefully tied, caged and even drugged for the sole purpose of human entertainment. Tourists or people in general need to realize that their once in a lifetime experience of being pictured with a tiger means a lifetime cruelty for the tiger.

A large fraction of tiger population is kept in captivity. These big cats are featured attractions in many circuses around the world, where they are often forcibly kept in tiny cages, their maternal bond is broken at the earliest stages of their lives, their basic social and physiological needs are denied. They are punished when disobeyed with food deprivation and are terrified with fire and sometimes these poor creatures get electrocuted. They are bound to perform against their will, to entertain the audiences. For young children, the circus is a magical place where they get to see and experience wild animals. But under the façade of harmless entertainment, patrons are unaware of what it takes to coerce these animals into performing elaborate tricks they see and the level of abuse these animals endure when the circus’ curtains come down. 

This is how people’s fascination for tiger has slowly turned into tiger abuse. Cruelty towards animals is neither a source of entertainment nor a fascination. Tigers are solitary animals. They have certain behavioral needs. They need to hunt their own prey, grow and live in the wild and enjoy their lives as much as any living being. I applaud and appreciate various Wildlife sanctuaries and Zoological parks for their substantial amount of involvement in the conservation of such animals, and their efforts in maintaining a wild habitat for them.

 Moreover, I support various non-profit organizations such as Panthera, WWF (Worldwide fund for nature), WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) for working towards protecting these animals and for their commitment to spread the truth about life of captive tigers and other animals. But local people should not just sit and wait for only the legal organizations to work. We as public can contribute in this cause, by either donating or volunteering at organizations. We can be responsible tourists. We can write letters to lawmakers, form organizations of our own. The Government can take up steps to strengthen Wildlife Protection Acts and Laws. 

Taking a few minutes to support this worthy cause not only will help the animals, it will also make you feel proud about standing up for something so important for the society.

RISE OF CANCER IN BARGARH, ODISHA : A TALE OF PESTICIDE OVERUSE

Bargarh, a district in Odisha contributes a total of 5.19 and 7.86 Surplus/Deficit (In Lakh tonnes) with respect to rice and paddy respectively to India’s agriculture. The state has an abundant supply of water allowing farmers to sow paddy as much as twice a year, instead of the usual one year in other states. At the same time, it has also been facing incessant problems that stem from their main occupation (over 75% of the state of Odisha) of rice production. Is being a farmer a dying reality
for the people of Odisha? It may just be the case. They have seen droughts and pests that have destroy their paddy fields in thousands of villages across districts, time and again. Unfortunately, a few farmers from Odisha have even resorted to committing suicide (as many as 8 farmers) to escape debt and crop failures. Now we are met with yet another dark cloud looming over in the Bargarh District and these are the health issues caused by intensive pesticide treatment in their paddy fields. Although bio-fertilizers are available, they are far more expensive and these small scale farmers that constitute around 85% of total farmers from this region cannot afford to use such fertilizers which also take more time to become effective.

Some 14 - 15 years ago, paddy fields became highly prone to attack by pests and insects and as a result, the use of pesticides became a necessity in the area. The use of pesticides and fertilizers was initiated by farmers from starved regions of Andhra Pradesh who migrated to this district. This led the local inhabitants also to start using them in their fields. Types of pesticides used by farmers are pyrethroid, organophosphate, thiocarbonate, and neonicotinoid which fall in the category of Class II which is slightly hazardous, according to the World Health Organization’s classification.

The prolonged and non-monitored usage of the chemical pesticides and fertilizers has resulted in penetration of the toxic chemicals into the soil of the farm lands, ultimately reaching the groundwater of Bargarh region. Constant spraying of the chemicals has caused many health-related risks among the farmers and the locals like skin and eye irritation, headache, drowsiness, for which the main reason was found to be cancer and other neurological disorders. A study was conducted in 23 districts of Odisha of which Bargarh district was found to be the worst affected with 26.3% of cancer cases ranging from cervical, to breast cancer head and neck stomach lung colorectal, and ovary cancer.  

Although a decrease has been observed in pesticide use in the region over the year, cases of people suffering from the disease is still increasing. This may be due to bio–molecular changes or genetic mutations caused when exposed regularly to the chemicals.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/health/bargarh-how-odisha-s-rice-bowl-turned-cancer-field-67067

Bargarh, said to be the rice bowl of Odisha has now become the unofficial cancer capital of Orissa due to the high incidence of cancer recorded in the district caused by the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers for the paddy crop.

The surge in pesticide use in India has been one of the major challenges that we face today. The story of Bargarh district in Orissa is one such story that we highlighted in our understanding of one of the major challenges in agriculture. Similarly, many incidents such as the case of some cotton growing districts of south-western Punjab where number of recorded deaths due to cancer was unusually high and Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, where 18 farmers died due to pesticide poisoning have occurred. The first incident of pesticide overuse which was first recorded was from Kerala in 1958 in which around 100 people died. In one of the major milk brands of Bangalore ‘Nandini’ it was found to contain Cypermethrin’ pesticide around 40% more than the permissible limit, and the list goes on.

Pesticides have undoubtedly benefitted the farmers to grow crops by protecting it against pests and weeds but it also comes with a price. The indiscriminate use of pesticides in fields possess potential risks to the environment and human health as well. It is stated that around 800,000 people in the developing countries have died due to pesticide poisoning since the beginning of the green revolution.

Pesticide used in the agricultural process might enter into the food chain thereby causing health problems in humans. The chemicals present in these pesticides can destroy the soil system by killing the microorganisms present in the soil thereby reducing the soil fertility in the long run. The surface water bodies near the irrigated land increasingly get polluted by the excessive pesticide run-off. Taking into account the environmental and human health effects by chemical pesticide, there is an urgent need to shift towards addressing this problem. It is worthy to note that Odisha is not a part of the National Cancer Registry. The NCR collects cancer data in India.

There is a lack of awareness among the farmers in India about the harmful effects of the overuse of pesticide in agriculture for various reasons. Research suggests that many do not read the labels which often are in the Hindi language (farmers may not understand or may be illiterate) or there is no label in the first place. The issues stem in the astounding absence in regulation and training of farmers by chemical pesticide industry or Pesticide Inspectors and in thoughtless promotion of such pesticides by companies and governments alike. Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) defined as “a farming practice that believes in natural growth of crops without adding any fertilizers and pesticides or any other foreign elements” practised in Southern states of India should also be promoted.

Awareness is the need of the hour among these farmers to cut down its usage. New pesticide management legislation is needed in addressing the impacts of indiscriminate use of pesticides. Industries should come up with environmental friendly pesticides which are cost-effective, so that farmers can shift from using the harmful synthetic pesticide. Farmers and pesticide sprayer are the first to get affected. Thus promoting safe application practices is needed. Government policies play a major role in the transition to safer agricultural practices.