My first Monday morning in Binnaguri, Duars, North Bengal. At eight o’çlock after breakfast, I opened the door to find my sahayak waiting to inform me that Chamkaur Singh, the Mess Havaldar had caught a snake and brought it to show me. Remembering that
the last time he brought me ‘ek madi-si saanp’ and poured it on the floor from a ‘matka’, it had turned out to be a saw-scaled viper, I was hesitant.