Md Mojar Mia (48) is a day labourer. He is not a snake charmer and does not put on snake shows, but for 15 years he has been eating live snakes and scorpions, raw cow blood and tripe. Not only that: he has even drunk pesticide sprayed on fields and carried on living normally. This has made him an object of criticism in his community. Many people consider him "mentally disturbed" and have called for him to receive psychiatric treatment.

Mojar Mia lives in Sonahat village of Pathar Dubi union in Bhurungamari upazila of Kurigram. He has two wives and an adopted son, and that son has two children of his own.

His neighbour Ashraful Islam said: "Mojar bhai is my neighbour. He eats snakes and scorpions from time to time. People come from far and wide to see his strange eating habits, and many also criticise him."

Mojar Mia said: "I have eaten snakes since I was in class two. I have been eating snakes and scorpions regularly for 15 years. I like venomous snakes very much. Venomous snakes and any large snake taste better than small ones. I have faced endless trouble from people over eating snakes, but I still cannot help it."

"If I don't eat snakes I have no energy. Snakes are not always available, so when I can't get them I sometimes eat raw cow blood and tripe," he added.

Md Mainul Islam, chairman of Sonahat union parishad, told Jago News: "I have heard that Mojar eats snakes, scorpions and other animals. A healthy person can never do this. In my opinion Mojar Mia should be sent to Pabna Mental Hospital for treatment."

Mirza Nasir Uddin, acting principal of Kurigram Government College, described as a specialist in zoology and botany, said Mojar's living on snakes and scorpions is a rare case. He could die at any moment from poisoning, he said, but whether he is mentally disturbed is a matter to consider.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.