In the serene landscapes of Upstate New York’s Hoosick, a young Romulus Whitaker unearthed his first milk snake, igniting a lifelong passion that would eventually earn him the title ‘the snakeman of India’. As he presented the snake to his mother, housed in a simple jelly jar, she marveled at its beauty — an early memory that would lay the foundation for Whitaker’s future. This defining interaction was but the first step in a journey that saw him champion for reptiles, both in the untamed corners of the world and within the literary pages of his eloquent autobiography, Snakes, Drugs, and Rock ‘N’ Roll: My Early Years from HarperCollins.
The memoir, crafted alongside his wife Janaki Lenin, captures an unassuming American who has carved out an indelible mark on India’s ecological landscape, notably with institutions like the Madras Snake Park and Crocodile Bank, which he established back in 1976. Now residing on the periphery of Bengaluru, the octogenarian reflects with a resonant laugh on the choice of his book’s title, stating that it was chosen to capture attention, resonating with varied interests and encapsulating the essence of his formative years.
This narrative is not a challenging slog through dense prose, but rather a page-turner laden with tales from Whitaker’s school days, his tenure as a U.S. Army medic in the Vietnam War, and his adventures on the high seas as a sailor. Readers are taken off guard by the trajectory of his storied career, one which has been woven from a rich tapestry of experiences and memory.
Spanning five years to compile, Whitaker’s autobiography was not the result of a single defining moment but the culmination of innumerable exchanges had over a casual beer with friends and acquaintances eager to delve into his life, his upbringing, and his time in the green rainforests of Agumbe. Whitaker jests about the persistence of these individuals, seeking not just fragmented anecdotes but the whole canvas of his intriguing life.
What stands out is the meticulous documentation of Whitaker’s early life, a feature credited to his mother, Dorris Norden, who preserved his childhood writings, including detailed letters home from school and correspondences to cousins in America, fascinated by his life in India. These writings offer a treasure trove of first-hand accounts, infused with nostalgia and importance.
The call of the wild never left him. On a return visit to Hoosick, Whitaker’s discovery of another snake beneath a rock was, for him, a profound connection to his past—a linkage across time to the very creature that had set his course years earlier.
But his autobiography is more than a simple recounting of natural adventures. It speaks of relationships that have shaped who he is: his transition to life in India, his experiences at Lawrence School in Lovedale and Highclerc School (now Kodaikanal International), and the deep influence of his Indian stepfather and storied step-grandparents.
In his line of work, certain figures stood out as key influences: Bill Haast, his former boss at the Miami Serpentarium, Raymond Ditmars of the Bronx Zoo, and British herpetologist Colonel Frank Wall. These individuals, among others, played integral roles in Whitaker’s journey in the wild.
The book is crafted without excessive self-adulation, balancing Whitaker’s memories with Janaki’s editorial acumen. It shows a boy who shied away from academia only to immerse himself in the natural world.
With a hint of excitement, Whitaker shares that a second volume is currently underway, and with countless stories yet to be examined, the task promises to be as meticulous as it is exhilarating. Their mornings are filled with the meticulous sorting of memories and extensive research in preparation for what lies ahead.
As the pages of Snakes, Drugs, and Rock ‘N’ Roll: My Early Years turn, they reveal a life lived with passion and a narrative that stretches beyond a mere collection of experiences. They are a testament to a life surrounded by the wild – a life as captivating as the creatures Romulus Whitaker has dedicated his existence to understanding and protecting.
