COBRA GIRL SPEAKS

  ‘Why I love the Cobra so much’

The Cobra girl had spoken and she had given an interview to this Sunday’s ‘Mawbima’ paper.

The other day at ‘Cleopatra’ club in kollupitiya, the Police who had arrested the ‘Cobra’ girl. The story had turned to a different turn.
After the Cobra incident in the club the cobra was handed over to the Dehiwala Zoological gardens. Now the cobra girl is weeping saying, ‘I cannot live without my cobra’, when her case against the Police was heard in courts.
This girl is Nirosha Wimalaratna of Indian origin gad lived in kandy area is known as Dilani as well. She has proved that she has had a relationship with the cobra in her previous birth. In this connection she had given an interview to this Sunday’s ‘Mawbima’ newspaper. She had shown an album containing photographs of the white cobra she was so attached to.
The excerpts of her interview, is appended below:

Q. Could you remember your younger days?
A. “I was born in Sri Lanka. Had my education, from the Kindergarten up to the year eight. From year nine she had studied in an International school in Hyderabad in India”.

Q. Why did you study in India having left Sri Lanka?
A. “My mother is an Indian. I had previously visited India constantly to see my father and mother.”

Q. Why didn’t you stay with them?
A. “As they had differences”.

Q. Who are the other members of your family?
A. “I have a brother and a sister”.

Q. How far did you study?.
A. “Up to, G.C.E (ordinary level).I attended an International school in ‘Danthurai’.

Q . Did you take part in extra curricular activities?
A. “From my small days I loved sports and in dancing. I was also talented in athletics and played Volleyball. I participated in International Volleyball tournaments overseas and also in ‘Karate’.

Q. Why you could not go forward in sports?
A. “There was no one to help and guide me. I was living isolated. So from my small days I performed things which I wished. All my decisions became successful.”

Q. Where did you meet your cobra initially?
A.”When I lived in Kadugannawa, once I came home I saw a white cobra and a black cobra in the garden staying in harmony together. That is how I initially became to like cobras.”

Q. usually small children get scared when they see even a cockroach. Didn’t you get scared when you saw the cobras?
A. ”No. From my younger days I was not at all scared of cobras and other animals. I also loved the ‘flora’ too. Even when my father chopped down a tree I felt very sad and sorry and objected to it”.

Q. What type of animals do you like?
A “For squirrels,  snakes and other types of animals.”

Q. In your area you live do your neighbours have relationships with cobras?
A. “People in kandy treat cobras like ‘gods. It is also so in India too.”

Q. Why did you have so much love towards cobras?
A. “from my young days I lived amongst conflicts and obstacles. I eat mostly fruits plucked from trees in my own garden. Anyone who tried to help me anticipated something in return. I did not like it. That is why I lived on my own. I have dreamt of cobras, elephants, gods and kings. I have scented before I saw them in my dreams. This was some external power”.
“ One day I went to the ‘Dodamwila’ devalaya and was loitering there. There I begun to like cobras. I did meditation in the ‘devale’ premises. There I observed an ‘Ant’ hill. I meditated in close proximity to it. I did meditation for 20 minutes and prayed one thing that I will get a cobra. That day I got a ‘pendent’. Suddenly I saw a white cobra near me. The pendent was very close the cobra. I touched the cobra. I heard the cobra saying something to me.”

Q. what did the cobra tell you?
A. “How do you keep things in mind, I was questioned, which I could remember well. I told let’s talk. What was near me was a baby white cobra. That is the cobra the Police took away from me”.

Q. What was your first job?
A.  “At that time I was 18 years old. That time I faced a lot of obstacles. No one comes to my house. When I was 19 years old my sister came to Sri Lanka. With my sister we danced to ‘Bollywood’ songs in musical concerts. After a concert I ruined my life as cobras attacked my family members. Even now if someone comes to harm the cobra, he or she is attacked. I cannot say why it is. As I wanted a life I attended a course for six months in an academy in Kadugannawa. Afterwards I joined the Army and was posted to Dehiattakandiya army camp. I worked only for one month as I had to leave as I had submitted fake documents with regard to my age.I left after been caught; I made a pardon for my forgery.”

Q. How did you come to Colombo?
A. “I had a friend at katunayake. Through her I got a job in a shop at katunayake. To enjoy one day we came together to a night club ‘Cleopatra’ in kollupitiya, Colombo. It was the first time I came to Colombo.”

Q.  What happened in the night club that day?
A. “We danced well. One of the owners of the hotel wanted to know whether I like to join the club”? .I said yes and worked in the night club from the following day.”

Q. Now you are having a case with the kollupitiya Police. Is your life in danger?
A. “The kollupitiya, Police is very angry with me. The anger is not small around 200%.I am nor scared. I am prepared to face any consequences”.
At the end of this cordial interview she said something in the Hindu language; which was that whatever obstacles come her way she will not slip away from my relationships with cobras. To my cobra and all other cobras I love from the bottom of my heart was what she said.

Newspaper Interview: Ishara Ratnakara
Photographs: Sarath Kumara