Lucknow: They say cats have nine lives.
But can human beings hope to have such luck?
Well, God has blessed a 24-year-old man from Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh with an abundance of good fortune.
Vikas Dubey, a resident of Soura village in Fatehpur, has been bitten by snakes an astonishing seven times in the last 40 days, but none of them has been fatal.
Having been bitten by snake six times earlier, between June 2 and July 6, Vikas had to be hospitalised in a critical condition on Thursday evening after being attacked against, this time at his uncle’s home.
According to Dr Jawahar, who is treating Vikas after his seventh snakebite, the patient’s condition deteriorated around 9 pm on Thursday, but he is stable now.
Noting that Vikas could not describe the snake’s appearance, unlike the previous incidents, the doctor advised family members to consult other specialists.
According to the family, Vikas had a premonition that he would be bitten by snakes nine times and no doctor, priest or ‘tantrik’ (occultist) would be able to save him.
His first snakebite occurred on June 2 after Vikas got out of bed at his house. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and treated.
After the fourth snakebite, Vikas was advised to leave home and stay elsewhere. A scared Vikas shifted to his aunt’s house in Radhanagar, but was again bitten.
His parents then brought him back home. However, he was attacked by a snake once more on July 6 and his condition worsened. He was admitted to a hospital, where he recovered.
