Reads the heading of Jay Mazoomdaar’ s article in IE of April 3, 2023. ‘The Elephant whisperers’ gave a new dimension to our thinking of the huge pachyderm. The elephant God, lord Ganesha is worshipped in India since ages. One of the most favourite of our Gods. We have 33 crores of them. From wind, rain, clouds to the most revered in the temples.
Hinduism believes in the god in every living being. Not a religion it is a way of life. Very tolerant & very accomodating. Anything & everything new is accepted. Where else would you find a DJ playing songs in the pandal of Lord Ganesha during Ganesh Utsava. Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak would wonder how far & wide his concept has been accepted all over to bring people together in masses.
But let us go to the jumbos. The elephants can mean many things. To the author of the best seller of 2009 ‘The Elephant Whisperer’ they are generosity embodied. For people in Kerala’s conflict zone the ones like Arikompancould be death personified. In Orissa’s killing fields laden with live wires, they are casualties.
It all depends the terms of engagement, believe Kattunayakan, hunter-gatherers until recently & still the most forest dependent tribe in the Nilgiris.
They are anchors for Bomman & Bellie, two drifting middle aged Kattunayakan in the Oscar winning documentary. Bringing up Raghu & Ammu was about giving the love the orphan calves needed & also finding it for each other.
The unconditional love that they showered on the animals was what made it worth watching. When Raghu is given away to another caregiver, Ammu doesn’t eat for days. The couple is also restless.
They took upon the duties & never felt they were doing something extraordinary. From his father Bomman took up the task seamlessly. bellie was scared of the jungle, she has lost her husband to a Tiger but now she is not afraid!
The jungle is home to them. They take up what it offers & take it’s care. They don’t go cutting he branches at will. Only a few bamboos when needed !
Don’t we all need to learn to take only what we need & not scrape the bottom just because it is readily available. The simple logic followed by the couple is difficult for the world to follow!
The documentary is great for it’s message but also what it points to between the lines! Scenic beauty with beautiful minds there!!!
Asian Entertainment 