“Whispers are often thunderous”― Wild Ink
Opening Note
A fortnight ago, I opened up my morning daily to see that the ‘Nattu, Nattu’ song, scored by M.M.Keeravani and choreographed in the most dramatic sequence with some electrifying movements by Junior NTR and Ramcharan duo from the Rajmouli fame ‘RRR’, a 2022 multi-lingual Indian movie has been nominated for the 2023 Oscars Academy Award under the Original Song category. The news in the column next to it that another title ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ from India has been nominated for documentary short film drew my attention. This documentary entirely shot in the Muduamalai Tiger Reserve of the Nilgris in Tamil Nadu is a Sikhya Entertainment Production by Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
Historical Heritage of Elephant in Bharat and in the Tamil country
A little insight into the historical perspective about man’s association with elephants is considered relevant to understand the issues flagged in the documentary in proper perspective. In ancient India, taming of elephants commenced in the period of Indus civilization some 6000 years ago. Elephants were part of human culture and civilization in the Tamil country too as revealed from the Sangam period literature dating back to 100 BCE - 200 CE like Tholkappiam, Ettuthogai, Pathupattu, Tirukural. For instance, Saint Pingala alias Thilagar’s Pingala nigandu - a Tamil lexicon- describes elephant in more than 45 different names- களிறு, பிடி, வேழம், கரி,பெருமா, மாதங்கம் are some. Agananuru, one of the Ettutogai collections talks of an ancient Madurai scene ‘மாடு கட்டி போரடித்தால் மாளாது செந்நெல் என யானை கட்டி போரடித்த அழகான தென் மதுரை- where one can infer that the trained elephants were used in peace time tasks too. Tirukkuralby the sage poet Tiruvalluvar portrays the timeless relevance of relying on one’s own expertise for accomplishing one’s goals by drawing a comparison to with capturing a wild elephant with the help of a tame elephant.
Elephants continued to be veritable war machines in ancient, medieval and modern India. One reference points to the fact that the Mughal king Jaganhir and his nobles possessed something like 12,000 elephants (1628 CE). In British India, number of captive elephants maintained by the Madras Presidency’s Forest Department were mostly over 100 animals (113 in 1935-36), chiefly deployed for timber working.
Elephant Homes in Madras Presidency
The period of intense commercial exploitation of timber trees from the Indian forests commenced in the early 1800s. Timber working necessitated the deployment of elephant power, for which the Madras Forest department formulated some plan in late1850s. For the first time, elephant capture using the ‘pit method’ started under the guidance of Coimbatore Collector in 1874 and later on started in Mudumalai in 1910. The first ever elephant camp was formed in the Game Hut area of Mudumalai in that year. However, permanent elephant homes were established at Sungam in 1920 (presently in Anaipadi, Kerala), at Theppakadu in 1927 and at Varagaliyar in 1956. While the Kheddah method of elephant capture was in practice in Mysore province, Madras Presidency continued with the pit method. By 1895, rules were drawn by the department for capturing elephants that prescribed details of location of pits, dimensions of pits, monitoring and recovery of pits, training, health care, grant of rewards etc.
The care extended to the camp inmates was so rigorous that a post of Forest Veterinary Officer (FVO) was created in the department as early as 1906 who took care of routine prescriptions for veterinary care, fixing of work time ration, pensioner ration, maintenance of service register for each elephant etc. F.M. Lushington, the District Forest Officer (DFO) of Coimbatore South division under whose charge Anamalai hills were placed drew an exclusive set of instructions for the upkeep of elephants and the maintenance of the camps in the name of an ‘Elephant Circular’ in 1909. The DFO went into finer details like the location for elephant bathing site in the jungle streams and river has to be fixed downstream the settlement of elephant men. In view of rich interaction elephant enjoyed with humanity in the country, elephant is declared the National Heritage animal in 2010.
With the promulgation of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, conventional elephant capture had been discontinued. The present stock of captive elephants is obtained from (i) animals camp-bred in captivity, (ii) rescued orphaned calves, (iii) elephants of any age salvaged from a distress situation where the animal couldn’t survive in the wild, (iv) habitual crop raiders/rogues whose continuance in wild is wrought with grave danger to human life and property. Camp deletions happen from i) death due to old age ii) young ones dying of illness iii) mortality due to wild elephant encounters.
With abatement of timber working of all forms in mid 1980s, management of captive elephants continued with conservation focus. Presently, they are used as kumkies for resolving man-elephant conflict and anti-depredation drive, rescue operations involving pachyderms in distress, elephant rides in eco-tourism, in anti-poaching operations in inaccessible areas and to carry out scientific studies on elephant biology and behaviour. As of 2021, the State Forest department has a total of 64 captive elephants in its four camps, with the principal ones at Theppakadu in Mudumalai and Kozhikamuthi in Anamalai.
Narrative in 'Elephant Whisperers'
When I begin to script this blog, I attempted to make some literal sense with the semantic of the terms ‘Elephant whisperers’. The English dictionaries describe ‘whisperer’ as a person who speaks very softly so much so one can hardly hear a word he says. The title literally translates that the elephant caretakers - lead pair- in the movie virtually whispers to the elephants. Whether or not in the movie the term whisperer connotes a positive note about the person who whispers, the term in the dictionary description is also meant to convey a negative transcript such as a person who spreads gossip or rumour. In another place in the dictionary, whisperer is described as person skilled in taming or training a specified kind of animal, typically using body language and gentle vocal encouragement rather than physical contact, which description seem to be truthfully fitting into the narratives in the documentary. That much for the title of the documentary!
I may be one among the 40 million viewers of the documentary film in Netflix. The news that this documentary, tagged in Science, Nature and Ecology genre has been nominated for the 2023 Oscars aroused my enthusiasm. For two reasons: One, the subject of captive elephant management in the Tamil Nadu Forest department’s camps has always been dearer to my heart. Second, I had studied from close quarters the working of the department’s two oldest elephant homes at Anamalai hills (Kozhikamuthi) and Mudumalai hills (Theppakadu) for nearly six years as the Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle.
Both these camps are ripe with rich legacy of successfully rearing elephants, among them abandoned and orphaned wild elephant calves, for nearly a century. The traditional wisdom of the Malasar, Kurumbar and Kattunayakkan who mantle the role of elephant men either as mahout (keeper) or cavady (assistant to him) in these camps has earned wider acclaim for the captive management of elephants in the State. Extraordinary nutritional and health care extended to the camp inmates helps to keep them in good stead.
In the first note, the documentary that runs to over 41 minutes seems to me a product of an extremely well shot and edited film in nearly 320 frames, containing all the best cinematographic elements. The male lead is Bomman, a Kattunayakkan tribal, literally meaning ‘the king of the forest’ as the opening scene of the film introduces him. He narrates his intimate association with the forests in his dialect that translates as ‘My home is forest where I belong and where the wild animals roam’
The foursome, making the wholesome
It apparently looks like a truthful portrayal of an absorbing story of two caretakers, namely Thiru Bomman and Tmt. Bellie of Mudumalai who are depicted to have got emotionally connected to the two orphaned wild elephant babies Raghu and Ammu. While Bomman is on a regular job as a cavady, Bellie is in the temporary roll of the department as a helper. The duo were given charge of rearing Raghu, barely a three month old male orphaned calf, having lost his mother to electrocution in some other district in the state. The calf arrived at the camp in a much hopeless health condition with his tail tuft nipped off in a stray dog bite. How the pair went on to nurture the calf- beginning with feeding powder milk, tender shoots of bamboo and then with the traditional concentrate feed comprising of ragi, rice, jaggery, coconut, sugarcane, meticulous upkeep of the elephant enclosure, daily chores including bathing the animal etc. makes the first part of the film.
The film goes on to narrate some of the amazing moments that the elephant men enjoy in the company of their charges, when the young ones grow in their care. In the clip where Bomman gives bath to Raghu in Moyyar, the caretaker too is seen taking a refreshing dip in the river along with his ward. At least on other two occasions, the viewer notices that Bomman is resting his head on the belly part of Raghu and on another he was seen cuddled relaxingly in between the two young baby elephants in a comforting mood. The cameras captured some finer clips where the two calves, emerging from Moyar river meekly follow the keeper by holding the stick by their trunks. This is a sign of the adorable manner in which the animals have been trained here. Imparting proper training to the young elephants involves a whole gamut of psychological interaction between man and animal by way of gestures, touches and commands directed at them. In fact, in the elephant homes of the State, elephant men use over 46 odd oral commands in a mixture of Urudu, Malayalam, and Tamil- commonly termed as ‘elephant-jargon’ - to instruct the animal to perform certain actions.
That on occasions, care givers chide their wards mildly is clearly portrayed in one scene when one day Bomman mildly reprimands Raghu for having dropped the neck chain with the bell attached to it in the river while bathing and he had to salvage it out of water. In the process he explains as to how important the bell is to the camp elephants to know their movement in the forest when they are let free for grazing.
With Raghu evolving into a playful juvenile, the keepers were put on an additional charge of another she- elephant calf, which Bellie fondly calls Ammu. That Raghu and Ammu (formally named Bommi by the department) developed strong kinship under the tutelage of their keepers adds a new dimension about the emotional bond that can foster between animals. That the young ones in the camp get bonded in an unusual expression of fraternity and camaraderie is visible in Raghu’s interaction with Krishna, an elderly bull elephant in the camp. Krishna is eulogized to have removed a thorn that got struck in the trunk of Raghu one day and Raghu possessively retrieving some fodder from the mouth of Krishna. Bellie sums up this relationship as ‘the elephants try to learn from their own kind’
Having been co-opted into a demanding task of rearing two calves simultaneously meant that the duo took turns to tend the young ones. In the process, they are shown to have developed some affection for each other that bloom into a marriage. Bomman then ties the nuptial knot around Bellie in the presence of villagers and the two elephants in front of the tribal deity. One day, they were asked to hand over Raghu to the charge of another cavady in the camp, when the animal turned five and they had to part with Raghu in a sombre note. The foursome occupies the centre stage of the documentary all through.
The visual appeal of the film gets accentuated by the many drone footage, presenting the viewer with the picturesque Mudumalai landscape in all the seasons of the year. Even the panorama of deciduous forests with most trees bereft of their foliage and the occasional fires engulfing the forest floor through the powerful eyes of the cinematographer’s lens doesn’t lessen the appeal, though on ground, the ghastly sight of Mudumalai in the peak summer is something the visitor detests to look at. The film ends with yet another master clip where Bomman is seen caressingly applying decamalli oil (a herbal concoction) on the forehead of Bommi, which is usually applied to keep off any skin infection in the animals.
Feeding scene portrays another dimension to the perfect symbiosis between jungle dwelling animals. In a scene of elephant feeding in the camp, Raghu is seen letting out rice balls from his mouth, which probably is not of his liking as much as the ragi ball. The Hanuman or Common langurs that lay in waiting pick up those spilled over rice balls and begin feeding on them. Not only the langurs. The visitor to the elephant camp is often blessed with the sight of a group of wild pigs parading along the feeding yard to scavange on the droppings from the elephant mouths. In a chat with the Field Director, MTR Thiru D.Venkatesh, I could gather that drove of wild boars march from far off Masinagudi to Theppakadu along the highway at an appointed time to coincide with the elephant feeding hours for this purpose. That wild animals develop such harmonious association among themselves is nature’s handiwork.
Certain narratives made in the film have been particularly showcased as the unique and first time event of its kind, probably to enhance the viewers and Juries’ appeal. Unlike the claim made in the film that the Theppakadu elephant camp is 140 years old, records reveal that it was first formed in Game Hut area of Mudumalai only in 1910, after which it was moved to a permanent camp at its present site in Theppakadu in 1927. Likewise, there had been a long line of exciting accounts of successful rehabilitation of orphaned elephant calves in the hands of camp keepers in Theppakadu in the past- prior to the saga of Raghu- Ammu. Many shots in the film show the burning of forest wood in the nights near the camp site. In fact, burning fuel wood within the precincts of tiger reserves and sanctuaries is an anathema to the extent that camp-fires in the reserve’s tourist cottage areas are forbidden and gas-fired stoves are alone used for cooking the elephant feed in the camps for more than a decade. For a nature lover, those shots should have been down played or avoided to retain the ecological attraction in the movie.
In the film, tribal are shown to have been living of the forest and not taking anything more than they need. Their forest dependence for sustenance needs finds expression in two shots where Bomman was found plucking some goose berry fruits and where he was part of a group of tribal men engaged in honey collection from the massive rock hives. This seems somewhat a piece of overstatement because in practice some of the tribal families are dependent on certain non-timber forest produce including forest honey to generate additional family income, though not on commercial scale.
In between, the viewers are presented with random shots where the tribal children are shown merrily indulging in giving bath to the camp elephants to highlight the need to transfer the traditional wisdom and nuances in elephant rearing to the next generation seamlessly. One attribute, which the department officials needs to inculcate among the emerging lot of young elephant keepers is the strict adherence to the time-tested codes of best practices without deviation, so that the historical fame of the camp is kept up.
The department spends nearly Rs. one lakh every month on each elephant for their food and upkeep. Added to it are the salary and wages paid to the whole contingent of elephant men, veterinary and bottom line forest personnel. Therefore, the camps are run at high cost. It is disturbing to learn that on few occasions in the recent past, careless handling of some of the adult elephants, including males in musth by their keepers had led to some distressing outcomes- death of a mahout in an incident of attack by his own ward and a nasty human injury in another episode. The events highlight the negligent approach and violation of the rule book. Another serious shortcoming among elephant men that could hamper the smooth working is the indifference, indiscipline and waywardness of few of them. The department takes recourse to punitive disciplinary proceeding against the erring individual but damage is already inflicted on the behavioural attributes of the elephant under his charge beyond redemption. It is reliably learnt that for the reason of her neglect of duty in taking care of Bommi aka Ammu, its caretaker Bellie, the female lead in the documentary had been de-rostered from the department’s roll temporarily and again taken into muster after a break.
Even otherwise, people familiar with the captive elephant management will vouch that ‘an elephant is always a wild animal by temperament, however well trained it might have been’. I am privy to one such misadventure that happened in Mudumalai two decades back. When one of our senior officers was prompted to feed sugarcane to an adult elephant that was brought to Theppakadu from a temple for rehabilitation and even as we were watching from his behind, the temperamental male had given a mild jerk with his trunk on the face of the officer. Though under the massive impact of the hit, all of us slumped to ground one over the other like a pack of cards, providence was on our side and we escaped unharmed.
Naming the captive elephants that are new entrants to the camps usually end with the Wildlife Wardens earlier and the Field Directors now. Sometimes, elephants acquire special names. A 13 year old male captured on the 13th October 1934 in Anamalai was named Inspector General, the highest post in the forest hierarchy, as it coincided with the visit of the Inspector General of Forests, Government of India to Anamalai. A 23 year old adult female captured in Sethumadai during 2003 was christened Kalpana after Kalpana Chawla, the Indian origin-astronaut who died in Columbia space shuttle disaster. A calf born in captivity in the Kozhikamuthi camp was named Rajyavarthan in honour of Rajyavarthan Singh Rathore who won a silver medal in 2004 Athens Olympics.
Some outstanding and noteworthy elephants of the camps were given royal farewell at their death and the memory of their life and time are given a permanent place and is cherished by the department by erecting fitting memorials for them. There is one for Inspector General in Kozhikamuthi and another for Caesar in Theppakadu, which visitors to the camp don’t miss to notice.
The relentless pursuit to excellence in the captive elephant management by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department should have been given due credit by the movie maker by appropriately including few clippings of the other regular forest field officials including veterinarians who tirelessly work to bring the reputation of the camp to such a praise in the narrative, instead of consigning their names to the acknowledgement scroll. There is an indispensable need to develop the new breed of animal keepers from among the tribal youth so that the innate potential and traditional wisdom of the mahouts/cavadies are passed on from the elders to youngsters in the family. That the forest department continuously works to upgrade knowledge and to hone the skills of elephant men is borne out of the fact that a dozen elephant men from the State are presently on a weeklong cross-country exchange programme at Thailand, as explained by the Field Director.
End Note
In the sidelines of the subject when I went on my web search, I was pleasantly surprised over the information that a few other movies had earlier been made with somewhat similar titles ‘Whispers: An Elephant’s Tale’ released in 2000 in U.S.A, a story revolving around a separated elephant in Chobe National Park, Botswana and the another documentary shot with the title ‘Elephant Whisperer’ (2012) featuring Sangdeaun Lek Chailert, the woman who was on a mission to save the Asian elephant in her native Thailand. It is another matter that ‘The Elephant Whisperer: My life with the herd in the African Wild’, a book released in 2009 and authored by Lawrence Anthony, known as the Elephant Whisperer in his native South Africa is stated to be a true reflection of his ability to be one with the pachyderms and who struggled and succeeded in acclimatizing a traumatized group of African elephants to his 5000 acre Thula Thula Game Reserve. So, the aura around elephants and their whisperers had truly been a worldwide craze for long.
Till then, let us keep our fingers crossed.
Update: The results on 12th March 2023 rightly conferred the Oscar award for the documentary.
How the Oscar fame for the documentary brought a volley of fortunes for the elephant keepers of the state is something to be seen to be believed. Days after the documentary won the acclaim, the Chief Minister of the State felicitated the duo- Bomman and Bellie- at the Secretariat and presented them each with a cheque of Rs one lakh and a shield. The new found laurel for the Mudumalai elephant camp prompted the State Government to announce a gift package for the elephant men (including the woman in Belli), which included a honorarium of Rs one lakh each for all the 91 elephant keepers of the different camps across the State besides a housing scheme for providing housing to them at an outlay of Rs.9.10 crore. Prime Minister of the country Shri Narendra Modi promptly made a visit to the Theppakadu elephant camp in the second week of April 2023 and had a long interaction with the elephant trainers and their elephant wards. The Elephant Whisperers caretakers were honoured by the Chennai Super Kings at an event on May 9. Not only the President of the nation Droupadi Murmu, herself a tribal woman felicitated the couple at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the July 18th, she followed it with her visit to Mudumalai in the first week of August to have a glimpse of the elephant camp at Theppakadu. She had detailed interaction with the elephant keepers in the camp. On the 2nd August 2023, Government of Tamil Nadu appointed Bellie in a permanent position as the first woman elephant caretaker in the State.
Readers may await the announcement of more honors for the couple- all because of the Oscar award winning documentary.
Meanwhile, there is also a murkier side to the whole story, as is being revealed now. It is alleged that the movie makers promised orally some attractive gift package in form of land, house, cash and educational assistance to the couple's grandchildren, which has not been met with. This despite the couple trying to reach out to the producer and director. It is reported that the couple initiated a legal notice against the producers for failing the elephant keepers. If true, it is sad that the weak and down-trodden continue to face the onslaught of exploitation at the hands of haves.
I congratulate the author for bringing out an excellent account on the elephant rearing in camps by the elephant man Bomman and his wife Bellie, in Theppakadu elephant camp. The author himself having served for 6 years as Conservator of Forests Coimbatore having jurisdiction of both Pollachi and Mudumalai wildlife sanctuaries where the departmental elephant camps are situated, could explain the nuances of elephant training, very authentically. Though I couldn't see the documentary which is contesting for the Oscar recognition, on going through the review of the documentary described by the author I got the feel of having seen the movie much more effectively. Best wishes to the author to bring out many more blog writing on various aspects of wildlife and for the film to win the Oscar award. K. Chidambaram,former PCCF,
ReplyDeleteExciting and informative narration of facts and figures on the captive elephant management in the state of Tamil Nadu. Heartiest congratulations to Dr. Sekar for this backdrop. Now the documentary has received the coveted distinction of which we are proud.
ReplyDeleteGreat narration by one who served with this for long 6years..who else can describe this so vividness ..
ReplyDeleteCongratulations and best wishes to write more on this..I am duty bound to appreciate this as a successor on this divine land with nature's bounty..salute to the documentary and the author..
Well researched blog on ElePhant camp management in Mudumalai.Congratulations Dr Sekar
ReplyDeleteWell narrated elephant story with his own experience. There may be many such committed untold stories that deserve recognition. But Oscar awards seldom reach them. We have a similar story happened in Vandalur zoo. An orphaned elephant calf which was in deathbed was successfully reared by one Muslim lady worker assisted by our zoo verinarian.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, the senior officer who was pushed by the elephant was the then cwlw Mr.Katwal who lost his teeth in this incident. But, he was very magnanimous and took the incident very lightly.