Home away from home

What if we get suddenly abducted away from our home?

How would it feel when we realise we are never going back?
Mama's warmth, fun with friends, smell of home, favourite food..all lost in a moment, for ever.
Every one is unknown here, the place is hell..all work no play, rationed food, not one caring soul...I am crying here for my family. Thousands of miles away my family is crying for me ...
Does'nt this sound really intense and scary, even to read? 



Welcome to the world we have gifted for our captive elephants. 

Behind that one moment of we touching and climbing an elephant or seeking its blessings, there's a life time of suffering and loneliness for the gentle giant. By the time we all realise this, enough damage has already been done. Thousands of elephants have been taken captive by humans so suddenly and abruptly that the psychological wound alone takes a life time to heal for the poor beast. Along with it,  the inexplicable physical torture they have to endure, again in the hands of humans, in the name of training. We would not dare to switch places with those poor souls even in our wildest dreams,isn't it. 



Then why on earth are we doing this? 
For what real blessing are we placing a coin in its trunk ? 
For what fortune do we wish to see it endure all cacophony during our crowded festivals ? 
What makes us think that our picture is perfect only when there is a howdah-bearing-majestic-silently-tormented-soul? 

Can we please take a moment to reflect on this...
The latest news on the state of captive elephants in India reads as follows - 

https://m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bruised-starved-and-sick-the-sorry-state-of-captive-elephants-in-india/story-ZAGBcVn2Ekyi8K98WCY6PP_amp.html

Now, if the good side of us is starting to regret and wonder if there is a way out, that's some silver lining. There is kindness and empathy still left in the world. The Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre is one such organisation run by kind hearts. This post is about my visit to WRRC Malur, in the outskirts of Bangalore, India.  

The Goddesses

Run by deeply empathetic people who go to great lengths to give suffering elephants a better life, WRRC Malur is a place, wildlife lovers should know. A visit to WRRC requires prior permission, as they are very particular about keeping the environment conducive only for the rescued animals. WRRC has two branches in Bangalore, one near the Bannerghatta National Park and the other in Malur. There is another branch in Tamil Nadu, in Marakkanam. While the one in BNP takes care of rescue and rehab of wild birds, variety of other wild animals, the Malur branch is exclusively for captive elephant welfare. The centre currently takes care of two incredibly amazing elephants Aneesha and Gowri. 

Though an ardent elephant admirer and have seen them multiple times in the wild and temples, this was the first time I am meeting rescued elephants. I did not want to guess their behaviour and temperament and was quite curious to know more about them. The first glimpse I got of them while entering the centre, cannot be explained in words. Gowri, about 35 yrs, was gorging on her supply of fresh grass while Aneesha, about 60 yrs, was relishing big balls of Ragi Mudde (nutritious serving of cooked finger millet). They both were free of shackles, no ropes around them, no screeching orders being given to them. Absolute silence, in oneness with their serene surroundings. I silently parked my car and got out, just forgetting everything else around me. This was the moment of truth. It wouldn't be any other way, for there were two Goddesses standing in front me. Yes, they are Goddesses, not just because they are majestic and powerful. But because even after a lifetime of suffering, they still have love and hope to give to others and each other. 

Aneesha

Aneesha long suffered lifting logs in the timber business that rendered her legs deformed. After her prime at work in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, she was deftly handed over to a temple in South Tamil Nadu where she ended up being an eye candy during the festivals and went around the streets begging on other days. Her injuries and pain must have been so neglected during those years that even now she can take only baby steps.

Gowri was a temple elephant in Karnataka all her life, where her food predominantly was only Peepal leaves and occasional sweet treats from the temple. Due to the highly imbalanced diet and long hours of standing and walking on the streets, she developed injuries in her feet, high sugar , blood pressure and obesity for her age. 

Gowri

But what sets them apart is their astounding sentience! They are still able to deal with human beings, one person at a time. There's loads of love and warmth still left in them. They don't seem to hold any grudge at all! Now that all those dark years are behind them and they are in very good care in an ambience much similar to their natural habitat, the magnanimity in them only shines even brighter. I have written paragraphs above but I stumble and run short of words to express how it felt being touched by them and hear their rumble so close for the first time. I am literally pausing here, taking few minutes to relive those moments...

I touched her trunk, she touched my soul

She looked into my eyes, I found my calling

I wish I could rumble out how it was to see them communicate with each other. After all for a natural herd animal, they were inflicted with such loneliness all their life, that it took both of them sometime to accept each other's company. 

A small huddle on the agenda and then they both walk up to the buffet of fresh greens hung on the pole

After spending about 20-30 minutes, of which only a fraction would have been with elephants, I decided to start back. The centre encourages very less human interaction with the animals, as that is how they would get back to their natural ways of living. They have to unlearn all their years of captivity in which every single moment was under human control. Literally, one learns more about the elephants by stepping away and observing than in proximity. Well, my drive back home was through the noisy Bangalore traffic but my Goddesses had bestowed their calm on me, it hardly mattered.

To all His creations silently enduring human torture and all the amazing humans striving for their justice! A trumpet of gratitude to you, team WRRC Malur !!

More about WRRC elephant care - http://wrrcindia.org/captive-elephant-welfare

PS: All pics which do not have a caption underneath them, have been taken from the internet