Star jumbos like Ramachandran are highly valued

Kerala’s temple elephants go viral

With a huge online following, Kerala’s ceremonial elephants are more popular than ever but are also being overworked to death

Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran’s take-home salary would be the envy of many investment bankers. With his majestic ten-and-a-half-foot frame, the elegant Kerala resident is said to earn Rs 1 crore by working just seven months a year. Little wonder then that he’s a Facebook star. Except that the 48-year-old Ramachandran is a large elephant, and a wildly popular fixture in most ceremonial temple processions in the state. His popularity also has much to do with a unique phenomenon: the recent proliferation of websites and social network pages devoted exclusively to Kerala elephants. These enable young fans to tout the accomplishments of the jumbos to the world. Ramachandran's owners now charge an appearance fee of around Rs 1.25 lakh per procession. 

    But this newfound fame also has a sad side to it. Ramachandran, for one, is also a ‘history sheeter’. He has gored 10 people to death, driven to insanity largely by overwork, say experts. Yet his popularity,especially online,has notfadedone bit. “He is like Salman Khan. His streaks of violence are pardoned. In any case, he was provoked by another elephant,whichtouchedhishugeback during the procession,’’ says Valsan Chembaka, generalsecretary of thestatefestivalcoordination committee.
    Ramachandran is not alone in these new popularity sweepstakes. Other male elephants like Mangalkunnu Ayappan, Pamabadi Rajan, Thiruvambady Shiv Sundar, Mangalamkunnu Ganapathy and Chirakal Kalidasan, to name but a few, havefanaticalonlinefan followings andhavetheir owners charging large sums too.
    For elephantfansin Kerala thehigh pricetagis in fact a matter of great pride. Online forums like Starelephants.com, (founded by four students, and which claims it is the ‘first social networking site exclusively for elephant lovers’) and Facebook pages like ‘Kerala Elephant Lovers’ are awash in lengthy discussions about various aspects of the elephants’ dignified mien;or their apparentlackof.
    Photos of caparisoned elephants are instantly caught up in a whirl of website activity as young men seek to correctly identify the elephants — or get beaten down for their relative ignorance. Users andfestivalorganizerseven tradebarbson howthe beasts did at some show. Photos of many processions are immediately posted online for the usual scrutiny andcomment.In fact most ‘faithful’ followers take part in many of these festivals and are known to quickly sendMMSes and post picturesof their latestoutingson their Facebook pages.Online squabbleson ‘the greatness’ of tuskers(in termsof attitude and physical appearance) are nowcommon.
    “There are some key facets that give an elephant a legendary status. Its height, its long trunk, sculptured tusks and of course its tolerant behaviour during festivals,” says Raja Raja Verma, the state’s top forest and wildlife official.
    And it’s not just all shoptalk. Online posts can also range from the seriously informative (one sample is excerpts from the Mathanga-Leela, an ancient text on elephant care) to profiles of legendary mahoutstotheinevitable posts aboutupcoming events — which are, of course, immediately pounced upon by fans mostly speculating about which elephants will make appearances.
    Sadly, the pachyderms are also paying a heavy price for their new popularity. Elephant owners admit, albeit reluctantly, that many tuskers are overworked andon thebrinkof breakdown. “This craze has only harmed the elephants’ well-being and it is high time we bring in some restraint,’’ admits Madhu whose family owns Chirakal Kalidsan and Mahadevan, two popular elephants.
    “There are 1,600 festivals every season and many temples vie to parade more elephants as a matter of prestige,’’ says V K Venkatachalam, secretary, Elephant Lovers Association. Last year 96 elephants died, which finally led to the state forest department drawing up more stringent rules.
    But with temples mushrooming in Kerala, many flush with funds from devotees and trusts, the demand for the state’s estimated 400-odd captive elephants is only likely to keep soaring, just like the hits on social media.

GIANT TROUBLE: Star jumbos like Ramachandran are highly valued but also overworked during the festive season, say activists