I watched 'The Elephant Whisperers' after it won the Oscar. And once again i was reminded of what goes into making great art, or creating some thing beautiful and lasting. Debutant director Kartiki Gonsalves researched the lives of the Kattunayakan tribe which lives in the Nilgiris and lives off the forests - the forests are everything for them and provide for their needs. The forest is their god almost.
In this tribe seem to be communities that have learned how to care for elephants. The story is about a middle aged couple (fifties) Bomman and Bellie who have lost their only daughter and their bond with an orphaned elephant 'Raghu' who is entrusted to them by the forest department. Raghu was three months old when Kartiki and her team first saw him and they followed how the couple grew the baby elephant. They rear the baby like it is their own child - its incredible to see the bond they share. Bomman is known elephant caregiver having learned from his father the art of elephant caring and Bellie is also certified as one by the forest department. Satisfied with their performance with the orphaned elephant - apparently there are no known histories of such elephants surviving like this - the forest department give them another baby elephant which is orphaned, Ammu. Tragically the department takes away Raghu after all the care and compassion the couple give it and the parting is painful - but they survive it.
Its life on another plane. If love was the yardstick for this film - the love of Bomman and Bellie for the elephants and vice versa, the love of Kartiki and her team for their craft and their subject, just love that makes everything so nice in the world - whether it is a teacher patiently making a minor adjustment to correct a pupil, or a mother patiently caring for her child - makes it all so beautiful and worthwhile. Something for us to aspire for.
Thank you Kartiki and team. And congratulations!
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