Tusker tales

Thrissur Pooram presents the ultimate treat for elephant lovers. Nothing can beat the thrill and excitement of watching them being paraded for the Pooram

An avid Thrissur Pooram enthusiast would definitely be acquainted with Guruvayoor Padmanabhan, Thiruvambady Sivasundar, Thechikottukavu Ramachandran, Guruvayoor Ravikrishnan, Pampady Rajan and so on. For the uninitiated, they are not names of people but that of renowned tuskers paraded during the famous Thrissur Pooram for decades.

            Elephants are an integral part of Thrissur Pooram. One cannot imagine a pooram without the presence of colourful caparisoned elephants. And these pachyderms are one of the main attractions of Thrissur Pooram, drawing spectators and admirers from across the globe. V K Venkatachalam, secretary, Heritage Animal Taskforce, Thrissur, believes that elephants are a major attraction for the foreigners and tourists visiting Kerala and they come to see the pooram just for the love of elephants.

             Bangkok based Else Geraets, couldn’t agree more. “I have always been fascinated by elephants. It was a unique experience for me to watch the elephants greet Mother Goddess at the temple, by lifting one of its feet and curling the trunk above its head, making that typical truncating sound,” recollects 70 year old Geraets. 

            For Kottayam based businessman Kochumon alias Shobit M Thomas, nothing is more rewarding than watching his 40 year old tusker, Pampady Rajan, being paraded for Paramekkavu at Thrissur Pooram. Bought on auction in 1974 from Ooty, Rajan participates in about 65 poorams in a year. He is being rested this year and in turn, it is Pambady Sundaran, bought from Bihar, who is being paraded for the Pooram. “He is an absolute beauty, one of the tallest elephants in Kerala. It is a matter of honour for the tusker to be a part of the madathilekku varavu ceremony, in which the thidambu is taken from the temple to Naduvil Madom,” says Kochumon.

          Owning an elephant is a matter of pride and honour for the elephant lovers across the state. 65 year old K V Balakrishna Shenoy, retired chief engineer, vividly recollects his father, bringing home his first elephant in 1960, when he was only 10 years old. Tusker Shenoy Chandrasekharan was bought in 1989 for Rs one lakh and has been to the Thrissur pooram only once in 1993. Maintenance of tuskers is an expensive affair, no doubt, but most people do it out of sheer love for the elephants. “I don’t keep Chandrasekharan for monetary benefits but for the mental satisfaction of watching him being paraded at temple festivals,” adds Shenoy.

          A good elephant in perfect health will be able to attend an average of 80 festivals in a span of 6 months from November to May. According to Prof M Madhavankutty, President, Thiruvambady Devaswom, great care is taken for the welfare and protection of elephants lined for the Pooram. “We ensure adequate rest, fodder and water for the tuskers. The ground where the elephants stand is watered regularly, apart from providing wet sacks and green shades to keep their bodies cool. Besides, watermelon, pine apple and cucumber are fed to beat the scorching heat. The tuskers are paraded for the Pooram only after an expert medical team examines them and gives a fitness certificate,” explains Madhavankutty, a Pooram aficionado. 

          Born and brought up in Tripunithara, Krishnanath Venkataraman, COO, ITflux Technologies, Kochi, is no stranger to the grandeur of temple festivals. An ardent lover of elephants and melams, he has been going to the Thrissur Pooram since the age of ten and rarely misses it. Venkataraman sums it up best when he says, “Elephants for me is next to God and I have great regard for them. And aanayoottu, the tradition of feeding these pachyderms at home, is an opportunity to pay my reverence to them.”