The 'misfit' elephant
Achu is 32 years old. He weighs 5 tons and stands nearly
10 feet tall, making him one of the tallest elephants in the Annakotta.
The first thing you notice about him is his color. Unlike the pale, almost
faded black color of the other elephants, Achu is colored a deep, rich
black. The top of his trunk, between his eyes and the tips of his ears
are covered with peachy-pink freckles.
Achu was brought to the Annakotta when he was 7 ½
years old. He had been taken from his home in the jungles of Assam when
he was barely a year old. After this he had been sold to a rich family
in
Trivandrum in Southern Kerala. He was
well taken care of and was adored by everyone in the household, especially
the children. Once he grew bigger and was properly trained, his master
hoped to earn some money by hiring him out for festivals. Nowadays up to
1 'lakh' rupees (Rs 100,000, approx. 'Euros' 1,200 per day are paid to
rent a good elephant for a day).
Achu's training began early and progressed quite well.
However, as Achu grew, 2 problems developed. For some reason, his legs
were misshaped. Instead of 4 strong, straight legs, they grew slightly
curved and misshapen. The second problem was his trunk. As a baby elephant,
his trunk had seemed normal enough. But as he grew, his trunk seemed to
stop growing half way through the process. Now, instead of a trunk that
swept the ground, Achu was left with a trunk that just barely touched the
ground.
His master soon realized that no respectable temple would
ever hire his elephant to take part in the annual festivals. His dreams
of minting money by hiring out the elephant went up in smoke. Now Achu
was more of a burden to him than an investment. His master decided to sell
Achu as soon as possible. When the brokers of the Devasom Board offered
to buy Achu, his master didn’t think twice. And so, after 6 years in Trivandrum,
Achu found himself being carted off to the Annakotta near Guruvayoor.
Achu soon adjusted to life at the Annakotta. He was used
to being with people and so that didn’t bother him much. However, getting
along with the other elephants was something else. He had had no playmates
in Trivandrum and though he had had friends in the jungle, he hardly remembered
those days. Most of the young elephants picked on him a lot and teased
him because of his legs and his trunk. Though the older ones were friendly
enough, they didn’t like to have him always hanging around. So, Achu became
the loner of the group; keeping to himself and minding his own business.
The years passed. Achu’s peers now vied with each other
to be selected to participate in the annual festivals. They always returned
with wonderful stories to tell; they talked of all the attention they received,
the beautiful lights, the sounds of the bells and drums and the endless
crowds of people who thronged around them. Sometimes, a story of how an
elephant went mad and went on a rampage would be told in soft whispers.
Achu listened to all this with great interest. It was
an experience he would never share. He was put to work in the nearby timber
mill, hauling logs and branches. But, he never sulked or threw tantrums
or cursed his fate. Instead, he learned to find joy in the little things
in life. The very fact that he had such a caring and gentle mahout was
something he was very thankful for. He had slowly made friends with a few
elephants in the Annakotta, and they often chatted together in the evenings,
trading stories and sharing a laugh.
Recently, following a court order, Achu was allowed to
take part in a temple festival. He enjoyed himself thoroughly and made
a few new friends. His mahout has promised to take him every year for the
festival. Today, Achu is happy and content.
