'The calves are like our own children': Meet Bomman and Bellie, the heroes of Oscar-winning short film 'The Elephant Whisperers'

50-year-old Bellie and her husband K Bomman, a mahout, underwent numerous challenges raising two orphaned elephant calves—Raghu and Ammu alias Bommi—at Theppakadu in the picturesque Mudumalai forests.

Bellie had to tend to the calves even when her daughter was struggling for life at a hospital after setting herself ablaze as they couldn’t leave them alone. By the time they reached, her daughter had passed away.

The couple got international recognition for its sacrifices and sufferings as The Elephant Whisperers, a short-film based on the calves they raised, won the coveted Oscar award in the documentary-short category.

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Bellie, who has had a troubled past after she lost her first husband to a tiger attack, married Bomman over a decade ago.

In the beginning, she wasn’t comfortable with animals, but Raghu, who was brought to Theppakadu as a three-month-old calf after his mother elephant died due to electrocution in Krishnagiri district, changed her heart.

“Raghu and Bommi (Ammu) are like my own children. In fact, they got more from me than my son and daughter,” she told DH over the phone.

As the world celebrated the beautiful bonding that the couple shared with the calves brought out in the short film on Monday after the win at Oscars, Bommi was in deep slumber when she woke up to the sound of a knock at her door in Theppakadu, while Bomman’s mobile phone was ringing non-stop while he was at work in deep forests in Dharmapuri.

“I was told that our story of raising the elephant calves has won a big award. While I don’t know what it is, I am happy that our work has been recognised. Elephants are our God and lifeline,” Bellie said.

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The couple spent years together in raising Raghu, and Bommi, a five-month-old calf orphaned in the Sathyamangalam forests in western Tamil Nadu. Raghu was brought to the camp in May 2017, while Bommi alias Ammu came in June 2019.

“It isn’t an easy task to raise elephant calves. We have to dedicate a major part of our daily lives to them. We have to feed the elephant and give milk on time. We need to be very sensitive to their needs as they cannot open their mouth and ask us what they want,” Bomman told DH, expressing happiness at the documentary winning the Oscars.

The bonding that they shared with the calves, Bellie said, cannot be explained in words. “Orphaned calves need a lot of attention, care, and love from the caretakers who should be with them all the time. We could never leave anywhere when we were raising them. Only when they go to sleep, we can catch some rest,” Bellie added.

Their commitment to raising the calves was so much that Bellie couldn’t even rush to the hospital where her daughter from the first marriage was admitted with severe burn injuries after immolating herself. Bomman said there was “no way” they could have left the calves without tending to them to see the daughter.

“By the time we finished our duties, and the calves went to sleep, she was no more. We only saw her body at our house,” Bellie said, adding that she now raises her grandchildren along with her husband.

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The two calves are now being raised by younger mahouts, but Bellie says she can never forget the warmth of Raghu and Bommi (alias Ammu) as she gets to see them every day, but from a distance.

“If the calves see me, they will want me to come and tend to them. They won’t eat and would create a ruckus. And moreover, I cannot see them yearn for our love. I see them from a distance every day and get back to my work,” Bellie added.

Bomman said their happiness knew no bonds at hearing of the Oscar news. “Nothing can substitute the joy of raising orphaned calves. We become the mother and that is such a lovely thing. We are happy that the film that documented our joys and challenges. Raising orphaned calves is a mix of both,” he said.