An elephant never forgotten

Dasara elephant Balarama weighs 4630 kg at weighing bridge on Dhanvantri Road in Mysore on Saturday

Balarama,

File pic of Balarama carrying 750kg golden howdah during a Dasara Jumbo Savari procession in Mysuru. Photo by special arrangment. 

Dasara Elephant photos by Srikumar M Menon

Dasara Elephant photos by Srikumar M Menon

The cover page of ‘Balarama’s Story - An Elephant’s Journey’.

Dasara Elephant Balarama carrying wooded howdah as part of reharsal ahead of Dasara Celebrations, at Kote Anjaneya Temple premises in Mysuru on Thursday September 21, 2017 - PHOTO / IRSHAD MAHAMMAD

Dasara elephants led by Arjuna (centre) Balarama, Varalakshmi, Mary and Abhimanyu during Gajapayana at Nagapura, near Girijana Ashrama School in Hunsur taluk on Thursday.ಜಂಬು ಸವಾರಿ ದೃಶ್ಯ

Dasara Elepant Balarama undergo weighing procedure, at Dhanvanthri Road in Mysuru on Friday August 18, 2017 - PHOTO / IRSHAD MAHAMMAD

Decked in flowers and intricately painted, Balarama was a sight to see in the famed Mysuru Dasara jamboo savari. In the last few years, Balarama was bestowed with the title of ‘nishaane aane’, beginning the procession with his mahout carrying the gandaberunda insignia on a flag following behind. This was after 13 consecutive terms of carrying the celebrated golden howdah.

Known for his gentle temperament, Balarama captured the imagination of Mysuru and the state, soon after. His active fanbase grew so far and wide that he warranted a Wikipedia entry. He was even featured in a book, titled ‘Balarama: A Royal Elephant’, written and illustrated by Ted and Betsy Lewin.

The renowned tusker breathed his last at the age of 65 on Sunday, to the grief of the state. Of the 16 procession elephants, Balarama had participated in the Dasara procession for 25 years.

The pachyderm’s stint as the poster boy for the festival began when he was captured in 1987 in the Kattepura forests of Kodagu. He was 30 years old then.

At the time, Balarama’s family of eight, was ‘notorious’ for entering fields and scrounging food in crop fields situated at the edges of the forest. “We do not capture wild elephants unless there is human-animal conflict. They are then taken to a camp and trained,” says Dr D N Nagaraj, a veterinarian who cares for the Dasara elephants. Elephants that reside in camps are key to managing conflict between wild animals and humans — particularly in tiger and elephant capture.

When he was wild and free, Balarama was also known to favour home-brewed country liquor, frequently entering and consuming large quantities in these informal breweries. In fact, Abhimanyu, the current lead elephant of the Dasara procession, was key in capturing Balarama.

Training for Dasara

After he was trained at a makeshift camp near the Hemavathi river , Balarama soon became a hit among mahouts and kavadis at the camp. He had also participated in the jamboo savari as a saalaane (elephant procession) in the 1990s. When the howdah elephant of the time, Drona, was electrocuted to death while grazing, Balarama stepped up to the mantle.

“There are several considerations we have to keep in mind while selecting an elephant to be a part of the procession, let alone giving the responsibility of carrying the howdah,” says Nagaraj.

Being an ambaari elephant is no easy task. The golden howdah weighs 750 kilograms — the strength, height and weight all hold significance. Elephants with rounded backs generally are unable to carry the howdah.

“The length of the trunk, tusk and the shape of the head are all also taken into account,” he adds.

Most important of all is the ability to focus on a task and not be overwhelmed by other animals, music and festivities that are characteristic of a Dasara procession. Balarama understood this task all too well.

“Aesthetically, he not only had all the qualities required for an ambaari elephant, but he was the calmest elephant I have ever seen, ” says Srikumar M Menon, a writer who wrote about the elephant.

Deputy conservator of forests at the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve Harshakumar Chikkanaragund confirms, “ Balarama was well-behaved around children and other animals as well.”