A film is a collaboration of various talents like story, acting, music. Through this, film artists are the ones who are doing the work of displaying scenes that cannot be seen in practical life before our eyes. Every year various awards like best film, acting and music are given by private and government organizations to encourage them to work with their talent and dedication.
The Oscars are the highest award given to the film industry by the Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Science in the United States. This award ceremony, which was started on 16th May 1929, has passed 94 years.
The documentary film The Elephant Whisperers, shot at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, has been shortlisted for the 1995 awards. The details of the documentary is as follows:-
The Nilgiri District Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is the oldest in Asia. Various wild animals such as elephants, tigers and bears live here. The forest department, volunteers and some tribal people are working to maintain these.
Pagan is one who comes among them. Those whose job it is to take care of elephants are someone who can respect their feelings. Because of this, elephants are kept in an environment where they are bound by their vote.
Pagans are also doing the work of catching the wild elephants that enter the town and turning them into Kumki elephants, and taking care of the baby elephants who are separated from their mothers in the forest. In this, a couple named Bomman and Belli are Pagans who work at Mudumalai Elephant Sanctuary.
On 26.5.2017, the forest department brought the baby (Raku) who was separated from the mother elephant who died due to electric shock in Dhenkanikottai area of Krishnagiri district to Mudumalai reserve. Similarly, on 26.9.2019, they brought a 5-month-old baby elephant (Bommi) who was separated from her mother in Sathyamangalam forest.
The task of caring for these elephants was entrusted to both Bomman and Pelli. After that they named those elephants as Raghu and Bommi and they were engaged in breeding.
In this situation, Karthiki Konsalves, a female film director from the northern state, got permission from the forest department to make a documentary about elephant care.
After this, Karthiki Konsalves started making a documentary short film focusing on Pomman and Belli, who are involved in raising Raghu and Bommi in the camp. Sensational scenes between the elephant and Pagan were filmed.
The documentary, which was shot over two years, was nominated for an Oscar last year. The documentary The Elephant Whisperers has now been shortlisted.
Bomman said:-
At the age of 10, I came to Bagan to help my father. I knew well the qualities of the elephant and its actions. Later, at the age of 18, I worked as a kavadi (pagan’s helper) for a kumki elephant named Anna. Now 54 years old. Over 40 years of experience in caring for elephants.
I have always had a special fondness for baby elephants. I will personally go with the forest department as soon as I receive information about the baby elephant who is separated from its mother in the forest.
Then we will start searching for its mother. I will monitor the presence of female elephants in the herd of wild elephants during the milking season. Then we will try to reunite the cub with the found mother elephant. At first the cub does not join the mother.
Run with us. Seeing this, the other wild elephants chased us. Then the cub joins the mother. If the mother is not available, we will bring her to the camp with the help of the forest department and take care of her. For this, food is provided in a separate cage.
At night when we are sleeping, the baby elephant will squeal with hunger. No matter what time it makes a noise, we will provide what it needs from time to time and engage in maintenance work. We treat it like our child and maintain it with affection. A female director Karthiki came claiming to be making a documentary.
He also got along well with us and took pictures of the baby elephant. It has now been revealed that he has been shortlisted for the Oscars. It is very gratifying. This is what he said.
His wife Belli said:-
It’s great to see the documentary, which has been in the making for almost 2 years, is shortlisted for the Oscars. This is a source of pride not only for us but also for our village. While taking care of the baby elephants, Konchi plays among us like children. It will accompany you wherever you go, thinking like a birth mother. Like the mother-baby love struggle, there will be resilience in raising a baby elephant. This is what he said.
A shortlist for the Oscars, the documentary is expected to win the award.