We Guwahatians are used to of this sight....elephants walking on our roads collecting money and food (fruits,vegetables from the vendors) only if someone offers them willingly.Since the government has banned all the saw-mills these pet elephants are left jobless.This particular elephant has been a family friend(yeah) since last few years ...we come across each other twice to thrice a week at this particular spot .My kids call him Jamboo (not Jumbo),they are very fond of him.The excitement is mutual once we spot each other.One look at our car and he straightaway comes toward us if the traffic is thin on the road.Look at this picture ,there he comes....
Now he knows that it is us,look at him heading towards our car.To tell you honestly,it is quite unnerving for me but who cares .
He inserts his trunk inside the car,gently holds the money offered by my husband.If my kids are in the car they offer him whatever fruit we have with us.All this time i just hold my breath .So i think i did a fair job in clicking these pictures.Sorry that i failed to take the picture where he inserts his trunk inside....my hands are too shaky to hold the camera steadily.If you look closely you can see his trunk holding the money .
We Guwahatians are used to of this sight....elephants walking on our roads collecting money and food (fruits,vegetables from the vendors) only if someone offers them willingly.Since the government has banned all the saw-mills these pet elephants are left jobless.This particular elephant has been a family friend(yeah) since last few years ...we come across each other twice to thrice a week at this particular spot .My kids call him Jamboo (not Jumbo),they are very fond of him.The excitement is mutual once we spot each other.One look at our car and he straightaway comes toward us if the traffic is thin on the road.Look at this picture ,there he comes....
Now he knows that it is us,look at him heading towards our car.To tell you honestly,it is quite unnerving for me but who cares .
He inserts his trunk inside the car,gently holds the money offered by my husband.If my kids are in the car they offer him whatever fruit we have with us.All this time i just hold my breath .So i think i did a fair job in clicking these pictures.Sorry that i failed to take the picture where he inserts his trunk inside....my hands are too shaky to hold the camera steadily.If you look closely you can see his trunk holding the money .
Hahahaa.. your post made me recall a bollywood movie titled 'Haathi mere saathi' :)
ReplyDeleteGood pics and Yes, I was able to spot the currency note!
well that's certainly unusual...
ReplyDeleteI know it would unnerve me. LOL If we saw something like that over here in our country, probably all the cars would stop thinking either a circus or a zoo animal had gotten loose. It's nice they keep them as a family pet rather than have them put to sleep.
ReplyDeleteLOL, Kavita!!! This was a fun post to read. Did the elephant actually recognize your car or did the people on top of the elephant direct him to you?
ReplyDeleteOnly in India would this happen. Can't see this happening in Hawaii!
great pics
ReplyDeleteThis would be nerve racking to me also. Their size is enough to make you want to run. These are nice pictures, thanks for sharing, although it made you shaky. Thank you for stopping by. I agree with Patty, it is nice they don't put them to sleep. Have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteThat's just too scary!
ReplyDeleteMost people do not realise that elephants though very big can be very gentle creatures. They specially can be very friendly to children.
ReplyDeleteLoved the pics. This happens only in India!
How wonderful!!!!
ReplyDeleteAloha from Hawaii my Friend
Comfort Spiral
Frankly, I would be very scared with an Elephant on the road.
ReplyDeleteI think I would be scared too, I know they are gentle and all, but the size is unnerving!! You are brave to take the pictures Kavita...
ReplyDeleteThese pictures made me gasp, then made my heart melt. I never realized elephants could be unemployed! You are amazing to have made friends with him, and help to support his life. If he could speak he would also say "Thank you".
ReplyDeleteis this the same elephant i see when ever am down in gauhati or they have several walking on the roads now a days.????? atleast now we don't have to go far if we want to see one. lol.
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit risky for my taste.... a bit panic while retracting the trunk could upturn the car....
ReplyDeleteThese guys are jobless .. can't they be sent back to the forest, where they belong!
Hi Kavita
ReplyDeleteLike you I might be nervous but I loved the pics of your friend, Jamboo.
Next time you see Jamboo, tell him Margie thinks he is one cool elephant...LOL!
Loved this post, thanks for sharing, my friend!
Margie :) xx
well this dfnitely doesn't scare me at all...i suppose evn m used2 these gentle creatures...they visit us at our home....n we meet each other..i mean the elephants n I..meet each other on most days when m on my way2college....actually they are domestic(ated) animals so i doubt if they cn survive in d jungles..also the elephant is cnsidered as a form of a Hindu god Lord Ganesha...so they r also n object of revrence..its only after readin d above comments that i hv realisd hw unusual it mite seem to most people who do not belong2these parts of d world....
ReplyDeleteWow! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, it might be scary if they come near us, Kavita. Nice of your children to give their fruits to the animal.
ReplyDeleteThey are really soft-natured giants.
Oh wow! Nice job behind the lens there Kavita .. I cud spot the currency note too :P
ReplyDeletewe have this is Kerala too....but mostly they walk great distances from Temple to temples. They are used for temple festivals and even in timber mills i guess. TC.
ReplyDeleteWow! that was so very interesting :)
ReplyDeleteSomething I saw for the very first time.
Thanks for sharing :)
Cheers!!
:)
ReplyDeleteHaathi mera SAATHI yayyyyyyyyyyyyy
superb yar kavita..esp the last photo is gr8...haha like mohan says u should have started singing haathi mere saathi..once when i interviewed rajesh khanna for free press journal, he said that film was a success coz it broke language barriers...how true..
ReplyDelete@Mohan,thanks.
ReplyDeleteLin,yes it definitely is unusual.Thanks.
Patty,i agree with you .Because they are domesticated they lack the skills to survive in a jungle.
Gigi..lol,i think its the people who direct him towards us but we do see some sign of recognition in his eyes,that can only be felt when he comes near us.
SM..thanks.
Margarate Cloud...thanks,i have tried many times but it is really hard to hold the camera steadily at that time.
Blase..nice to see you here.I know how scary it looks.
Aparna...they certainly are very gentle,they sometime bless you too by touching your forehead with their trunk...its unnerving though.lol
Cloudia...thanks.
B.K.Chowla...i know it was scary for us too,initially.
Sujata....the most scariest moment is the time when he is approaching towards you.Kids are not scared but very happy and excited but me (??),you know...shaky,shaky !!
ReplyDeleteClytie..the one reason to give them money is to support their care,we often invite them to our home if we have some banana trees to offer.I will write a post on that too sometime.Thanks.
Margie..thanks,i will tell Jumboo about you,i know he is gonna love it.Hugs to you.
Destiny's Child...Thanks dear.
Sandhya..thanks,my kids have a special place in their heart for Jumboo,my son once had a funny idea of feeding him chips..hee.
Nitu...yes mam,you are right,there are three-four such elephants butthe one you see in our area is this one only...most probably you saw him only.
Sumandebray..i am with you here completely,i have been trying to tell my husband the same thing.
Stuti..welcome.You are right but it is unusual for the others to have witness this at a regular basis like we do.
ZB...One of the many similarities between our states.jai ho !!
ReplyDeleteSwaram...thanks ,anything for blogger,ye pics to lena hi tha.
Bikram...i hope the song stops there only,the next line is "chal re chal khatara kheench ke"...heee
Ramesh..Thanks,if you come here,you too can offer him some crisp currencies.
Chatter box..welcome aboard,i am glad you liked this post.Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLove this post for days!
ReplyDeleteNamaste & Aloha from Hawaii my Friend
Comfort Spiral
Nice pics!This gives me an idea for my next blog post. I was in Kerala last week, and elephants are a common sight on the roads there. But yours is a new experience. These are the most majestic creatures. I simply adore them...
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures and write up...what an experience!
ReplyDeletecute sight it is :D they used to come to our house too :)
ReplyDeleteNice little Jumbo experience. You have go pretty good pics while you were unnerved as you say. Well, we in Kerala too have lots of elephants. But they are used in temple festivals and are owned by wealthy individuals or the temples. Many of our non Keralite friends love the sight of elephant enjoying a ride in a truck
ReplyDeleteFantastic, very intelligent friend! It is pity, that they don't have so many freedom in other countries. Very interesting post!! Greetings:)
ReplyDeleteexcellent pics...can you introduce me to ur friend too? :D
ReplyDeleteNice post. Beautiful pictures. Nice narration. Brought back fond memories that I experienced in Trichy, Tamilnadu, on our visit. Elephants are sooo majestic. I love them.
ReplyDeleteStill a great post, Kavita...
ReplyDeleteNice pics. :) The last one in which it is holding money is good. :) Its nice to know about Jumboo. :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful post. Here this happens in Southern part in smaller towns. But this is mostly during festival season.
ReplyDeletehaha nice elephant ,
ReplyDeletehey i am sorry about your elephant he dont have shoes, can i but shoes for him, poor elephant his legs are burning due to heat
http://smsjar.blogspot.com/
good nitu has not seen that post..dont tell her hehe..
ReplyDeleteI like the post and the photos are wonderful. I'm stopping by to say “hi”! I hope you are doing well and everything is going okay. Hope your week was the best
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Beautifull.........!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely and beautiful post. Elephant is my favourite animal and your post made me extremely happy. You have taken spectacular shot. Great post. I enjoyed very much.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how intelligent these animals are.
ReplyDeleteThats interesting.
ReplyDeleteThey say they have a good memory.
But this is a common sight now a days in any part of India.
Kavita,
ReplyDeleteI would have never found about it. These things are not published in newspaper...your post is so good..it is almost like living there.
Hi Kavita! Greetings! Glad to stop by from @A's blog. Nice to meet you and your friend elephant.
ReplyDeleteKeep up your good cheer.
Hi Kavita,
ReplyDeleteYou have a nice BLOG! A's blog got me in here. Keep writing and we'll be reading.:)
- Ashwini
What a fascinating post. Lucky enough to have so many good friends, I'd love it if an elephant were amongst them.
ReplyDeleteCame here from A's blog. Though elephants are gentle but the sight of them on the road still makes me feel nervous :).
ReplyDeletehey dear ,really glad to meet you found you through A,
ReplyDeletethese pics are amazing and great fun,
i like this creature but hardly can,but only when we visit to zoo,
but in india i know it is pretty common to find it around i think,
god bless and best wishes dear
Thanks a lot Amrit ,NRI Girl,Rachna,Bhargavi,Baili :)
ReplyDelete