Elephants tortured in Kerala, elsewhere

The Centre for Eco-Cultural Studies (CES) had invited that internationally known lady, Sangita Iyer, who has produced an award winning documentary “Gods in Shackles” to visit our country with a laudable motive in mind, to create an awareness and to spare a thought, for the elephants particularly those taken in our ‘Peraheras’; (they stand for hours and walk for miles to entertain and please us!); elephants are also being used for heavy work such as log clearing. Do we spare a thought for them and the suffering they are undergoing? Hardly ever.

They were born to roam in their habitats not to stand chained for hours, as in India, nor walk for miles (also with legs chained) as in Lanka at our Peraheras. Sangita Iyer made a presentation/delivered a lecture at the National Film Corporation Theatre, woke us up for we have only watched elephants parading but almost never giver thought to how the animal was faring -- she has woken us up.

This epic documentary, God in Shakles, which has won eight internationally recognized awagranrds, is a very emotional story which moves people, it reveals the dark side of the southern Indian State of Kerala’s glamorous cultural festivals, where temple elephants are exploited for profit under the guise of culture and religion. I do hope our TV channels will show our public at least excerpts from the documentary to awaken our people to this cruelty.  

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