This writer had earlier brought such pathetic plights of Indian elephants, particularly that of the South Indian (Kerala specific) where they are considered to be a must item during the temple festival season February to April every year. Perhaps caparisoned elephants became a show piece since time immemorial, when the Kings ruled the provinces of Kerala. Since the eastern ghats or the Neelgiri hill terrain of the State was full of elephants, trapping them and making them into use for not only during the temple festival season but also getting several other hard jobs done through them during off season; these poor creatures too now start feeling the crunch of their miss-use by greedy people. The arduous process the animal has to pass through need no reiteration as Leela Ramaswamy had narrated it well. Earlier, when the matter went to the courts, people thought that finally the Supreme Court of India would decide positively but its decision last year by allowing the Trissur Pooram to continue with all its pomp and show, including the much disturbing competitive fire works, despite severe objections from animal right activists, environmentalists and health conscious citizenry, all hopes to put a stop to it all were dashed. Now that this year, the elephantine behavior, thereby a couple of precious lives were trampled by infuriated pachyderms, the matter need further re-consideration on the animal right view-point.

Further, this question also need to be debated hotly these days when the disturbing problem of global warming, climate change and the water crunch that would even pave the way for a third world war, the Indian brand spiritualism, involving large scale cutting of fully grown up trees to make brand new chariots to Lord Jagannath of Puri (Cuttack district of Orissa) for annual temple ritual where the mercury shoot up to 50 degree C, thereby more than 50 people were devoured by heat-wave in mid April. The unfortunate incident of elephants going berserk, unbearable of the rising heat where they are so mercilessly being used for no real spirituality but for a couple of people to make a living out of this otherwise avoidable showbiz. Not only in Kerala but there was report from Assam too that elephants of the jungles start feeling the pinch on illegal human encroachment of their natural habitant. They have started reacting violently by destroying even the paddy fields that shows they have lost all their patience. Doubtlessly, it is now a question of asserting their own right to survive at any cost.