The Elephant Whispers is the first Indian documentary to be awarded an Oscar. This film has achieved such fame on the foreign stage, which no one had got luck till now. The film depicts the story of a couple who raise a baby elephant as their own child. This Indian short film of just 40 minutes made even the firangis emotional.
The Elephant Whispers is actually based on the story of a tribal couple. This is not a fictional story but a real life story. Which has been shown well on the screen. That too in such a way that this short film even won an Oscar. So let us tell you, who are those real life couples?
faced many challenges
Bailey, 50, and her husband Boman raised the baby elephant and loved it like their own child. Boman is a mahout who finds two orphaned baby elephants in the picturesque Mudumalai forests of Theppakadu. Boman brought them home and named them Raghu and Ammu. The mother of the elephant’s children had died due to electrocution. This could not be tolerated by Boman. Then both the children were only three months old. Boman had to face many challenges in raising him. In the beginning, Belly was not at all comfortable in raising these elephant babies. It was very difficult for them. But the incident with the elephant’s mother had melted Bailey’s heart too.
daughter’s death
Beli took care of Raghu and Ammu so much that even when it came to the life of her own daughter, she did not forget to feed them. Bailey and Bowman’s daughter had set herself on fire. By the time Bailey reached there, where her own daughter was fighting for life and death in the hospital. He had passed away. Bailey and Boman’s daughter had a new marriage, after which she was killed by fire. But Bailey could not leave the baby elephants alone. Baby elephants become uncontrollable when alone. By the time Bailey reached there, he could only see the daughter’s burnt body.
Expressed happiness on achievement
In an interview given to Deccan Herald, Bailey said- ‘Raghu and Ammu are my own children. Rather, he has got more love than my son and daughter. We came to know that our story has received a lot of love from all over the world. Got a big award too. We don’t know what it is, but we are happy that everyone has respected our work. Elephants are our God, our lifeline.
Whereas Boman said – It is not easy to raise elephant children. We have had to dedicate a major part of our daily life to him. We have to feed the elephant and give milk on time. We need to be very sensitive to their needs, because they cannot open their mouths and ask us what they want. It is not easy to understand everything.
Sharing his bond with the elephants, Boman said – Caring for orphaned calves requires a lot of attention, care and love. Have to be with them all the time. When we were raising them we could never go anywhere. When he used to sleep, only then we could get some rest. Boman and Bailey are from a tribal caste, who may not have a lot of money but are definitely big hearted. That’s why this touching story of his has won everyone’s heart.