prasad1
Active member
Chennai: It was love at first sight when Sangita Iyer met Lakshmi more than two years ago. The Canada-based documentary filmmaker instantly connected with the elephant, one of the few females found in temples. During a trip in November last year, Iyer was shocked to find Lakshmi's left eye swollen shut, tears constantly streaming from her eyes.
"Her mahout had beaten her mercilessly after she ate some food he had left unattended at Thiruvambadi temple," says Iyer, telling the story of Lakshmi, and other temple elephants in Kerala in her documentary 'Gods In Shackles'.
Born and raised in Palakkad, Kerala, Iyer's love for elephant dates to the time her grandparents took her to the nearby temple, which had a bull elephant.
Though she moved to Canada, her love for the land, and the majestic animal, did not fade.
In December 2013, on a temple tour of Kerala with a conservationist friend, she was moved by the plight of the animals there. "I saw an elderly elephant being hit by the mahout with an iron-tipped long pole. Many had massive tumours on the hips; raw, bleeding wounds on their shackled ankles."
Back in Canada, haunted by the images, she produced a five-minute trailer and launched a campaign to raise funds for a feature documentary. "I returned to Kerala in May 2014 and saw the famous Thrissur pooram, and what I witnessed there convinced me to do the documentary," says Iyer.
'Gods In Shackles' features interviews with one of Kerala's most known priests, Akkeramon Kalidasan Bhattathiripad, poetess Sugadha Kumari, world renowned elephant scientist Raman Sukumar and veterinarian Jacob Cheeran.
Nominated by the International Elephant Film Festival at the UN General Assembly, it has won seven international film festival awards. In Kerala, speaker Sriramakrishnan gave the permission to screen it in the Assembly
"Through the film I want to create mass awareness and educate people about what elephants are undergoing in the name of religion, so that they pressure the government to end this insanity and start protecting India's heritage animal," says Iyer.
The 96-minute film will be screened at CPR Convention Centre, CP Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation at 11am on Wednesday.
There are Animal lovers who are opposed to keeping animals locked in zoos.
http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/showthread.php?t=32110&p=347806#post347806
We must change our attitude to animal sufferings. Ahimsa is not just cow protection, it should include all animals.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-of-temple-elephants/articleshow/53298377.cms
"Her mahout had beaten her mercilessly after she ate some food he had left unattended at Thiruvambadi temple," says Iyer, telling the story of Lakshmi, and other temple elephants in Kerala in her documentary 'Gods In Shackles'.
Born and raised in Palakkad, Kerala, Iyer's love for elephant dates to the time her grandparents took her to the nearby temple, which had a bull elephant.
Though she moved to Canada, her love for the land, and the majestic animal, did not fade.
In December 2013, on a temple tour of Kerala with a conservationist friend, she was moved by the plight of the animals there. "I saw an elderly elephant being hit by the mahout with an iron-tipped long pole. Many had massive tumours on the hips; raw, bleeding wounds on their shackled ankles."
Back in Canada, haunted by the images, she produced a five-minute trailer and launched a campaign to raise funds for a feature documentary. "I returned to Kerala in May 2014 and saw the famous Thrissur pooram, and what I witnessed there convinced me to do the documentary," says Iyer.
'Gods In Shackles' features interviews with one of Kerala's most known priests, Akkeramon Kalidasan Bhattathiripad, poetess Sugadha Kumari, world renowned elephant scientist Raman Sukumar and veterinarian Jacob Cheeran.
Nominated by the International Elephant Film Festival at the UN General Assembly, it has won seven international film festival awards. In Kerala, speaker Sriramakrishnan gave the permission to screen it in the Assembly
"Through the film I want to create mass awareness and educate people about what elephants are undergoing in the name of religion, so that they pressure the government to end this insanity and start protecting India's heritage animal," says Iyer.
The 96-minute film will be screened at CPR Convention Centre, CP Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation at 11am on Wednesday.
There are Animal lovers who are opposed to keeping animals locked in zoos.
http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/showthread.php?t=32110&p=347806#post347806
We must change our attitude to animal sufferings. Ahimsa is not just cow protection, it should include all animals.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-of-temple-elephants/articleshow/53298377.cms
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