Elephants with physical qualities such as a trunk that touches the ground, broad forehead, long tail, fleshy stomach, big earlobes, forehead with a high density of white-reddish areas, long tusks which curve a little up, 18 white nails, and enforcing height are a few of the body qualities that choose the star status of an elephant.
Like in the modelling market, the celebration market in Kerala, a State popular for celebrations including magnificent jumbos, is under tremendous pressure following big need for elephants with great ‘body functions’. This has actually likewise risen the expense of arranging celebrations.
There has actually been a 100%-200% boost in the rental charges of celeb elephants with excellent physical characteristics. Like the ‘flexi fares’ of airline companies, the charges can increase for a day with a number of celebrations. Around 250 captive elephants are offered for celebrations, around 50 elephants with great physical qualities rule the market. The rates for star elephants likewise had a cascading result on other elephants, stated Valsan Champakkara, secretary of the Kerala Festival Coordination Committee.
Popular functions
Elephants with physical qualities such as a trunk that touches the ground, broad forehead, long tail, fleshy stomach, big earlobes, forehead with a high density of white-reddish areas, long tusks which curve a little up– a specialized of south Indian elephants–, 18 white nails, and enforcing height are a few of the body characteristics that choose the celeb status of an elephant.
Jumbos alone represent one-third of the whole celebration expenditures.
The typical lease of a marvelous elephant will be anywhere in between 3 lakh and 5 lakh throughout the peak celebration season and it can touch 7 lakh on days with lots of celebrations. The rate of a common elephant charged 50,000 usually will increase to 1 lakh on advantageous days. The celebrations in the State, particularly main Kerala, typically function 5 to 50 elephants.
“Considering the variety of popular celebrations, which is pegged at 6,000, and the reasonably smaller sized variety of magnificent elephants, one can presume the expense of celebrations,” stated Mr. Champakkara.
Unhealthy competitors
“The big fan following for celeb elephants typically causes heated arguments and unhealthy competitors at celebration locations. Just recently, an elephant brought from Thiruvananthapuram for a celebration at Kaiparambu Thiruvanikkavu Temple in Thrissur was returned without being paraded following arguments in between 2 taking part committees over its height,” stated V.K. Venkitachalam, basic secretary of the Heritage Elephant Task Force.