1. DC
HYDERABAD Sunday 8 March 2009 20
Our lady of
all-arounders the elephants
K. VENUGOPAL
DC | KERALA
M
s Nibha Namboodiri, the first female
mahout of India, found it easy to guide
and control an elephant with a little stick.
However, convincing vested interest
groups on the need to show more compassion to the
animal proved to be a much more difficult task. So
much so, that Ms Nibha, 36, a trained zoologist, has
taken a sabbatical from her favourite vocation — ele-
phant care — and is involved in some cultural activi-
ties in Thrissur at present.
“I had to face much opposition,” she says. “I also
spent much money to protect the elephants in my care.
A poster that has been Let us say that it caused a burnout.”
created for the campaign Some years ago, the media had gone to town with
(left) Harish Iyer pictures of Ms Nibha atop an elephant but chose to
ignore her real passion. “I don’t want to be a feminist
icon like that,” she says. “I don’t have the tempera-
India campaign on ment of a mahout. I’m more interested in caring for
International Women’s the animal.”
Day. In fact, Ms Nibha had taken the
“Our symbol of protest is “I’M MORE mahout course merely to get to know
a whistle. Sita Sainiks the elephant better. “I was concerned
seete bajao — a line that INTERESTED about animals, especially elephants,
Sita Sena to
Shobaa De has coined for IN CARING from childhood,” she says. “I wanted
us — is our slogan of to be a Jane Goodall.”
protest. We are heading FOR THE But this was difficult in Kerala,
out on the streets with ANIMAL” where the elephant is treated more as a
video cams to shoot spectacle and not as a sentient being
women from all walks of which can feel pain.
your rescue
life. We will ask them “We keep elephants closely packed
questions like — ‘Do together in Pooram festivals forgetting that they
women feel safe walking require psychological space,” she says. “We forget
alone at night? Does a that the noise of festivals stresses them up.”
woman need a man?’ We Her words are ominous since in the ongoing festival
will all make our own season itself, several tuskers have run amok killing
videos. Upload them on dozens of people.
Youtube and kick start a Ms Nibha spoke about all this and this infuriated so
‘Sita Sena’, as a group of young men call themselves, massive net campaign. called ‘elephant lovers’ and temple committees. Soon,
is a dig at the Ram Sena which committed And, every woman will she found herself all alone.
register her protest by She also did not side with the extremist fringe
atrocities against women in Mangalore recently whistling,” explains Harish among animal rights activists who want to ‘liberate’
Iyer. elephants and unleash them in forests. “They will not
‘
As inane as it may be able to adjust to the forest habitat,” warns Ms
PRIYA RAMACHANDRAN sound, the campaign has Nibha, who has compiled a book on handling ele-
MEN FOR WOMEN DC | HYDERABAD grabbed eyeballs across phants.
the country. “This whole To prove her point that society can treat elephants in
● Inspired by the Sita Sena blog, I have started
O
n a day when campaign has been great a better way, she started a care centre in her ancestral
a Hyderabadi community on Facebook for women’s organisa- fun for everyone who is a house, Kooderi Mana, in Tirur. But it was a drain on
like-minded Sita sainiks. We are planning to start tions all over the part of the Sita Sena. We her resources. Though saddened by the rebuffs, she
a vidblogs with videos shot in the city, which will world will demand help have got interesting bytes has not given up. “My heart is still there,” she says. “I
have men speaking out on how the moral brigade and support against from everyone, mostly just need more funds to get back to work.”
can be fought. Women today are strong enough to oppression and male dom- men worth voicing out.
take on anyone who tries to put them down. They ination, Harish Iyer, We need such simple yet
don’t need any pity or rescuing, they just need their a 29-year-old creative innovative campaigns that
voices to be heard. And, that’s what we are doing. resource in a communica- remind people to speak
Rahul K, CBIT tions company in Mumbai, out. We can’t allow
hopes to create ‘her’ story women to be abused by
● Male domination in all facets of life is a reali- of a different kind, along men who claim to be
ty that women have to deal with everyday. It is with fellow crusaders. Sita guardians of Indian
men who have to take a step back and not Sena, as the group of culture,” he exclaims.
indulge in gender politics. Every woman is an young men call them- And, while women will
individual first and that must be respected. The selves, is an obvious dig at blow ‘whistles’ to protest,
moral brigade may have taken upon themselves the fundamentalist group men will wear their short-
the task of ‘protecting Indian’ culture, but we Ram Sena who committed est shorts, says Harish.
have to hit back. The Sita Sena is a wonderful idea atrocities against women “Why is it that men are
and the Hyderabad chapter plans to chronicle the in Mangalore. never obscene? Even if
opinions of women across the city who are not “We men shouldn’t get they wear a lungi that
afraid to take on such chauvinists. up to support and protect exposes most of their
Raunak Shah, student
● Right from the inception of the Pink Chaddi
campaign, I loved the idea of innovative protests.
If your voices are being muffled, it is best that
you be heard in a different way. I have made a
couple of campaign posters for the Sita Sena and
I plan to put them up at every college and work
place in the city. Every man should unite for this
cause to give woman the respect she deserves.
‘ the women. We won’t. We
don’t believe women are
weak and need support.
They could get up and be
counted as a force to
reckon with. We men will
merely and merrily join
the strong, thriving, mot-
ley woman gang,” reads a
post on the Sita Sena blog
body, they aren’t vulgar.
So, we will wear shorts to
show these ‘moral
guardians’ that women
don’t have to always carry
the burden of ‘upholding’
Indian culture. Whereever
you are, pull out these
really short shorts and
seete bajao to celebrate
Athindernath S, IT professional that is calling for a pan womanhood,” he adds.
It hasn’t been a smooth ride for mahout Nibha