Recently, many Hindus have started to raise their voices against captive elephants used by Hindu temples and festivals. It’s about time this comes to an end because Hinduism is against this type of cruelty, but will pseudo-Hindus who dont even know the abc of Hinduism understand?
“Look at her eyes. Look at her body. And ask yourself what kind of devotion demands this? This is Shyamu. She is 32 years old. A gentle, magnificent elephant who is reportedly being used in Ujjain’s Mahakal procession. According to the post, Shyamu tested positive for the deadly EHEV-1 virus last month. And yet, she is still being made to stand for hours apparently for religious spectacle and human amusement. Just look at her. Her skin.
Her tired body. The wrinkles that carry decades of life. The eyes that cannot speak our language, cannot complain, cannot walk away from the people who control her. She cannot tell us, I am exhausted. She cannot say, I am in pain. She cannot say, Please let me rest. But do we really need words to understand suffering? If an animal is sick, the first responsibility of a compassionate society should be care, treatment, rest and dignity not making her endure hours of standing for our entertainment or religious display. Faith should teach us compassion. Devotion should make us kinder.
Tradition should never become an excuse to ignore suffering. Mahakal does not need an exhausted elephant to prove anyone’s devotion. A living being is not a prop. A temple procession is not more sacred than the life of the animal carrying it. Shyamu has spent 32 years serving humans. The least we can give her now is mercy. Please, let her rest.
Let her receive proper veterinary care. Let her live her remaining years with dignity not as an object of spectacle, but as a living soul who feels fear, pain, exhaustion and love. If we truly worship Mahakal, let compassion be our offering.–Vidit Sharma follow–@TheViditsharma
After travelling 4-5 days, Durga reaches Madurai, Tamil Nadu—she’s led into the temple premises by a rope threaded through a hole in her left ear. A life in confinement. She doesn’t know what lies ahead, but here’s praying the little one’s spared the pain we have seen other Assam elephants go through.– Karishma Hasnat
Baby elephant Durga moved from Assam to Madurai, Tamil Nadu, raising questions over the separation of the calf from its mother, amid reports of four elephants being shifted to other locations in Tamil Nadu.
