Elephants have long been suspected of having emotional attachments at par with humans. In the Indian state of Kerala, another such example came to light and took the internet by storm. The elephant’s mahout, a traditional Indian designation for someone who rides, trains, and cares for an elephant, had passed away. On 3rd June, his elephant paid what can only be described as a tribute to his beloved mahout on 3rd June. The incident took place in the Kottayam district of Kerala.
Touching. Elephant paying last respect to his Mahout. WA forward. pic.twitter.com/lZjBRyEdpO
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) June 4, 2021
The mahout’s name was Damodaran Nair, also known as Omanachettan. He had been fighting cancer, and finally lost the fight on 3rd June. The name of his elephant is Pallattu Brahmadathan. He, amazingly, turned up at the place where his body was being prepared for the final rites. There, he paid the last respects for the mahout. Brahmadathan used his trunk to touch the permanently resting Damodaran Nair. People present to witness it could not hold back their tears at the touching scene. The son of Damodaran also embraced his father’s companion while breaking down and sobbing.
Immediately afterward, Brahmadathan took a step back and curled his trunk as if to acknowledge everyone present. Then, he took his leave from the funeral on his own accord. A majestic act indeed from a majestic animal.
Elephant Brahmadathan Won The Hearts Of All
Users on social media platforms had their heartstrings pulled by the video of the scene. They soon flooded the post with their loving thoughts and prayers. Most of them admitted to crying at the sadness that the animal showed to his companion from another species.
Damodaran Nair has been training elephants and been a professional mahout for more than six decades, his survivors explained in an interview. They added that Nair had been a mahout to Brahmadathan for the previous two and a half decades. Incidentally, the two of them had been present at several festivals together.
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The first one to own Brahmadathan was a resident of Kottayam’s Puthuppally. From the first owner, Rajesh and Manoj Pallattu purchased the grand elephant. Then, in a place called Pala, Brahmadathan and Damodaran Nair met each other for the first time. About 25 years had passed since then.
The Relation They Shared Was Unique
Rajesh Pallattu, one of the people who own the animal, said that Omanachettan had only one final wish. It was to catch a final glimpse of the beloved animal. Fortunately, they managed to grant him that wish before the body was cremated as part of the final funeral rites.
He also explained that Brahmadathan and Damodaran Nair’s relationship was extremely deep. The mahout used to think of the creature as a son of his. The Pallattus considered Omanachettan as a part of their family. In the same way. Brahmadathan had also come to be considered a part of the family. Rajesh called the relationship a special one even among others between mahouts and relationships. Omanachettan was famous for his skill in training elephants.
The last festival that the pair had attended was on 23rd April in Thrissur Pooram. There the pair of Damodaran and Brahmadathan have their leadership in conducting the annual elephant race known as Thiruvarppu Anayottam.
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Omanachettan had carried out his duties as the mahout of Brahmadathan actively even in the previous week. In his final days, the mahout had uttered his final wish. Hearing it, Rajesh brought Brahmadathan all the way from his house to the mahout’s house, separated by a distance of 25 kilometers.
In the end, Rajesh recalls a memorable incident. On 23rd March 2003, Damodaran was almost hit by another elephant during an elephant race. But Brahmadathan had immediately come to his mahout’s rescue and saved his life. The moment forever etched itself in everyone’s heart.
