With Dasara season round the corner the elephants are bracing for their annual tryst with the city. Though the Dasara High Powered Committee will decide on the scale of the festival this year in its meeting on September 3, the Forest Department is geared with the tentative list of elephants set to grace the festivities.
The celebrations were scaled down last year due to the pandemic and all cultural programmes were cancelled while the elephants had their customary presence.
However, Deputy Conservator of Forests Karikalan said that in case the festival is scaled down, 7 elephants will suffice and if it is a full-fledged event then they will have 14 elephants from a list of 17 of which 12 will participate and two will be on standby.
He said they have a tentative list of 17 elephants and the technical committee in its meeting on September 2 will finalise the list based on their health history of the recent past, as to whether they were vaccinated for foot and mouth disease etc. In case of female elephants the veterinarians have to submit a report on whether the elephants are still tending a calf or whether they are pregnant etc.
However, the Forest Department is taking a long-term view of the situation and scouting for the next elephant to carry the golden howdah once Abhimanyu retires in a few years from now.
Abhimanyu took the mantle from Arjuna who was rested after attaining 60 years of age last year. A veteran of Mysuru Dasara having graced the festivities with his presence for almost 20 years, Abhimanyu - who leads the combing operations in the forests and known to take on the rampaging wild tuskers head on to subdue them - will be hard to replace.
Any exercise to replace Abhimanyu should start now and hence there is a renewed focus on the male elephants in the prime of their youth. Mr.Karikalan said that they have identified Ashwathama who was captured in an operation a few years from Sakleshpur in Hassan as one with lots of promise. Ashwathama is not only mighty and has a strong presence but matches Arjuna in height though he may have to gain some weight.
However, the elephant tends to panic and hence his mahout is not confident. So there are plans to deploy Ashwathama for jungle patrol duties along with Abhimanyu so that he sheds his nervousness and his fit to carry the golden howdah in future, according to Mr. Karikalan.
But there are others also in the wings who match the majesty of Arjuna and Abhimanyu. But they need to be familiarised with the city and Dasara ambience apart from deployment on Dasara duties for a few years. The list includes Dhananjaya, Gopi, Gopalswamy and Rajendra, said the official.
