Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday felicitated Bomman and Belli — who had featured in the Oscar-winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers, here.
The couple, caretakers of elephants at Mudumalai in the Nilgiris district, met the Chief Minister, days after the documentary bagged the Academy Award.
Stalin presented each of them cheques of Rs 1 lakh, besides a shield and shawl to honour them, an official release said.
The Elephant Whisperers, in its 39-minute runtime, depicts an unbreakable bond between two abandoned elephant calves Raghu and Amu and their caretakers, Bomman and Belli. It is produced by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain of Sikhya Entertainment.
The release said the documentary showcased the Tamil Nadu forest department’s functioning and the efforts towards elephant caretaking.
The CM has announced Rs 1 lakh each to the 91 persons working in the two elephant camps in Tamil Nadu — Mudumalai and Anaimalai, it added.
He has also announced Rs 9.10 crore towards constructing houses for them. The elephant camp located in the Anaimalai tiger reserve in Coimbatore district will be upgraded at a cost of Rs 5 crore.
An elephant camp with all required facilities will be established at Savadivayal in Coimbatore district, the release added.
Later, speaking to reporters, Bomman said rearing of elephants was not easy and that they showed the same care to the calves like that being showed to children.
Kartiki Gonsalves, who directed the documentary, expressed joy over Stalin meeting the couple.
“Overjoyed and so proud to see Bomman & Bellie honoured by our honourable Chief Minister @mkstalin after ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ won the first academy award for India for an independent film at 95th Academy Awards,” she said in a tweet.
Overjoyed and so proud to see Bomman & Bellie honoured by our honourable Chief Minister @mkstalin after ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ won the first academy award for India for an independent film at 95th Academy Awards@supriyasahuias @EarthSpectrum @TheAcademy @netflix @sikhyaent https://t.co/NbbsI9EWlp
— Kartiki Gonsalves (@EarthSpectrum) March 15, 2023
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On Monday, Belli had said that she loves being a ‘Valarppu Thaai’ (foster mother) for abandoned young pachyderms.
“I do not know about Oscar award,” was Belli’s response to The Elephant Whisperers winning honours at the 95th Academy Awards. She however said she was excited to receive the wishes, which were pouring in.
“I have reared many such elephants, treated them like my own children, looking after them as a foster mother (valarppu thaai), particularly those who lose their mothers in the jungle,” Belli told PTI.
She further said, “This was in our blood, as our ancestors were also working like that, as described by our grandmother, who comes from a mahout family”.
Read more: The Elephant Whisperers, RRR triumph at Oscars 2023, create history
On the documentary winning an Oscar, Belli quipped, “I do not know about the award. But I am very happy and excited as congratulations are pouring in.”
Asked about her ‘hero and husband’ Bomman in the documentary, she said that he had gone to Salem to bring an elephant which had some serious problem and was eagerly waiting to serve the new arrival.
The couple work as mahouts at Theppakkadu elephant camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in The Nilgiris district and look after the needs of jumbos.
