In a move to honour the caretakers of India’s captive elephants, Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday inaugurated the country’s first dedicated “Mahout Village” at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
As part of the initiative, 44 tribal mahouts and their assistants, known as Cavadies, received house keys to newly built homes in their names, marking a step toward improving the lives of those who have long tended to the state’s elephants.
The newly constructed Mahout Village includes eco-friendly houses built at a cost of Rs 5.06 crore. The project, developed by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, also features solar lighting, a basketball court, a children’s playground, and a protective solar-powered fence.
The lanes of the village have been named after the elephants housed at the camp.
Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary of the department of environment, climate change, and forests, wrote on X: “Today, a dream comes true! The Elephant Whisperers of India get a village dedicated to them at Theppakadu Elephant Camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.Inaugurated by CM Thiru @mkstalin, the village is an ode to our dedicated Mahouts and Cavadies for their selfless service.”
During the inauguration, members of the local tribal communities welcomed Stalin with music and dance. The chief minister, who is on a five-day visit to the Nilgiris, also planted a sapling at the site and interacted with Bomman and Bellie, the tribal couple featured in the Oscar-winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers.
Stalin fed sugarcane and fruits to elephants, and posed for photographs with them.
The mahout village project follows a 2023 promise made by the chief minister at a ceremony held in honor of Bomman and Bellie. A similar housing initiative with 47 greenhouses had earlier been completed at the Kozhikamuthi Elephant Camp.
Mahouts in India hail from specific ethnic and tribal communities, with generations of families passing down the practice. A mahout forms a lifelong bond with an elephant, caring for it throughout its years of service.
George Orwell, in his essay “Shooting an Elephant,” described how even a tamed elephant gone into ‘must’ could only be controlled by its mahout: “Its mahout, the only person who could manage it when it was in that state, had set out in pursuit…” Orwell’s words reflect the deep trust that forms between the animals and their handlers.
According to National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports, in many parts of south and southeast Asia, mahouts remain central to forestry work, temple rituals, and tourism. They work under challenging conditions, and are typically under-compensated in non-governmental sectors.
