Chennai : Belly, a tribal woman who came into limelight after starring alongside her husband Bomman in the Oscar-winning documentary ‘The Elephant Whispers’, has been appointed by the Tamil Nadu government as the state’s first woman mahout assistant “Kevadi”. They will be posted at the state government-run Theppakkadu elephant camp in Nilgiris district. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin handed over the appointment letter of the Forest Department to Bailey at the secretariat.
Top officials and Bailey’s husband Bomman were present on the occasion. In an official release, the government said she has been given the appointment in recognition of her dedication and exemplary services in rearing abandoned baby elephants. Prior to her appointment, Bailey was a temporary assistant (cavedi) in charge of elephants. The Theppakkadu Elephant Camp, located in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris district, is one of the oldest elephant camps in the whole of Asia.
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Each elephant in the camp is groomed by a mahout and helper from the tribal community. Bailey and Bomman work as mahouts at Theppakkadu Elephant Camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris district and take care of the baby elephants. The Tamil-language documentary ‘The Elephant Whispers’ was awarded the Oscar award in the ‘Documentary Short Subject’ category in March. ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, depicts the unbreakable bond between Raghu and Amu, two orphaned baby elephants and their caretakers Bomman and Bailey. This documentary is produced by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain of ‘Sikhya Entertainment’. (agency)
