Faces of India – 294 Mahout in Sakrebailu Elephant Camp

If you observe the picture carefully you can very easily say what he does for a living. Could you guess rightly that he is a mahout? I met him in Sakrebailu Elephant camp in Shimoga. This is one of the active and famous elephant camp of north Karnataka. During our visit there we saw around 14 elephants. Their bathing session over , they were being fed by the mahouts.

This mahout seemed to be the senior most there. He is working there for 35 years! He loves the elephants and loves his work. I saw him monitoring the feed of the elephants. He was too busy to talk to me for long, and though he was talking to me his attention was elsewhere.

Faces of India,

Faces of India is a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. I bring back souvenirs, frozen moments from my travels, why not some memories of people I have met and interacted during the travels. Faces of India is a weekly series in my blog since MARCH 2011. See more here…

Mahout Shimoga

 

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Wordless Wednesday - 405
Wordless Wednesday - 404

21 Responses to “Faces of India – 294 Mahout in Sakrebailu Elephant Camp

  • A very nice story about a man few would notice.Keep up this great work

  • Cool portrait! I hope there are more information and stories you could share for your readers 😀 Keep it up!

  • Very beautiful! Love this series. Keep it up. So many great stories behind these faces.

  • Imagine 35 years of taking care of elephant. The series showcases several faces and leads to a story behind every face. I like the concept. A very single portrait that leads to a story behind it. 🙂

  • I remembered Elephants will only trust 1 mahout his entire life. Mahout are those who guide the elephants. 35 years is not surprising as, most of the elephants need their trainers to be with them entire life. Love this picture because it is taken in the angle where the elephant is closing it’s eyes. I hope this Mahout is not one who poke the elephant to train him for rides though. I heard terrible stories of elephant rides.

  • He sounds sincere and wise to know much about forest and wildlife… Good to see him in uniform which is something I ever seen in a mahout.

  • I love this! It’s so unique and different compared to many other blogs! I love how you’re incorporating portraits of the people to incorporate a story. After all, an image tells 1000 stories! It almost reminds me of “The Humans of New York”

    I’ve had a flick through some of your other photographs! You’re incredibly talented! I look forward to seeing more of your work! Keep up the incredible work!

  • i agree… it is not easy talking to a devoted mahout who keeps his attention on his charge.. and it is not easy to find someone who is passionate about his job as well… love how you captured his portrait…

  • Nice to know about such a passionate mahout! Hats off to him 🙂
    Thanks for sharing 🙂 TC and keep smiling 🙂

  • A very nice portrait! 🙂

  • You were able to show us the face of a hardworking man and at the same time who loves his work. His love for his craft can be seen in his eyes and how he dresses us for work. Such a nice way to introduce to beginners and reintroduce to locals the beauty of India and its people.

  • After 35 years and counting, I suppose he is so used to his routine that anything else he does takes a backseat to his main profession. Great shot capturing the profile of what can be called ordinary people. But your subject is not doing anything ordinary at all. It’s not every day you see people taking care of elephants!

  • Great portrait. I love this series where you present so many different kinds of people and their stories 🙂

  • You’re really doing a great job with this series. This is so interesting! I had never heard of the words Mahout, so I wouldn’t have guessed his profession right! Wow, so he’s working there already for 35 years. That’s really impressing. Must be because he loves his work and the elephants.

  • Indeed a photo that says a hundred words!

  • I love how a single photo can tell a thousand words! India has a rich culture and your “Faces of India” series is a good and interesting way to present it.

    PS. Love all your photos!

  • The series ‘Faces of India’ is a beautiful concept. It brings to notice our everyday experiences that we we are aware of only vaguely.

  • Yes I can see the Elephant on the back ground. Nice portrait!

  • Nice portrait. Thank for the post.

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