After four decades of treading forests and nature parks, veteran photographer Rajesh Bedi brings forth his understanding with rare sensitivity. One has to pay attention to understand these gentle giants, he tells Shrabasti Mallik
TThe solemn, watery eye of an elephant, embedded deep in layers of wrinkling skin, looks at you from the wall as if piercing your conscience just to make you realise that they, too, need a closer look and seek love.
“Elephants are majestic creatures. They are intensely social animals. They have large brains, very long memories and are capable of expressing a wide range of emotions and share much with us. One just has to have the eye to notice it,” said veteran wildlife photographer Rajesh Bedi, who has curated his solo works, titled Elephants: The Divine Mystery.
Another photograph titled Poaching shows a man in the front shaving off the remaining flesh off an ivory tusk while another man in the background holds a shovel over his head ready to strike the bloodied flesh of the dead elephant. It depicts the grim reality of how ruthless humans can get when triggered by their greed. A group of pictures on another wall of the Visual Arts Gallery at India Habitat Centre paint a cheerful image with a few baby elephants dancing and prancing in muddy waters on a hot, sultry day. The fact that elephants bear stark resemblance to humans is clearly depicted in a photograph where two mother elephants protectively hug their calves.
The 64 photographs that are on display are the choicest few of four decades of touring forests, national parks and jungles. “Most of the photographs have been taken in Corbett, Rajaji National Park and Chilla Forest. I have also shot in other parts of the country like Assam but those photos I have not displayed here,” Bedi shared candidly.
His association with elephants began when he accompanied his father, naturalist Ramesh Bedi, to explore the forests near his childhood home in Haridwar. It was during those formative years that he developed a fascination for these “shy giants” who inhabited the Himalayan foothill forests. He recalled, “My interest in elephants started when I was nine and followed my father to the Corbett Park where we patiently waited for several days just to take one perfect shot.”
We could fathom how deeply and passionately he felt about elephants when he continued, “No animal on earth can be compared to an elephant when it comes to fascination. Without elephants there is no India, no forests and no water bodies. Elephants need a lot of green and plenty of water. They are like humans — sometimes more than humans. They are mammals and have twins like us. They are sensitive and the leader is always the female.”
For someone who spent over four decades among these animals — tracking their movements, observing their actions and trying to understand their behaviour — he had more deeper insights than an expert. “Their trunk is a combination of hands, nose and fingers. The Indian elephant has one finger which bulges out while the African elephant has got two. It is an amazing creation and they use it to smell, feel sounds and sense vibrations. Their feet can predict natural calamities like tsunami and earthquakes. Their senses are more evolved than humans; we have not reached that level yet. Even science is still revealing some aspects of elephants and there is still a lot to learn and discover. I am learning through my work and if you know the animal better, you can get such intimate images,” he said pointing to a photograph titled A tool for the job where an elephant holds a twig with its trunks and tries to scratch the underside of its broken tusk.
He shared with us his most difficult shot where he tried to capture the agony that a bull (male elephant) has to go through during musth (a periodic condition characterised by aggressive behavior and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones). “He was in rage and attacked our jeep. I captured him, rubbing himself against a tree, right before he charged towards us,” he shared.
Photography, he believes, is not just about going into the forest with an expensive camera and taking pictures. “You have to first understand these pachyderms, spend some time around them and then capture their free spirit. They are very charismatic. You have to be constantly on the move and keep up with their pace considering they are always involved in some kind of activity and do not spare a moment of silence. Even when they are sleeping, their trunks keep moving, occasionally throwing dust or water over their bodies to keep cool. It literally leaves me amazed. No animal can be as majestic,” he added.
Bedi told us that he expects the exhibition to create awareness among people about the need to protect these animals. “The cruelty needs to stop,” he said pointing to the photograph of the Thrissur Pooram where 30 tuskers are adorned with golden headgear and bejewelled ornaments and are made to line up in front of the Vadakkunath temple.
“They are made to stand for long hours in the scorching heat that leaves blisters in the sole of their feet. The Government should make a rule to conduct the festival either in the wee hours of the morning or after sunset. I am not suggesting to leave the elephants out of the festivities but there should be a middle ground where both sides are benefitted,” he wrapped up.
photos Pankaj Kumar