A festival of 101 life-sized elephant art installations will celebrate the grandeur of the Asian elephant while trying to raise awareness for conservation efforts to protect the national heritage animal.
Organised by wildlife conservation NGO, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), with the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the first edition of 'Gaj Mahotsav' will be held from August 12 at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) here.
Apart from 101 life sized elephant art pieces representing as many elephant corridors of India, the four-day event will also see dance and music performances by artists such as Mallika Sarabhai and Astad Deboo, films and talks by filmmakers Mike Pandey and Krishnendu Bose, an exhibition of elephant-themed art and photographs curated by Ina Puri and Alka Pande.
In addition, there will be various workshops like Bulbul Sharma's story telling for children, shadow puppet workshop by Dadi Pudumjee and a cartooning workshop by Rohan Chakravarthy.
Vivek Menon, Executive Director and CEO-Wildlife Trust of India. expressed the urgent need to protect "our biggest national treasure".
"While we are privileged to have the largest population of these majestic beings in India, our ignorance for their safety and basic right for safe and secure movement across the elephant corridors is also putting human lives in danger. In order to protect India's rich biodiversity, it is imperative for each one of us to recognise that elephants need right of passage," he said.
The event will see active participation from policy makers, industry leaders, influencers from the world of entertainment, sports, arts and culture, eminent conservationists and artists.
Talking about Asian elephant's importance in the Indian culture and tradition, curator Alka Pande, who has curated two shows for the event, said, "The elephant not only has an important physical presence in Indian tradition and culture but is also a metaphor for many elements of a civil society - emotion, intelligence, memory and most importantly, living in herds which teaches us the importance of a family."
The two shows -- 101 elephants and 51 significant photographs -- will draw attention to the "overarching presence of the elephant in our religion, mythology, history and literature with an appeal to give this majestic being its due right to flourish in peace and safety," she added.
India has a little over 27,000 wild Asian elephants, about 55 per cent of the species' estimated global population, yet these natural nomads face an increasingly uncertain future in the country due to growing human population and depleting areas available for elephants to roam.
"Elephants are known as the gardeners of the forests, dispersing seeds far and wide with some plant species relying entirely upon them. Securing safe corridors for these intelligent creatures is vital not just for maintaining biodiversity but for the very survival of the majestic species," Atul Bagai, Head, UN Environment, India Country office, said.
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