“IOTD” is image of the day, a concept I came up with. I teach visual meditative therapy – or in easy terms – a mini mental holiday. For some people it is very difficult for them to get their image right. I post an image a day for people to use in their mini mental vacay. Some are serious, some are silly, and some are just beautiful!”
Sunder, a temple elephant in Maharashtra might have been tortured for his entire life but a recording of his abuse has helped to free him.
This elephant has survived abuse that no animal should. He was chained and beaten and it would have continued if not for the launch of a massive campaign backed by international celebrities like Paul McCartney and Pamela Anderson to set him free.
He was mistreated at a temple in Maharashtra by his mahout and later abused when he was kept locked up in a poultry shed.
But Sunder has now been rescued and taken to the Bannerghatta Biological Park, outside of Bangalore. Dr Sunil Kumar, a vet who accompanied the elephant said the biggest concern was a swelling on his leg caused by years of continuous chaining.
He made the long journey of 680 kms from Kolhapur to Bangalore by road in a truck and arrived at the park.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) uploaded a new video:
Rescued Elephant Makes New Friends
One year ago TODAY, Sunder completed his journey from abuse to freedom.
This is his story.
You can SEE how freedom has changed him!
~~GALLERY~~
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~~Sunder, the Elephant’s Inspiring Story~~
~~Published on Mar 31, 2015~~
Sunder the elephant spent years in chains, first at a temple, then outside the home of a powerful local politician.
PETA India filmed workers who beat Sunder even though he was chained and unable to move.
He wasn’t given enough food or protection from the scorching heat or monsoon rains.
Perhaps worst of all, Sunder never even saw another elephant.
But thanks to PETAIndia, all that changed. After an extensive campaign involving protests, meetings with officials, and celebrity support, the Indian Supreme Court ordered that Sunder be freed and sent to a wildlife park.
Finally, Sunder is enjoying freedom, plenty of food, and, best of all, the company of other elephants.
Narayanan Krishnan (born in 1981 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu) is an Indian chef-turned-social worker
~Early life~
Krishnan was an award-winning chef with Taj Hotels, Bangalore and was short-listed for an elite job in Switzerland. After witnessing a distressing incident in 2002, he quit his job and began feeding the homeless and mentally disabled in his hometown. He said, “I saw a very old man, literally eating his own human waste out of hunger. I went to the nearby hotel and asked them what was available. They had idli, which I bought and gave to the old man. Believe me, I had never seen a person eating so fast, ever. As he ate the food, his eyes were filled with tears.
Those were the tears of happiness.
~Career~
Krishnan founded the Akshaya Trust organization in 2003, which helps to feed the homeless and mentally-disabled in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. He serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to 425 indigent and elderly people in Madurai.
He also provides haircuts and shaves to give dignity to those he serves.
He was selected as one of the Top 10 in “CNN heroes 2010” list.
The character Narayanan Krishnan played by Jayaprakash in the Dulquer Salmaan 2012 Malayalam film Ustad Hotel is based on him.
Narayanan Krishnan (born 1981) is an Indian chef turned social worker. He quit his career as a leading chef and began supplying meals to the homeless in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, beginning in 2002.
Krishnan founded his nonprofit Akshaya Trust in 2003. Every day, he wakes up at 4 a.m., cooks a simple hot meal and then, along with his team, loads it in a van and travels about 125 miles (201 km) feeding the homeless and mentally-disabled in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
He serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to 400 indigent and elderly people in Madurai.
He carries a comb, scissors and razor and is trained in eight haircut styles that, along with a fresh shave, provide extra dignity to those he serves.
Out of 10,000 nominations from more than 100 countries, he is selected as one of the Top 10 in “CNN heroes 2010” list.
July 2012 to present
Captured at a young age from the jungles of Bihar, elephant Sunder was prematurely taken away from his family. Sent to the Jyotiba Temple shortly after being captured – at the behest of politican Vinay Kore – Sunder was thrusted into a cruel life of street begging. Forced to wear spiked shackles that hindered his movement, Sunder’s days were filled with abuse & neglect at the hands of his mahouts.
Soon, Sunder’s plight would be an international issue.
After Years of Abuse, Sunder, the Elephant is Home at Last
Bangalore
Sunder, a temple elephant in Maharashtra might have been tortured for his entire life but a recording of his abuse has helped to free him.
This elephant has survived abuse that no animal should. He was chained and beaten and it would have continued if not for the launch of a massive campaign backed by international celebrities like Paul McCartney and Pamela Anderson to set him free.
He was mistreated at a temple in Maharashtra by his mahout and later abused when he was kept locked up in a poultry shed. But Sunder has now been rescued and taken to the Bannerghatta Biological Park, outside of Bangalore.
Dr. Sunil Kumar, a vet who accompanied the elephant said the biggest concern was a swelling on his leg caused by years of continuous chaining.
He made the long journey of 680 kms from Kolhapur to Bangalore by road in a truck and arrived at the park early on Friday morning.
Dr Manilal Vaniyatte, from the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) which spearheaded the campaign told NDTV, “We came from Kolhapur and we had to take breaks in between. Sunder also enjoyed the journey. Bannerghatta Biological Park has been kind enough to take him as a new resident and he has 13 other elephants for company.”
The director of Sunder’s new home, Range Gowda, says he will be safe and cared for here. He told NDTV, “We have given an undertaking and will maintain him for the rest of his life now. But it will take a few months before he recovers fully. “
Sunder’s new life will begin now and we hope that his biggest challenge going ahead will be how to get a jackfruit in his mouth.
~~After years of abuse, Sunder, the elephant is home at last~~
~~Published on Jun 6, 2014~~
Sunder, a temple elephant in Maharashtra might have been tortured for his entire life but a recording of his abuse has helped to free him. This elephant has survived abuse that no animal should. He was chained and beaten and it would have continued if not for the launch of a massive campaign backed by international celebrities like Paul McCartney and Pamela Anderson to set him free.
We are beyond delighted to report that the much-abused young elephant Sunder has arrived at his new home, Bannerghatta Biological Park, where he is to reside by order of the Supreme Court of India.
Park officials have assured PETA that the entire 49.5-hectare forested area for elephants will be fenced in to allow the herd of 13 elephants – which Sunder will join once he has settled down and his serious leg wound caused by long-term painfully tight chaining has healed – to roam freely. Veterinary experts are working to address this wound.
Sunder has suffered greatly for years. He has been badly beaten and otherwise abused and so will need to be introduced gently to a different way of being handled, quarantined for health testing and loosely restrained as his injuries and health are assessed and as he comes to trust his new caretakers.
~~Here are some pictures of Sunder and of his new home~~
PETA continues to engage with elephant expert advisers in India and abroad in order to help with the transition. We have overcome immense hurdles – including unscrupulous behaviour, the deliberate dissemination of misinformation, attempts at religious blackmail, enormous pressure from sundry quarters, court battles and political corruption – during our efforts to rescue Sunder from the clutches of his physical abusers and mental tormentors.
We are ever so grateful to every single soul who found a way to help and who joined the #FreeSunder campaign, thereby becoming part of this joyful outcome. More than 220,000 people from around the world wrote to authorities seeking Sunder’s release through action alerts on PETA affiliates’ websites. Many celebrities – including Paul McCartney, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Pamela Anderson, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, Gulshan Grover and others – took to Twitter or helped in other ways to keep the spotlight on this long campaign for Sunder’s release.
At one point, Maharashtra Minister of Forests Dr Patangrao Kadam and the Project Elephant division of the Ministry of Environment and Forests issued orders for Sunder’s release, but those orders were ignored. Senior Counsel Shiraz Rustomjee and Counsel Rohan Rajadhyaksha won for Sunder in the Bombay High Court. M/s K Ashar & Co Advocates & Solicitors were the advocates on record for PETA for the cases in the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court, and Senior Counsel Raj Panjwani won the case for Sunder in the Supreme Court.
We thank Suparna Ganguly of the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre for her support of the campaign and MP Maneka Gandhi, who helped us greatly by using her significant authority to end the stalling. We also thank Naresh Kadyan of OIPA for trying to bring Sunder’s abusers to justice.
We are also thankful to the Maharashtra Forest Department and numerous veterinary and other elephant experts for assisting with Sunder’s move to Bangalore, and to scientist Surendra Verma and animal behaviour consultant Margaret Whittaker for guiding us in other ways.
The elephant care centre at Bannerghatta Biological Park sits in a wonderful natural forest with ponds and streams and will serve as a safe refuge for Sunder. It also has the potential to develop into a world-class facility.
SUNDER IS FINALLY MOVED TO FREEDOM AT BANGALORE RESCUE CENTRE
~UPDATE 6 June 2014~
~~ABOUT PETA INDIA~~
OUR MISSION
PETA India, based in Mumbai, was launched in January 2000. PETA India operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on or use for entertainment, while educating policymakers and the public about animal abuse and promoting an understanding of the right of all animals to be treated with respect.
PETA India focuses primarily on the areas in which the greatest numbers of animals suffer the most: in the food and leather industries, in laboratories and in the entertainment industry.
PETA India’s investigative work, public education efforts, research, animal rescues, legislative work, special events, celebrity involvement and national media coverage have resulted in countless improvements to the quality of life for animals and have saved countless animals’ lives.
It Is What It Is 