Should we continue with elephant and fireworks?
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The incident in which three people died in a stampede caused by two elephants that went berserk at the Kuruwangad Manakkulangara temple festival near Koyilandy in Kozhikode district has shocked Kerala. The incident took place on Thursday evening. The elephants went rogue while being prepared for the procession, which is part of the festival, causing the massive accident. As it was time for Deeparadhana, hundreds of people, including women, had reached the temple. In addition, celebratory arrivals from various places were also reaching the temple. It was during this time that the accident occurred. Eyewitnesses say that the elephant got agitated when the firecrackers exploded. The rampaging elephants destroyed the temple office and created panic in the area for hours. Recently, we have seen an increase in such incidents in our country. A few days ago, an elephant killed a mahout in the Kootanad Nercha in the Palakkad district. Last week, another incident occurred in Nilambur where an elephant brought for a temple festival went berserk and created panic in the area for hours. Last month, one person died in an elephantine clash during a large Nercha in Tirur BP Angadi. While wild animal attacks, including elephant attacks, have become a major political issue in the state, the fury of domestic elephants is also being reported in this way. It is estimated that more than 850 people have been killed and nearly 5,000 injured in attacks by domestic elephants in the state in the last 30 years. Yet, it is extremely unfortunate that we only discuss this when major disasters occur.
The tragic incident in Koyilandy occurred at a time when a related case regarding the use of elephants for temple festivals and other events in Kerala was being heard in the Supreme Court. While the timing may be coincidental, this disaster could potentially be linked to the ongoing case. A few months ago, the Kerala High Court had issued certain restrictions based on the report prepared by amicus curiae regarding the use of elephants in temple processions. The High Court's order came after examining videos and evidence of elephant mistreatment during festivals, including the famous Thrissur Pooram. The restrictions included directives such as: elephants should not be paraded continuously for more than three hours, a minimum distance of three meters should be maintained between elephants, proper food and rest should be provided, elephants should be kept at least eight meters away from the public, elephants should not be paraded on public roads between 9 AM and 5 PM, elephants should not be made to walk more than 30 kilometres a day, elephants should not be transported more than 125 kilometres a day, and a minimum distance of 100 meters should be maintained between elephants and firecrackers. However, organizations like the Thrissur Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi Devaswoms approached the Supreme Court, arguing that these restrictions would dilute the essence of festivals and violate traditions. The Supreme Court, after reviewing the matter, set aside the High Court's order, stating that the High Court had intervened contrary to the 2012 Captive Elephant Management Rules. In reality, the High Court's directives were practical measures aimed at preventing animal cruelty while ensuring the safe conduct of festivals. Had these guidelines been implemented, many of the recent tragedies could have been avoided. However, they were rejected on technical grounds. In response, the Supreme Court recently considered a petition filed by an organization called "Poorapremi Sangham." During the hearing, the court questioned how one could instruct elephants to maintain a distance of three meters, highlighting the practical challenges in enforcing such rules.
The Putttingal fireworks accident in 2016, which resulted in the death of over a hundred people, led to widespread discussions in Kerala about the use of fireworks and elephant processions. There was a democratic debate about how these practices, though traditional, could be conducted safely. During that time, many people highlighted Narayana Guru's advice, "No elephant, no fireworks". An editorial in the RSS organ also addressed the issue with the headline "Don't call madness tradition." Through these discussions, the argument that festivals could be held with traditional rituals but without firecrackers gained considerable support. Some believers argued that elephant processions and fireworks were not ancient customs, being only about 200 years old, and therefore should not be considered traditions. However, when it came down to it, everything was turned upside down; everyone became advocates of protecting traditions. Even precautionary measures to prevent disasters were considered violations of tradition. It was against this stubborn attitude that traditions should not be interrupted even if disasters occur, that the High Court took suo moto cognizance and initiated some necessary controls. However, that was also quashed in a legal tangle. In fact, the solution to this is clear. It was said by the Guru a hundred years ago. The practical ways to it have also been suggested by the High Court. But beyond these realities, we prefer to revel in festivals that are wildly extravagant. That is the greatest tragedy.
