Raja

I fell in love the moment I laid eyes upon you – Tall, dark and handsome! I could hardly pass a day without thinking about you. I had to see you!!

The day to leave finally came; I couldn’t be bothered to pack. Grabbed what I could, chucked them into my rucksack and was off!! I was going to be on my own throughout this trip and staying with people I’ve never met. That itself was an adventure for me!

It took me about four hours to reach Colombo City, another two and a half hours drive to Kegalle, my intended location. Along the way, many thoughts filled my head: “ What are you really like? Will you like me? Most of all…will I have a chance to love you with all my heart?” It was a first for me; and I was bent on making an impression!

Finally, I arrived at my destination. I was extremely tired from the journey. Nevertheless, my spirit remained undeterred. I made my introductions with every member of the family.

But where was my man???

All of a sudden, I heard a sound by the window. And there he was…. God!!! He was everything I imagined him, but even better in real life. He was magnificent! Oh and that trunk…simply adorable. It was calling to me for a great big hug! Yes, Raja was none other than an Elephant!   

He was no ordinary Elephant though. He was a member of the “Elephant Freedom Project!” And I was going to spend the next few days with him. How exciting!!!

Elephant Freedom Project (EFP)

Who are the people behind it?

Two Dutch brothers, with the support of a Sri Lankan family, are involved in this project:

EFP Members: 

1) JR & Tim Beltman

2) Ananda Household:

- Mr. Ananda,

- Mali (his beautiful wife),

- Shashini (their 13^th year old daughter),

- Ammah (Mali’s mum),

- Devika (Great Indian Cook)

- Bilky (their pet dog).

- Tina (Tim’s Dog Freedom Project)

- Gayan, Coordinator

- Gunarathna & Chirantha (Trainee), Elephant Mahouts.

- And of course our Main Star, Raja.

What is it?

Simply put, it’s a sanctuary for Elephants; to rest & relax and be free from abuse and all work including riding.

Why?

Ultimately educate and create awareness among the people of Sri Lanka that Elephants are meant to be FREE.  

FREE from Abuse, Chains, Work and Riding.

EFP struggles are real. They strive to do the right thing, even when everybody else isn’t. That to me is commendable!

Want to know more?

Check out their website and speak with JR or Tim Beltman.

http://www.elephantfreedomproject.com/en/

Tim mostly, cause he’s living in Sri Lanka.

It’s really his story to tell not mine; and he will do a fantastic job in answering all your questions.

I’m here to speak about my experience with Raja & EFP. So let me do just that…J

On my first day of arrival, I did nothing but rest and mingle with The Ananda household. Besides, what’s the rush, I had all the time in the world.  I learned from Mr. Ananda that Devika speaks Tamil. So imagine her joy when I spoke Tamil the whole time with her.

When not with Raja, I spent time with the Ananda household. Rummy-O Sessions with Shashini were the best and I miss it! Tim also popped by the house a lot and I got to speak with him extensively about the project.

Days with Raja

My sweet giant had two walks and one bath daily. Before every walk, a safety briefing with Gayan is important. He covers all that’s essential to know when out with Raja. His walks aren’t short. So be prepared to walk! We take different routes each time and their view was just scenic.

During his walks, Raja has his chains on. Not only that, the mahouts had to bring along bull hooks. Rest assured, they were never once used on him. The chains and bullhooks are for safety and security reasons. There’s a need for them to be shown in public. 

                                                  

Grazing :)

Scratching Post

EFP’s key aim is to gradually move away from using chains and bull hooks.

For that to happen, it takes time and loads of patience to educate the people to change from their old ways. They are pretty steady in managing this aspect. Much thought has been put into this matter and they know exactly what they are doing! 

Discoveries

His favorite food were bananas, bamboos, tiger palm leaves and so much more. Watching him eat was a fascinating sight. He would dust the sand from the leaves on his legs; stamp off the muddy roots and just eat the green portions.

What I admired the most - his technique and strength to walk up and down steep hills. This 50 year old is not to be messed with!

Cleaning his enclosure was a joy. There were plenty of mud puddles left by the rain. Imagine what fun I had. By the time, I was done; I looked like swamp thing. All the while, Raja stood close watching me.

On a serious note, with the help of another volunteer, we cleaned up his poop and dried leaves. Rolled two big water tanks down the hill with Mr Ananda to be fixed to his enclosure. Lots of hard work involved.

Raja's enclosure has plenty of space for him to move around. He has sufficient food and water for consumption. There's much repair to be done and EFP is in need of support and assistance on it.

Enclosure

Bird's Eye View of his Enclosure 

Water Tanks

Bath times at the river were the best; I used coconut husks to scrub him clean. Washing him was no walk in the park.It was also during this time, I got to talk to him more, watch him blow bubbles with his trunk. Plus, I got to cuddle his round tummy tight. Oh!! The joy I felt inside was indescribable. All I felt from him the whole time was calmness.

Hugs from Cuddle Monster

Posing for the Camera                            

Playing with his Trunk

There’s also a mischievous side to Raja! He loves teasing the mahouts, especially Mr. Chirantha. At times, he does things he’s not supposed to; like wandering away from his usual path, sneakily pluck jackfruits & eats them when he’s not supposed to. It seems they give him tummy trouble. There was another time where he ate too much and couldn’t walk. He just stood there without moving. It was a funny sight to see.

Too Full to Walk

I could go on and on about Raja; he has touched me in ways I can’t explain. There was no doubt; I was hooked to this big guy!

My Thoughts on Him

Raja is a calm gentle giant, well aware of his size and strength. Causing harm to the ones around him takes mere seconds for him to achieve. But he did nothing of that sort. He was very well behaved.

I could say it has to do with his immeasurable faith and trust on the members and volunteers of EFP. He seems to be aware something good is being done for him.  That itself speaks volumes about his character.

Mahouts

Mr. Gunarathna and Chirantha are always there with Raja. Given the background they came from – places where Elephants were used for riding and bull hooks are used. I admire their will to do the right thing at EFP.

If I was to describe the Mahouts - Mr Chirantha is generally very happy, smiles a lot.  Mr. Gunarathna on the other hand, doesn’t smile. I was pretty determined to change that!!! I learnt some Sinhalese from Gayan and waited for the right moment. The moment came during Raja’s bath time. I put past his fierceness, plucked all my courage and said:” Oyage nama mokakdha?”  It means, what is your name in Sinhalese.

To my utter delight, he broke into a beautiful smile and said “Gunarathna!” Once I knew what a beautiful smile he had. I went all out to make him smile more. It’s the little things that count...J

Mr.Chirantha

     Gift from Mr.Chirantha

Mr. Gunarathna

Coordinator

Gayan was an amazing character. I loved his passion and energy. He constantly made me laugh throughout my trip. I learnt Elephant language from him and am now fully qualified to speak Elephant ;)

During Raja’s rest period, he helped co-ordinate other activities to keep us (the volunteers’) occupied.  For someone who loathes routine, I found this approach by EFP brilliant!

Cooking lessons in Devika’s kitchen was one. I had an opportunity to learn how to cook Sri Lankan dishes. Their methods were somewhat similar (not 100%!) to my grandmother’s style of cooking.

Devika's Simple Kitchen

Hard At Work

Lunch is Served :)

On another day, Gayan brought me to a Sri Lankan school to speak English; not teach! When I arrived at the school, I was greeted by a roomful of giggling teenagers waiting to show off their English to me J

They were a happy bunch - always joking, teasing & full of life!  Just being around them made me alive. Their determination to learn English amazed me - bright kids with big dreams. I wish all of them best of luck to a great future.

 

View of the School

My Friends at English Class

Icing on the cake was having a taste of Sri Lanka’s street food, and a fast and furious Sri Lankan bus ride experience. Man, do they drive fast! Gayan indeed made my trip unforgettable!

           

Gayan

Deep In thought

Tina in the middle

Maximus

Another place I visited was Maximus, an Elephant Dung Factory. There, I met 62-year-old sweetheart, Mr. Madhialagan. He gave me a tour of the dung factory and walked me through the process of how elephant dung was transformed into paper. I told myself I wouldn’t be buying anything from the factory. All that changed, after I met the sweet Thatha (Grandfather in Tamil). This sucker melted and had to buy something…J

My sweetheart

Souvenir from Maximus

Simplicity At It’s Best

The people at the Ananda household led very simple lives. They have the basic necessities a home needs. I was comfortable throughout my stay at their home.

Life doesn’t stop for them even with a power cut. I had a ball helping them prepare dinner with torchlights and candles. Sadly, the lights came on too quickly.

Devika’s cooking was out of this world. I miss her cooking the most.In a short time, we became quite close. She likes calling me her Darling! I had to let her taste my home cooking before I left. So I cooked her a dish; everyone except for Tim got tried it. Pity he doesn’t take spice!

Mali is lovely to speak with. She's always smiling. Ammah was the same. Ammah and I had a language barrier, but that didn’t stop me from conversing with her in sign language. Mr. Ananda is a happy chipper, mostly joking around and asking me to eat more.

As for Tim…he is a passionate, dedicated and hardworking man. In short, he’s the project’s superman! Checks in daily on Gayan and the rest to speak about the day’s events. What I appreciate about him was he made it a point to come by the house at least twice a day. Each time, listening to volunteers’ feedback and answering whatever doubts or questions being raised in relation to Raja. Believe me, he takes all feedback seriously and action is taken when Raja’s welfare is concerned.  You will get to see it in person like I did.

In short, everyone treated me like family and it was difficult when time came to leave.

Ammah & Mali

Mr.Ananda

Devika

Shashini

Pweety Bilky

 

Farewells Are Never Easy

My goodbyes were tearful (grown soft over the years J). Within a short period, I had developed a deep friendship with Raja and members of EFP. Thus, saying goodbye was tough!

Farewell Gift from EFP- Drawing of Sujee & Wasthu

Sri Lanka

Beautiful country surrounded by much wildlife and nature. Their people are warm and friendly. A lot of them were curious about my background and thought I was Sri Lankan. I spent time explaining I had no relations in India or Sri Lanka. Having said that, I do wonder at times about it. Maybe there could be a link along the family tree, which I’m yet to discover ;)

But hey, I’m not complaining, that attention itself opened many doors to make friends throughout my trip.

What I thought about Sri Lankan food? Simple, spicy and tasty- reminds me of home. And their tea…. was to die for!

I didn’t do any sightseeing throughout my trip and it didn’t matter. My purpose was to spend time with Raja and it’s what I did! Besides, I have friends here now. It’s all the more a motivation to come back often.

EFP

Would I recommend volunteering at the Elephant Freedom Project?

YES YES YES!!!

If you have an undying love for Elephants and your belief is in sync with EFP. Then, this is the place to be!

It’s been a dream of mine to walk freely with Elephants. I've loved them for the longest time. To me they are all Ganesh and I love him to bits!! I believe my Fat Man led me to the Elephant Freedom Project. 

What RAJA & EFP have done for me?

Through EFP, I got to experience what its like up-close and personal with an Elephant, in this case Raja. I got to understand their struggles and challenges faced - just to lead a life of freedom.

To describe what I felt in words doesn’t do justice; you have to be there in person to experience it. Go with an open mind and you will gain much insight. Sounds formidable! But someone once told me “With no risk, there’s no fun!” So I took it, went with the flow and what an adventure I had! I’m no longer the same person I was days ago.

There’s much more to be done with EFP. Hence, it’s not a Goodbye, but see you later! Next time, I will stay longer…J