Monday, September 25, 2006

Big Bull in India


They have this gentleman snubbed down pretty well, both fore and aft but I am fascinated with the switch each keeper is holding.

Posted by Buckles at 9/25/2006 06:11:00 AM

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe possibly this big bull is the famous elephant named,"Irawatha" that belonged to the Maharajah of Mysore.
Go rent the DVD of the
1937 movie,
ELEPHANT BOY,
starring Sabu.
Which of course is the filmed adapation of Rudyard Kipling's story,Toomai of the Elephants
That big elephant in it is Iravatha which played Karla Nag.
Irawatha had a shouder height of about 9 feet 10 inches.
A big BIG elephant
The movie was filmed on location in India in 1936.
I believe Irawatha died sometime in the 1950's.

26 September, 2006 16:10
Anonymous said...

BTW I think this is the same big elephant in the photograph that appeaeared in the article about Lewis Reed
by Bill Johnson in BANDAWGON magazine published in the early 1990's.
maybe someone can post that photo her so we can see for ourselves?
I think the photo Im speaking of, was taken when Lewis Reed visited Mysore India sometime around late 1940's tp purchase elephants to bring to America,one of which was Tommy later known as King Tusk.

26 September, 2006 17:54
Anonymous said...

P.S
"Irawatha"
(or somestimes spelled"Iravatha"),
died in India, July 1952 of meningitis.
It was 56 years old.
(born around 1896)
Irawatha carried the mahararaja
for the spectacular festival processions.
Reportly India's"most beautiful and majestic'elephant.
It was buried in Mysore with full
Royal honors.
P.PS
(I think this may be Irawatha in the photo,but im not completly sure).

26 September, 2006 18:11
Anonymous said...

I dont think ELEPHANT BOY has been released on DVD yet,but its available on VHS of course.
Anyway if you watch the part where they are looking at elephants for the expedition to capture wild elephants.
One of the big elephants that lumbers in to be interviewed, looks a lot like this one here.
Its front feet are chained together
which indicates that it is a runaway elephant, which is the most dangerous kind,as far as any destruction caused by it running amuck.

30 September, 2006 17:21
Anonymous said...

I rented the movie Elephant Boy starring Sabu last week from video store.
It is a big elephant!
Almost as big as King Kong!!!
check it out.

05 October, 2006 16:03
Anonymous said...

Also check out the scene where Toomai and Kala Nag are walking down the village street and a baby is in the way.
They didnt do that with any special effects.
They probably wouldnt never be allowed to do that now.
The elephant is so sensitive
it starts to press down its 6 tonnes of weight when its walking, but stops when he feels the baby's little foot beneath its massive foot.

07 October, 2006 17:22
Anonymous said...

Sabu's real name was ,
Selar Shaik Sabu.
He was born in Karapuri,Mysore India in 1924.
His most famous films were,
ELEPHANT BOY(1937)
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD(1940)
THE JUNGLE BOOK (1942)
Later on Sabu even performed with an elephant act with the Harringay Circus in England in 1952,
which toured Europe in 1953.
Originally he came out on the elephant in Royal finery as in movie,The Thief of Bagdad,but the public wanted to see him in a dhoti(loincloth),so he wore that when he rode an elephant,even though it was cold.
Sabu died in 1963.

12 October, 2006 17:57

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