The capital is home to a unique exhibition this month. Singapore based painter Alpana Ahuja is showcasing the 'Padchin' series which is collaboration between her and, wait for it, an elephant.
Rescued by Wildlife SOS, India, Phoolkali as they call her lived in captivity and abuse for 40 years. She was just a little calf when she was taken away by poachers. She even worked as a
baraat elephant.
In order to contribute to the cause of Wildlife SOS, Alpana agreed to go forward with the elephant-footprints art idea and decided to travel all the way to Agra for it. "I bonded with Phoolkali, spent time with her, and fed her treats." she recalls. "I realised how beautiful and gentle she is," she added.
It was the elephant's calm temperament and weakness for treats that got her this project. Phoolkali, however, was completely wild and mistrusting of human beings when she was first adopted by the NGO. "She didn't think people could be kind at all," recalls Kartick Satyanarayan, co- founder of the NGO. "It took us a lot of time to recondition her to understand that people could be kind," he added.
It's this beautiful back story and novel idea that has garnered positive attention for the exhibition. "I think everybody's overwhelmed, they had never thought something like this could be done," says a very happy gallery owner, Babita Gupta.
The proceeds of the Padchin series will go towards conservation and will help rescue more abused elephants like Phoolkali.