Gaja Rupa or the depiction of the elephant has been integral to India’s visual aesthetic. The elephants carrying the magnificent Kailashanatha Temple in Ellora or the many depictions of the Elephant Head God Ganesha to Mughal and Rajput miniatures, the magnificent animal presents itself in many forms of our arts. We depict flora and fauna since man began to self-organise in the caves as they feared, hunted and domesticate animals as seen in the cave drawings of France and Bhimbetka. In contemporary art we continue to depict animals as a constant source of depiction.

The Elephant Herd is a peculiar social organism that is matriarchal but consisting of many many males and females who travel together for big for food, water and safe spaces. The protect their young, care for their old and mourn their dead. We need elephant corridors as the reigns are much larger than humans, they need to pass through from one forest to another without coming in conflict with humans. In times such as the pandemic we face now we should learn from the heard rather than find ourselves as lone wolves.

An elephant mind is similar to the Human mind, the Buddha says the elephant meditates and watches its breath in remembrance. An elephantine memory allows the elephant it’s wisdom much like the artists in this group who have meditated and sat over the context of their art practices. Which allows a mature repertoire that at times comes from age, hard work and the experience of life. The elephant in the wild is raw passion and the one at the monastery has tamed their mind, a comparison for humans negotiating this life.

Meghakumar is the story from the Jain Traditions of a young Prince who upon asking Lord Mahavir about his past lives realised that in his last life he was the King of Elephants who during a forest fire lifted his one leg to protect a rabbit from the falling burnt branches. He did so for so long that his leg became stiff and after the fire he fell and died after three days of excruciating pain. His sacrifice is an act of compassion, elephants are the only mammals who mourn their dead and have special places to die. Compassion if shown by mighty animals who possess ultimate strength, we humans with our consciousness should be exemplary in its practice.

About WWF

WWF India is committed to creating and demonstrating practical solutions that help conserve India’s ecosystems and rich biodiversity. Marking over 50 years of conservation journey in the country, WWF India works towards finding science-based and sustainable solutions to address challenges at the interface of development and conservation. Today, with over 70 offices across 20 states, WWF India’s work spans across thematic areas including the conservation of key wildlife species and their habitats, management of rivers, wetlands and their ecosystems, climate change adaptation, driving sustainable solutions for business and agriculture, empowering local communities as stewards of conservation, combatting illegal wildlife trade and inspiring students and citizens to take positive action for the environment through outreach and awareness campaigns. WWF India is part of the WWF International Network, with presence in over 100 countries across the globe.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

India’s Leading Law Firm, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas was founded on May 11, 2015 and takes forward the values going back 104 years, of the erstwhile Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co. Tracing its professional lineage to 1917, the Firm has 750 lawyers, including over 150 partners, and offices in India’s key business centres at Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, GIFT City and Singapore. The Firm advises a large, and varied client base that includes domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity funds, venture capital funds, start-ups and governmental and regulatory bodies.

The firm was named in ’25 Most Innovative Companies of the Year’ by CII. Also, received “Law Firm of the Year” award at the Asian Legal Business (ALB) India Law Awards 2020 and “Law Firm of the Year, India” at the Asialaw Regional Awards 2020. The firm was recognised as the “Most Innovative National Law Firm of the Year – India for 2020” at the IFLR Asia Awards and voted as the “Employer of Choice for 2020” from India, by the Asian Legal Business.

Tarana Khubchandani is the founder and director of Art & Soul Gallery, Mumbai and heads the not for profit organization PASSAGES that educates and empowers urban women in various spheres, but importantly, has helped raise awareness on the cause of Breast Cancer in Mumbai. This NGO provides financial, medical and emotional support to breast cancer patients in all strata of our city. A dental and Oral Surgeon by profession, Tarana is also an avid art collector and patron and started her journey as a Gallerist in 2003 with Gallery Art & Soul. With over 250 art shows of an exceedingly high calibre, she has set her sights on public art projects, wherein she has consulted and procured the art, collaborating closely with artists.

Art & Soul, established in 2003, is a gallery showcasing Indian modern and contemporary arts in the heart of Bombay. Founded by Dr. Tarana Khubchandani, as an extension of her not-for-profit activities, the gallery has pursued a discourse in India and internationally of aesthetic syncretism, producing exhibitions that are varied in genre, materiality and conceptual thought across art historical timelines. From its inception, art & soul has produced a stellar Breast Cancer charity support salon exhibition and gala. Over the last two decades, it has hosted solo exhibitions and retrospectives of artists such as Syed Haider Raza, Abdul Aziz Raiba, Krishna Reddy, Rabin Mondal, Lalitha Lajmi, Vasant Wankhede, Manu Parekh, Jatin Das, Satish Gupta, Subhash Awchat, Vilas Shinde, Jinsook, Ankit Patel, Sujata Bajaj, Seema Kohli, Vinita Karim, Yashwant Deshmukh, Arzan Khambatta, Revati Sharma Singh, Rithika Merchant. Apart from the expansive space in the Worli district of Bombay, the gallery has partnered in hosting exhibitions with the National Gallery of Art, Mumbai, India Art Fair, India Habitat Center, CSMVS Museum, Mumbai, Jehangir Art Gallery, Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, Clark House Initiative, Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum, India Art Festival, The Royal Opera House, Chennai Art Summit and Nehru Centre. The gallery exhibition programming is dynamic and interspersed with senior artist presentations, curated group shows and debutant solo shows for young artists.