Picture of Wild Tusker PadayAppa drawn by a student of the Government Anglo Tamil Elementary School in Munnar on Friday as part of the competition Vana Mahotsavam. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
PadayAppa, Munnar’s beloved wild tusker, stole the reflector in drawing the competition held as part of the Mahotsavam bathtub, the annual weekly celebration that took place in July to create an environmental awareness. At the event that took place on Friday at the Government Anglo Tamil Elementary School in Munnar, all participants stretched a picture of Tusker on the topic of “beauty Munnar”, says officials of Munnar forest forests who organized the event.
Officer Munnar Range Biju S. says 50 school students attended the competition. “When we shared the topic, we expected students to draw a beautiful landscape of Munnar, including huge tea plantations. In a very surprising turnover, all participants drew a picture of PadayAppa,” he says.
Hero
“All students at school come from Munnar’s plantation sector. For these children living in Layams (Cluster Homes), PadayAppa is a regular visitor and many of them are kind to Tusker, even considering their hero,” says the official. “Many of them want the elephant to be an icon of Munnar,” he adds.
Students of the Government Elementary School Anglo Tamil in Munnar at the Mahotsavam bathtub on Friday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Students of classes III and IV participated in the event, says Shanmukhavel, headmaster. “Authorities usually provide topics such as birds or gardens for such competitions. But this time they provided a different topic,” he says. A total of 170 students study at school, founded in 1918 mainly for children of nearby plantations.
Prices
First, the winners of the second and third prizes were rewarded, say the forest department officials. All students also received participation prizes.
Wood Tukker Padapata and platform Platace, Munnar, Iduk. | Special arrangement
Named after the well -known figure of PadayAppa actor Rajinikanth in the same name from 1999, Tusker has a huge fan in Munnar. Due to unusually long tusks and peculiarities on the left leg, Jumbo is very easy. Tusker, who usually never hurts anyone and is always found in human settlements, is a loner as if he wanted to say the popular dialogue of the film, “enlihi, Thani Vazhi” (my way is my own).
Published – 4 July 2025 17:58
