Jumbo welcome: 101 elephant sculptures to greet Mumbai, promote conservation

The art installations are part of the Elephant Parade India. They will also be auctioned online to raise funds to build elephant corridors across the country.

On Sunday, 101 elephants will gather at the Gateway of India. They’re no ordinary animals – one is made entirely of bronze, some are covered in gold and the rest are fiberglass models decorated with butterfly motifs, folk art, fold lettering, or flowers inspired by children’s books.

Starting March 3, the elephants will be herded to public spots across Mumbai. Unlike most art, you can touch them, hug them, and donate to protecting real elephants across Asia.

This sculpture by designer Vikram Goyal is made entirely of bronze and is titled Savitri.

The sculptures are part of the India edition of Elephant Parade, an 11-year-old initiative. Each work is designed and painted by a different artist, and will eventually be auctioned to raise money to build 101 elephant corridors (secure passages for the animals to pass) across India.

For art lovers, it’s a treat. The gentle grey animal is an interesting canvas. Art consultant Farah Siddiqui has roped in big and lesser-known names in art, design and fashion. Fashion designer Masaba Gupta, artist LN Tallur, Bhil artist Lado Bai and actor Amitabh Bachchan are among the creators.

Fashion designer Masaba Gupta’s sculpture is titled Amani.

Designer-duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla’s elephant is covered in mirrors. “Their placement reveals our multifaceted selves, like the goddess Kali,” says Sandeep Khosla. Each sculpture also has a name – this one is christened Kali-doscope.

Airavat, the elephant sculpture by designer Tarun Tahiliani, at a preview show in Jaipur last year.

Elephant Parade has been held 24 times in locations as varied as Netherlands, Hong Kong and London, with anything from 50 to 250 sculptures created by such artists as Katy Perry and Bryan Adams. It’s one of the most public initiatives towards protecting Asian elephants. According to the 2017 Elephant Census, only 50,000 Asian elephants remain. “Over 27,000 of them are in India,” Ganesh says.

The 101 corridors will require 20 million pounds (Rs 181 crore) by 2025 and the auction money will go to nonprofits including the Wildlife Trust of India, the Nature Conservation Foundation, the Wildlife Protection Society of India and the Wildlife Society of Odisha. Elephant Parade’s founder Mike Spits says that initiatives like this, and social media, have helped get the message across. “People are fortunately starting to slowly realise that we only have one planet and very few elephants left,” he says.

“This step in conservation goes beyond borders and politics,” says Parade ambassador Poonam Mahajan.