Vantara proposes a dedicated rehab centre for elephant Madhuri (Mahadevi) in Kolhapur, supports legal move for her return
Vantara proposes a specialized elephant rehabilitation center in Kolhapur for Madhuri, in collaboration with the Jain Math and the Maharashtra Forest Department, following appeals from the Jain community. This initiative includes advanced medical facilities and natural enclosures tailored for Madhuri's well-being. Vantara supports the petition for Madhuri's return, emphasizing its compliance with court orders and aiming to address community concerns.
ET Special Vantara has put forth a proposal to establish a satellite rehabilitation centre for the elephant Madhuri in Kolhapur's Nandani region. The proposed initiative will be developed in collaboration with the Jain Math and the Maharashtra Forest Department. If sanctioned, the new facility will feature state-of-the-art medical infrastructure, open and naturalistic enclosures, and therapy-focused amenities designed specifically for Madhuri's health and wellbeing.This move follows growing appeals from the Jain community, who hold the elephant, Madhuri in deep spiritual regard. Recognising the sentiment, Vantara has also pledged its support for any petition jointly filed by the Jain Math and the Maharashtra Government before the Supreme Court seeking Madhuri's return to Kolhapur.' We recognise and respect the deep emotional and cultural significance Madhuri holds for the community ,' the organisation said in an official statement, adding that their involvement was solely to comply with court orders and not to disrupt religious tradition.The offer has received acknowledgement from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who shared the update on X.
State Government Stands Firm With Devotees!Chaired a meeting regarding the issue of the Mahadevi elephant from Nandani Math, Taluka Shirol, District Kolhapur, in Mumbai today.
For 34 years, Madhuri, also known as Mahadevi has been a part of Nandani Math's tradition and the… https://t.co/P8YeillzlJ pic.twitter.com/MADWx3a61Z — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) August 5, 2025
' Good news is that they are happy to join Maharashtra Government's petition before the Hon'ble Supreme Court for the smooth passage of the elephant 'Madhuri' back to the Math ,' he wrote. Fadnavis also noted Vantara's readiness to build the specialised centre in Kolhapur if the Supreme Court grants Madhuri's return.
Vantara has reiterated that the decision to relocate Madhuri was made by the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court, and that its role was limited to housing and caring for the elephant at its Gujarat-based rehabilitation facility as directed by the courts.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Vantara (@vantara) In a detailed statement, the organisation expressed regret that its involvement, though legally mandated, had caused concern within the Jain community. It further clarified that the proposed Kolhapur facility is not a bid for recognition but a response aligned with any future court directives.Should approval be granted, the planned centre would include advanced features like hydrotherapy ponds, laser therapy units, chain-free open enclosures, and 24/7 veterinary services tailored to Madhuri's specific needs.
' Let us move forward not in opposition but in unity, with love for Madhuri at the heart of it all ,' the statement concludes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Turning Pages, Sharing Plates
Imagine eating the same few dishes on repeat in a country as richly blessed with produce, diversity and culinary traditions as ours. For someone like me—who finds joy in the kitchen and considers the quiet acts of chopping, marinating, stirring and tempering to be as close to therapy as one can get—the idea feels almost sacrilegious. It's no surprise then that I'm always looking for new recipes, techniques and regional insights to inspire my time in the kitchen. The simplest and most rewarding way has been to turn to family. I often ask those closest to me how they cook a particular vegetable or dal, and in doing so, I uncover not just recipes, but stories—how they learnt it, who they learnt it from, and what memories are attached to that dish. It becomes an act of documenting the way my family eats, one anecdote at a time. Then there are friends and neighbours—many of whom trace their roots to different parts of India—offering new perspectives on familiar ingredients. The way the same gourd or green chilli is treated in a Rajasthani kitchen can be wildly different from how it's used in, say, Tamil Nadu. These everyday exchanges are both deeply intimate and wonderfully expansive. Lately though, I've found joy in another format entirely: cookbook clubs. I recently joined a pan-India cookbook club started by Mumbai-based Rhea Mitra Dalal, co-founder of Gyaan Factory—the platform behind the much-loved Studying Food Workshop, led by anthropologist and historian Dr Kurush Dalal and a team of experts. The only requirement to join the club is to have attended the workshop and to be willing to cook from a selected cookbook each month, in one's own time. Formed in June, the group already has close to 60 members from across the country—and even a few outside it. The camaraderie is genuine: members share photos, tips and triumphs as they cook their way through the chosen book. This month's pick is Culinary Treasures of Marathwada by Mai Deshpande—a cookbook that celebrates the recipes and culinary intuition of rural and semi-urban women from the region. The recipes, written in English by her daughter-in-law Nandini, offer an authentic glimpse into the meals of a typical Marathi household in Marathwada. The region, once part of the Nizam's dominion, evolved a distinct food culture shaped by scarcity, climate, and a lack of external influence. It's a cuisine born out of resourcefulness—subtle, spiced just right, and deeply nourishing. From the book, I cooked a sweet-sour toorichya dalchi aamti, bharleli bhendi (stuffed okra), and a punchy hirvyaa mirchyancha thecha served with steamed rice. Each dish was deeply satisfying—and I've already bookmarked several more for the weeks to come. In Delhi, food writer and Chef Ruchira Hoon started The Cereal Killer Cookbook Club in October 2018. Seven years on, it's still going strong. 'I started the club because of my love for cookbooks and making meals from them,' she told me. 'One day I posed a question on Facebook, asking if anyone would be interested—and to my surprise, many people were.' The idea was to encourage the habit of not just owning cookbooks, but reading and cooking from them with intention. Members discuss ingredient substitutions, culinary histories, etymologies—and yes, the stories behind the dishes. The club includes books by Indian and international authors alike. 'During Covid, we spoke to Palestinian-British chef and author Sami Tamimi, who was thrilled that we were using his book to recreate dishes. That interaction was incredibly special—and helped build a relationship,' Hoon said. What these clubs offer, beyond recipes and regional know-how, is community. A gathering of like-minded people who love food and the act of feeding others. 'I truly believe that people who love to cook and feed are the best kind of people,' Hoon added. 'They're the ones I'm drawn to—and the ones I want to share knowledge with.' For someone who's always found comfort in the kitchen, this new circle of cooks, books and shared stories feels like home.
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Anant Ambani's Vantara proposes to build rehab centre for Madhuri the elephant, pending court approval
Anant Ambani's passion project, the 3000-acre abundant animal shelter, Vantara, has taken an affirmative step when it comes to the rehabilitation of an elephant named Madhuri, in Kolhapur's Nandani area. Intense debate has followed her Supreme Court-ordained relocation to Vantara, considering Nandani had been home to the sacred being for 34 years. Vantara proposes a high-end rehabilitation facility, contingent on Madhuri's return to Kolhapur A satellite rehabilitation centre built in close coordination with the Jain Matha and the Maharashtra government is being proposed by Vantara, for development in accordance with established animal welfare guidelines and international best practices in elephant care. Not just this, Vantara, in an official statement, has also proposed to offer full support to any application filed by the Jain Matha and the Government of Maharashtra before the Hon'ble Court requesting Madhuri's return to Kolhapur. Subject to the Court's approval, Vantara will provide complete technical and veterinary assistance for her safe and dignified return. The proposal at hand, comes in the wake of the Jain Community's rising concerns over Madhuri's displacement in context to her being a deeply integral part of their religious life. Additionally, the shelter has also offered apologies over their involvement, despite it simply being a response to legal diktats, stressing how the intent was never at any point to disregard or hurt the community's sentiments. "If our involvement, despite being carried out solely under court directions, has caused any distress to the Jain community or the people of Kolhapur, we express our sincere regret. Michhami Dukkadam - if any hurt was caused through thought, word, or deed, knowingly or unknowingly, we seek your forgiveness", read an excerpt from the statement. Coming back to Madhuri's well-being, Vantara has detailed the list of facilities the proposed centre will include — a specialised hydrotherapy pond for joint and muscular relief, a second, larger water body for swimming and natural movement, laser therapy and treatment room for physical rehabilitation, covered night shelter for rest and protection, lush open space habitat for unrestricted movement without chains, sand pit for environmental enrichment and natural behaviours, fully equipped on-site veterinary clinic for 24x7 medical care, rubberised flooring platform for safe and comfortable resting and carefully formed mounds of soft sand make up the list. Vantara's embellished proposal has been received in good confidence by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as the court verdict is awaited.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Collapsed and cracked NH 66 stretches in Kerala built in violation of Union Ministry specifications, finds inquiry report
Most of the construction packages of national highway (NH) 66 in Kerala, which have either collapsed or developed cracks, were built in violation of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) specifications, says an expert study. Though the 'inspection report on slope stability, protection measures for slopes, embankments, and other vulnerable locations on NH 66', commissioned by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), following the incidents has not fixed the responsibility on any agency, it has exposed serious lapses in the road construction. While the NH collapsed at Kooriyad, Malappuram, the sidewalls of the road structure caved in some parts of Kannur and a service road sank in Kasaragod. The road stretch had also developed cracks in some other parts of the State, leading to widespread public outrage. The committee, which had Kishor Kumar, former chief scientist of Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi, K. Aravind, director, Geological Survey of India, State unit (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry), T. K. Sudheesh, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Palakkad and P.S. Prasad, chief scientist, Geotechnical Engineering Division, Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi, as its members, submitted its report earlier this week. Caution against potential landslides The panel has also sounded caution about the potential landslides and the resultant widespread structural damage and traffic disruptions in several reaches of the NH 66, while prescribing mitigation measures to the critical road stretches to 'safeguard against future instability.' Investigations revealed that none of the packages for construction followed the methodology or construction sequence of the slope stabilisation with soil nailing (a technique used to reinforce and stabilise slopes) as per the MoRTH specifications. The 'improper methodology/construction sequence followed for the slope cutting and the soil nailing method' led to the failing of slopes along the NH. 'In many locations, the soil layers and their properties are not considered in the design. The groundwater table was not considered in the design of soil nailing,' the report pointed out. It strongly recommended that 'comprehensive geotechnical investigations, site-specific geological mapping, slope stability analyses, and foundation engineering studies be carried out before implementing any design changes, remedial measures, or slope protection works.' Such assessments are 'particularly crucial in geologically sensitive and failure-prone areas such as high vertical cut slopes, lateritic terrain, weathered rock interfaces, backwater foundations, and zones of inadequate 'Right of Way' where generic solutions may not be effective without tailored geotechnical input,' the committee has warned. Firms blacklisted The MoRTH had blacklisted the Andhra Pradesh-based construction company KNR Constructions and the consultancy firm Highway Engineering Consultant following the collapse, which had kicked up a series of public protests. While the Congress-led Opposition in Kerala cried foul and raised the allegation of a tacit understanding between the BJP-CPI(M) regarding the damaged roads, the Chief Minister and the Minister for Public Works, who had highlighted the completion of the road project as the major achievement of the LDF government, adopted a conciliatory stance by stating that the NHAI would carry out the rectification works. The nearly 600km-long road runs through the urban centres of Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi, Alappuzha, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram, before entering Tamil Nadu at Karode.
