04-07-2025
Padayappa steals the show at a drawing competition in Munnar
Padayappa, Munnar's beloved wild tusker, has stolen the spotlight at a drawing competition held as part of Vana Mahotsavam, an annual one-week celebration held in July to create awareness about environmental protection. At the event held in the Government Anglo Tamil Primary School in Munnar on Friday, all the participants drew the picture of the tusker for the theme 'Beauty of Munnar,' say Munnar Forest Range officials, who organised the event.
Munnar Range Officer Biju S. says that 50 students from the school participated in the competition. 'While sharing the theme, we expected the students to draw beautiful landscapes of Munnar, including the vast tea plantations. However, in a very surprising turn of events, all the participants drew the picture of Padayappa,' he says.
A hero
'All the students in the school hail from Munnar's plantation sector. For these children living in the Layams (cluster homes), Padayappa is a regular visitor, and many of them are affectionate towards the tusker, with a few even considering him their hero,' says the official. ' 'Many of them want the elephant to be the icon of Munnar,' he adds.
Students of Classes III and IV participated in the event, says Shanmukhavel, the school Principal. 'Normally, the authorities provide themes such as birds or gardens for such drawing competitions. However, this time they provided a different theme,' he says. A total of 170 students are studying in the school, established in 1918 mainly for the children of the nearby plantations.
Prizes given
First, second and third prize winners were rewarded, say Forest department officials. All students were also given participation prizes, they add.
Named after actor Rajinikanth's well-known character Padayappa in the 1999 film of the same name, the tusker has a huge fan following in Munnar. Due to its unusually long tusks and a peculiarity on its left leg, the jumbo is very easy to spot. The tusker, who usually never harms anyone and is always found in human settlements, is a loner as if he wants to say the popular dialogue of the film,' En Vazhi, thani vazhi' ( My path is my own).
