COIMBATORE: At a time when jumbo deaths are ascending in Coimbatore forest region, a forest guard has put his singing skills to use for raising awareness about the significance of pachyderms. Referring to elephants as 'wealth of forests', the 48-year-old V Cholamannan, who is assigned in Kembanur forest, says that not many people know about the role of elephants in maintaining the health of forests. "As forest staff, we dedicate our lives to protect pachyderms. The public must not see these wild elephants as a threat or an enemy. The animal's dung has a plenty of seeds, which helps in maintaining the green cover," he explains.
Singing a line from his song, Ennavendru sollvadhamma, yaanaiyin perazhagai, Cholamannan says that he penned the lyrics to the tune of a song from Tamil movie Rajakumaran (1994). He has become popular among his colleagues after singing Enna Satham Intha Neram in a training programme conducted for forest range officers in December 2019. Recently, the Forest Department has released the song, which is expected to do the rounds on social media soon.
Sources say that the forest guard was singing for an orchestra before joining the department a decade ago. Recently, he has also penned a song to raise awareness on Covid-19. Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Coimbatore Circle) I Anwardeen and District Forest Officer of Coimbatore Forest Division D Venkatesh appreciated his talent.