Travels on My Elephant

Mark Shand, British travel writer and conservationist was restless. He was so restless that he decided to ride across India on an elephant. He started by looking at the feasibility of his idea and carried out a good deal of research. There is a bibliography in this book of some thirty titles. If he read them all or even simply consulted them he must now be a world authority on the Asian elephant. Mr Shand then travelled to India, spoke with a number of people he knew, bought an elephant and hired an entourage of experts to assist in his task.

It was decided that the trek would be from Konarak to Sonepur, across Orissa and Bihar.Mr Shand describes the journey expertly, with style and with a tongue in cheek sense of humour. He talks about his growing relationships with his helpers and, more particularly with his elephant Tara. He breaks of where necessary to describe the scenery and ancient buildings and at one point to recount an eerie story about Tara’s refusal to cross an ancient battlefield.

His arrival at Sonepur is timed to coincide with the Mela because the Mela in part is an enormous elephant market and he knows he will be able, regrettably but necessarily, to dispose of Tara.

‘Travels on my Elephant’ was published in 1991.Eric Newby has also written about the Sonepur Mela in ‘The Land of the Elephants’ (a chapter in ‘Departures and Arrivals’ published in 1999). Both reports are vivid and very readable. Perhaps Mr Newby just has the edge in reportage, as he was not in love with his elephant.

Mark Shand, British travel writer and conservationist was restless. He was so restless that he decided to ride across India on an elephant. He started by looking at the feasibility of his idea and carried out a good deal of research. There is a bibliography in this book of some thirty titles. If he read them all or even simply consulted them he must now be a world authority on the Asian elephant. Mr Shand then travelled to India, spoke with a number of people he knew, bought an elephant and hired an entourage of experts to assist in his task.It was decided that the trek would be from Konarak to Sonepur, across Orissa and Bihar.Mr Shand describes the journey expertly, with style and with a tongue in cheek sense of humour. He talks about his growing relationships with his helpers and, more particularly with his elephant Tara. He breaks of where necessary to describe the scenery and ancient buildings and at one point to recount an eerie story about Tara’s refusal to cross an ancient battlefield.His arrival at Sonepur is timed to coincide with the Mela because the Mela in part is an enormous elephant market and he knows he will be able, regrettably but necessarily, to dispose of Tara.‘Travels on my Elephant’ was published in 1991.Eric Newby has also written about the Sonepur Mela in ‘The Land of the Elephants’ (a chapter in ‘Departures and Arrivals’ published in 1999). Both reports are vivid and very readable. Perhaps Mr Newby just has the edge in reportage, as he was not in love with his elephant.