Bringing Up Kari Summary

Summary:

The author recalls being assigned custody of a five-month-old elephant when he was a nine-year-old boy. They shared their childhood. The elephant had a comfortable home in a pavilion with a thatched roof that rested on substantial tree roots. The author continues by describing how he took care of Kari and how one of her first acts was to save a young kid from drowning. Despite not eating much, Kari still needed forty pounds of twigs to play with and chew on. The elephant Kari loved taking daily baths in the river where the author would take him. He would leave the elephant at the edge of the woods and go into the center of the jungle with his sharp hatchet to collect lush twigs for Kari.

The author describes how challenging it was to find the twigs for Kari. To obtain the twigs that were the most fragile and tender, he would have to scale a variety of trees. Most of the twigs came from the banyan tree's young branches, which were Kari's preferred type since they mature into a cathedral of leaves and branches.

Once on a March day, the author was collecting the twigs when he heard a cry that sounded like a newborn. He knew that it was Kari who was begging for help. He descended from the tree and dashed in the direction of the edge of the forest, where he had left the elephant because he believed Kari was being hurt. Kari, however, was not there. He was nowhere to be seen by the author near the location. He then made his way toward the water's edge. He observed a black object struggling above its surface there. When he ascended farther, he could see that it was Kari's trunk. He became helpless, believing that he was drowning. But when he finally caught sight of Kari's back poking out of the water, he started trumpeting and making his way toward the stream. Kari pulled the author into the stream while continuing to trumpet. As the author fell into the stream, he noticed a boy floating directly above the bottom of the river and resting flat on it. Kari assisted the writer in saving the boy.

Next, the author tells the mischievous nature of Kari. Kari had to be treated like a baby. The author noticed that ripe bananas and other fruits on his dining table began to disappear. His parents accused him and the housekeepers of stealing. The author later realized that Kari was responsible for the stealing of bananas. Kari was then scolded, and the author also informed about this to his parents. Kari stopped stealing after that and would squeal joy whenever someone offered it fruit.

Elephants must be taught how to sit, walk, and move quickly. When the word "Dhat" was spoken and the elephant's ears were pulled back, it was taught to sit; when the word "Mali" was spoken and the elephant's trunk was pulled forward, it was taught to walk. Kari took three lessons to learn Mali, but it took her three weeks to master Dhat. It is crucial to train an elephant to sit so that when it becomes big, you can get on it without using a ladder. It can be tiresome to always carry a ladder with you.

The master call is the most challenging call to instruct. It takes around five years to learn it. It sounds like a tiger and a snake fighting, a combination of hissing and snarling. Once the elephant hears this roar, it goes on the attack and topples one tree after another. This master call can summon the elephant to one's aid if one becomes lost in the wild at night. All trees will be uprooted. Animals nearby will be alarmed. Even in the dark, the elephants can quickly locate their way home. Kari also learned all these skills very well.

Conclusion:

The tale of "Bringing up Kari" serves as a gentle, beautiful reminder that animals are also our companions and that, in many circumstances, they are even more caring, brave, and sensible than people.