Pathanamthitta (Kerala): While elephants are extremely popular among people across all ages, a man from Kerala's Pathanamthitta district stands out with his love for the majestic creatures.
August 12 every year is celebrated as the World Elephant Day, in order to spread awareness about the large mammals. Many people are not aware of the threats faced by elephants - poaching, torture in captivity, habitat loss, and human-animal conflict among others.
In this backdrop, MM Joseph, a school teacher from Pathanamthitta district of Kerala has found a unique way to express his love for elephants.
For the last 35 years, Joseph, has been collecting every piece of news and other pieces published in daily newspapers or magazines related to elephants.
His enormous collection of more than 3,000 clippings on jumbos has been catalogued into folding albums in a very organised manner. The cataloguing is meticulous, with even the publishing dates carefully marked on each and every clipping.
Read: World Elephant Day: Celebration of the mighty mammal symbolic to strength, sensitivity
The elephant lover is a teacher with the Government Higher Secondary School in Thaikkavu, Pathanamthitta. Joseph said his 'elephant album' also helps in using newspapers as a study material in classrooms. He has been taking the album to schools in different parts of Kerala for the students to see.
Besides teaching and elephant cataloguing, Joseph has other interests too. He is a puppetry artist too and has also authored multiple books like Dhinavignjanakosham, Aranmula Paithrukam, and Nilamboorinde Pradeshika Charithram.
