As India prepares for Ganesh Chaturthi 2025, welcoming Lord Ganesha, who is revered as the remover of obstacles and the symbol of wisdom, there is perhaps no better time to reflect on the extraordinary life of a woman whose work embodies the spirit of the festival. She is Parbati Barua, India’s first female mahout, widely known as the Hasti Kanya or “Daughter of Elephants.”

For more than five decades, Parbati Barua has devoted her life to taming, caring for, and conserving elephants—breaking through the gender stereotypes of a field historically reserved for men. Her journey is not only a story of courage, but also an example of India’s deep cultural and spiritual reverence for elephants as well as indigenous knowledge.

A Wild Calling

Born on March 14, 1953, into the royal family of Gauripur in Assam, Parbati was the daughter of Late Prakritish Chandra Barua, the last ruler of Gauripur, who was both a hunter and an elephant expert with nearly 40 elephants in his royal stables. While her lineage and education—she graduated in Political Science from Gauhati University—might have suggested a path in academia or public life, her destiny lay elsewhere.

At just 14 years old, Parbati domesticated her first elephant in the Kochugaon forest of Assam. From 1975 to 1978, she successfully tamed 14 wild elephants using the traditional Assamese technique of Mela Shikar, where elephants are captured with a lasso rather than tranquilizers. Over the course of her career, she has trained more than 500 elephants.

Her skills have been sought not just in India but internationally. She has represented India at global conferences on elephants, from Bangkok in 2001 to workshops in Tamil Nadu, Jaldapara, and North Bengal, and contributed research on the status of Asiatic elephants. She also served as a member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

A Lifetime Of Recognition

For her tireless work, Parbati Barua has been honoured with numerous awards:

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There is something about railway stations that most train lovers will swear by. The sight of the crowds, tea vendors buzzing through the platforms with steaming chai and samosa, the rhythmic sound of wheels against the tracks, and the distant whistle of an approaching train, all come together to make that place uniquely lively. It’s a place where journeys begin, end, and sometimes linger in memory long after the train has departed.
Then there are hidden gems, offbeat stops that tell stories of landscapes, history, and local life, which go beyond the busy junctions and metropolitan stations. These offbeat train stops are like windows into the country’s other unknown side. Whether it’s witnessing a waterfall beside a railway track in Goa, starting a UNESCO-listed mountain train journey in Tamil Nadu, or experiencing the highest broad-gauge station in Andhra Pradesh, these stations promise travelers an adventure unlike any other. For railway enthusiasts, history buffs, and curious explorers alike, these offbeat train stops across India are destinations in their own right, and must be explored whenever given a chance.