Ensure constitutional rights to tribals: Murmu at Theppakadu elephant camp in TN
She also interacted with other mahouts and cavadies (elephant caretakers) on the occasion.
PTI
Murmu at Theppakadu elephant camp in TN. Twitter - @rashtrapatibhvn
CHENNAI: President Droupadi Murmu visited the Theppakadu elephant camp in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris district on Saturday and had a word of praise for tribals involved in preserving India's cultural heritage.
She stressed that it was very important to ensure these tribal communities exercise their constitutional rights.
Murmu fed sugarcane to the pachyderms there, and later interacted with the tribal couple, Bomman and Bellie, who were featured in Oscar-winning documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers'.
She also interacted with other mahouts and cavadies (elephant caretakers) on the occasion.
Bellie was recently appointed as the first woman cavady by the Tamil Nadu government.
Posting pictures of her visit to the elephant camp, the official Twitter account of the President said she interacted with mahouts and cavadies and appreciated them for their contribution to wildlife conservation.
She said that it was our national responsibility to protect elephants. ''The President said that tribal communities are playing an important role in preserving India's cultural heritage. She added that it is very important to ensure that these communities are given their constitutional rights,'' the tweet said.
Earlier, the President who arrived at the Masinagudi helipad from Mysuru, was received by Tamil Nadu Forest Minister M Mathivendan, Tourism Minister K Ramachandran, district collector S P Amrith, and other officials.
She was accorded a warm reception upon her arrival and later taken around the elephant camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve that accommodates about 23 elephants.
On Sunday, she is scheduled to address the 165th convocation of the University of Madras in Chennai and later rename the Durbar Hall at Raj Bhavan in the state capital as 'Bharathiyar Mandapam', after the national poet Subramanya Bharathi.
During her two-day visit to Puducherry, the President will take part in several programmes including inaugurating the Linear Accelerator of Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), on August 7, and pay a visit to Auroville the next day.
