THE FIGHT OVER ONE ELEPHANT

People of two districts in Kerala are currently fighting against an order from the state’s forest department to release a captured “problem elephant”. These animals are just like teenagers — with their own share of problems. Except for perhaps an ability to toss a small car, elephants are very much like humans. Which is why many are terrified of Kallur Komban.

When there was an attempt in December to release Komban into a jungle in Wayanad from where he was captured in November, residents from surrounding areas came out in protest. Then, there was another order to release the elephant into the Parambikkulam wildlife sanctuary in Palakkad — which was opposed too. Interestingly, the protests were from both animal lovers and farmers.

You see, Komban has not been your average elephant. In fact, the locals call him by another name — Bharathan SI, in honour of a terrific police sub-inspector who was posted in the region on the fringes of the Wayanad wildlife sanctuary bordering the Bandipur National Park of Karnataka.

And when Komban turned violent and started attacking homes and residents, Kerala forest minister K. Raju called for his capture. It took trained specialists and several tranquilizer darts to bring him into a specially-constructed kraal, in November.

Conservationist O. Vishnu, who has studied Komban for a while, says the animal is unique. “For the past five years, he has been roaming the farmlands and only eats from the plantations. He loves the tender paddy and prefers only the best,” Mr Vishnu says. Komban is also “in touch” with the human world. He sleeps during the day, lying down, and even “refuses” to be woken up. But Komban was okay overall until he turned hostile in October last year. He put one person in the hospital with serious injuries and many farmers even had to abandon fertile plots due to Komban and friends — who do not enter human settlements unless they are “led” from the front by their boss. But Komban’s capture has caused much controversy in a state that’s still struggling to define its relationship with the elephant. Wildlife activists oppose Komban’s long-distance transfer and want him back in his home. But the farmers are hellbent on getting Komban away as far as possible.

Forest officials had ordered the transportation of the animal to the Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary in Kerala’s Palakkad district — about 200 kilometers away from Wayanad in February’s first

Mweek but that move has been met with opposition too. The worried people at the new venue don’t want Komban anywhere near them.

Meanwhile, the elephant who loves the wild continues to be in limbo. Since his capture, Komban has lost nearly two tonnes in weight and is now being forced to obey orders from mahouts. It would almost seem like the only people who want him are the ones hoping that such an animal can be tamed. illions around the world suffer from depression. In fact, India — with at least 36 per cent of its giant population at risk — is right up there on the list of countries that are dealing with this debilitating condition. The strain on our youth is evident as India has one of the world’s highest suicide rates among those between 15 and 29 — reasons range from family troubles to career breakdowns.

Doctors have been, for years, trying their best to medicate, or counsel their way out of this crisis. Today, a reported mental episode will leave you clutching a few prescription drugs, a list of helpline numbers and your wallet. It’s not easy.

But what if there has been a change in thought? What if depression was normal, or even a natural reaction to physical or mental events around you? These are the arguments being put forward by what’s known as the ‘analytical rumination hypothesis’.

The hypothesis was first put forward by evolutionary psychologist Paul Andrews, currently with the McMaster University in Canada, in 2009. His argument was simple. A bout of depression switches on a state of mood that allows a person to slow down and take stock of a particular situation. Call it rumination, or even analytical thinking. Professor Andrews worked with psychiatrist Andy Thompson to deliver this radical idea.

According to their paper, an episode of depression allows, “(a)... the triggering problem-prioritised access to processing resources, (b) reducing the desire to engage in distracting activities (anhedonia or the inability to feel pleasure), and (c) producing psychomotor changes that reduce exposure to distracting stimuli”.

Two experts then conclude that every aspect of depression allows the person to allocate “resources”. Even the lack of regular sleep is time put aside to break a problem down. Studies have shown that those affected by depression often experience REM sleep... and during this phase the brain is working overtime — shifting thoughts. It’s not always useful, but a steady, grounded analysis can help patients determine causal factors.

The key here again, is rumination — the bouncing around of thoughts by the mind as it searches for answers. ‘Why does my job trouble me?’ or ‘Why did the girlfriend leave?’. Ignoring these thoughts, and continuing with routine, can leave you in confused statis for an extended duration of time. But a ‘hard look’ can often help even if it keeps you from your routine.

“Because processing resources are limited, the inability to concentrate on other things is a tradeoff that must be made to sustain analysis of the triggering problem,” writes Professor Andrews.

The analysis also leads us to certain assumptions. Are people who always indulge in rumination more prone to depression? Are the ones who are “over-thinking it” driving themselves off the edge? Or have they benefitted in some way? A few thousand years ago, Aristotle said there is not a genius mind without a touch of madness and suddenly, we find ourselves wondering if the likes of Van Gogh — caught in an endless loop of painful thoughts — was one of the smartest people to have chopped off a ear. Analytical Rumination suggests that the body is reacting to a crisis — it seeks to normalise depression and turn it around as if it were a cold. Thompson and Andrews did polarise opinions and many asked if this was a dismissal of what’s described as torture. Which is why Jonah Lehrer, while writing the epic Depression’s Upside for the New York Times noted: “To say that depression has a purpose or that sadness makes us smarter says nothing about its awfulness. A fever, after all, might have benefits, but we still take pills to make it go away. This is the paradox of evolution: even if our pain is useful, the urge to escape from the pain remains the most powerful instinct of all.”