President Murmu bestows Padma Shri on Parbati Barua

Guwahati: President Droupadi Murmu bestowed the Padma Shri award upon Assam’s Parbati Barua, India’s first female elephant mahout, in recognition of her exceptional work in the field of social work, particularly her pioneering efforts in elephant conservation and wildlife management at the Civil Investiture Ceremony held in New Delhi on Thursday.
Her journey began at the age of 14 when she successfully domesticated her first elephant in the forests of Kochugaon in the state.Over the years, she has tamed over 500 elephants, employing unique traditional techniques like Mela Shikar to capture wild elephants without the use of tranquilizer guns.
Barua, hailing from the royal family of Gauripur in Assam, was born on March 14, 1953, and exhibited an early passion for elephants and the wilderness, defying societal expectations by venturing into what was traditionally a male-dominated domain.
Beyond her remarkable achievements in elephant taming, Barua has been instrumental in mitigating human-elephant conflicts across Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, Uttaranchal, and Uttar Pradesh. She has collaborated closely with forest officers to provide herbal treatments and training to mahouts and field staff, significantly contributing to the resolution of wildlife challenges.
Her impact extends globally, with her participation in international workshops and seminars focused on elephant conservation. Notably, she represented India at the International Workshop on the Domesticated Asian Elephant in Bangkok, Thailand, organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2001.
Her dedication has earned her numerous accolades, including the Asom Gaurav Award (2023) and the United Nations Environment Program's “Global 500 - Roll of Honour” (1989). The government of Assam honoured her with the “Honorary Chief Elephant Warden of Asom” title in 2003, recognizing her lifelong commitment to elephant welfare.
In addition to her substantive contributions, she has been recognised for her documentary “Aparajita 2023,” receiving the “Nature’s Warrior” Jury Award at the Kolkata International Wildlife & Environment Film Festival.