Elephant Parade is India’s largest and most prominent public art shows. It is as much about art as it is about conservation.

The annual public art exhibition and auction is an initiative by Elephant Family, a London-based organization that has supported over 160 field projects in six elephant range states: India, Thailand, Indonesia (Sumatra), Malaysia (Borneo), Myanmar and Cambodia. Set up by Mark Shand, travel writer and adventurer, and brother of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Elephant Parade is dedicated to the cause of saving the Asian elephant from extinction.

Elephant Parade – Klove Design

Since 2014, for one or more months, hundreds of painted elephant sculptures specially created by artists are placed in the streets of one or more host cities with the aim of increasing public awareness of the plight of the elephant and gaining support for Asian elephant conservation. They are then auctioned off, with the proceeds going to elephant conservation NGOs. The elephant parade has visited several countries across the world, from Hong Kong to the US in the past.

This year, the march of the elephants have taken over Indian cities: Jaipur, Delhi and now, Mumbai. 101 elephants, painted by India’s leading artists, designers, product designers, folk artists, and other noted individuals, like Amitabh Bachchan, can be seen across the city.

Elephant Parade – Christian Louboutin

Development projects in India have put humungous pressures on the forests, as roads, power lines, railways and human settlements eat into the forest areas. The elephants are up for auction and the money raised will be used to fund crucial corridors that elephants use to move from one forest to another, a project to be implemented by the Wildlife Trust of India.

The gentle giant has been turned into an interesting canvas. Art consultant Farah Siddiqui has roped in artists like L N Tallur, fashion designers Rohit Bal and Tarun Tahiliani, Bhil artist Lado Bai, among others to paint their imagination on these sculptures. So there are sculptures that celebrate India’s lush forests, like the one from lifestyle store Goodearth; there are sculptures inspired by its art and cultural heritage; and there are out-of-the-box elephants with a bit of bling, a bit of art, and a bit of everything.

Elephant Parade -Van Vaibhav

If designer duo Abu Jan and Sandeep Khosla’s sculpture, Kali-doscope, is made with over 100,000 mirrors, the one by designer Vikram Goyal is made entirely of bronze and is titled Savitri. Christian Louboutin is the only International designer that presented its Elephant – Bumpy during the Parade. The sculpture is painted blue with gold artistic work on it and encrusted with spikes. Airavat by Tarun Tahiliani is black and gold bling, while artist Kalyan Joshi created Gopi, using a Rajasthani folk art form – phad, which is over 700 years old.

BJP MP Poonam Mahajan, the Parade Ambassador, says “Having worked as an environmentalist and animal lover for so long, I was thrilled to be approached by the Elephant Family to support the same cause which we have been working on with People for Animals for Asiatic Elephants. It’s important to us as over the past 100 years we’ve lost 90% of Asian Elephants, and now as nature, the environment and human beings all co-exist together, awareness is now coming, and it is time for action. By showcasing these beautifully painted 101 elephants by renowned artists and designers all across the city of Mumbai we are bringing everyone together to increase that awareness.”