It is 20 days since Arikompan left Chinnakanal, yet the tusker remains etched in the minds of some people so much that they have formed associations in its name.
A tea shop named ‘Arikompan fans’ tea stall’ has come up at Gandhi Nagar, near Poopara, where a group of nine sees it as a way to express their love and affection towards their favourite tusker.
The shop was opened by Reghu, a resident of Poopara, a place close to the spot from where the tusker was captured on April 29. “For the past nine years, I monitor the movements of wild elephants in the area and especially of tusker Arikompan,” said Mr Reghu. The other members of the fans’ team are Jeeva, Pradeep, Abhilash, Biji, Babu, Karthik, Anas, and Balu.
