Velayudhan of Nenmara is fondly called ‘Kaduva’ (tiger) by his fellow mahouts and elephant lovers. He has taken care of more than 100 elephants in his career spanning 50 years and is praised for his ability to tame even the toughest of tuskers.

Velayudhan had started out as an assistant to his guru Valiapadam Vella and became the main mahout of the baby elephant Vijayan at the age of 11.