The Elephant Family—a movement towards saving the Asian elephant is an Elephant Parade; a mass movement that generates awareness and funds for Indian Elephant. The Elephant Parade India is being held from November 2017 to March 2018 in across leading cities in the country. 

 The launch of the Elephant Parade India took place in Delhi this week, and in attendance were the who’s who of the country along with international royalty which included The Prince of Whales and his wife  Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall. Ms. Ruth Powys, CEO of Elephant family was also present. 

Nature has been the primary inspiration for homegrown Indian brand, Good Earth, which has come to represent the best in Indian design since its inception 21 years ago. Just as each of its creations glorify the splendour of Indian nature through its flaura and fauna. It has celebrated both the Indian elephant and the Tiger. This year as part of this endeavour, Good Earth has created not one, but two delightful Elephants — ‘Van Vaibhav’ and ‘Tara Astamangala’ which are part of the Elephant Parade in Jaipur, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Blending a mix of acrylic paint, gold powder paint, and lacquer with custom hand-woven Banarsi brocade, the brand’s two exclusive designs for the parade this year represent all things Indian. Van Vaibhav represents the 'Splendour of the Forest' and is inspired by the endless beauty and bounty of nature while ‘Tara Astamangala’ features a design interpretation of the “eight auspicious symbols”, known as the astamangala — offerings that Vedic gods presented to Sakyamuni Buddha upon his enlightenmen .

Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has also created a spectacular creation for the parade — ‘The Sundarbans Elephant,’ which features a floral motif. Sabyasachi has a continuous association with The Elephant Family global initiatives in London which have included designing an auto rickshaw in 2015 and the Royal Bengal Tiger mask for Animal Ball in 2016. 

The Elephant Parade  initiative is part of leading wildlife conservation NGO Wildlife Trust of India’s (WTI) Gaj Yatra, a campaign that aims to raise awareness about the shrinking space for India’s wild elephants and the importance of securing elephant corridors. The campaign was launched at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi, by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change Dr Harsh Vardhan, WTI Executive Director & CEO Mr Vivek Menon, and actor, filmmaker, humanitarian and WTI Brand Ambassador Ms Dia Mirza earlier this year.

The Gaj Yatra, which is partnered by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), is the biggest event ever planned around India’s wild elephants. It will take the form of a roadshow that will move through 12 elephant range states over the next 15 months, with elephant-sized artworks created by local artists and craftsmen as the centrepiece. Gaj Mahotsavs will be organised at different venues along the way, with concerts, parades, street plays and activities for children in particular. The Gaj Yatra’s objective is two-fold: to raise awareness about the plight of India’s National Heritage Animal, and to build a groundswell of popular support for the securing of elephant corridors.