She Chose Elephants Over Dolls—How Parbati Barua Became India's First Female Mahout
From a very young age Parbati Barua found herself captivated by the forests and the majestic elephants that roamed them Born on March into the royal family of Gauripur in Assam Parbati was one of nine children of the late Prakritish Chandra Barua the last Rajah of Gauripur Her father was internationally respected for his deep knowledge of elephants and it was from him that she inherited an extraordinary bond with the gentle giants The -Year-Old Who Captured Her First ElephantAt an age when most teenagers are discovering their hobbies Parbati was venturing deep into the forests of Kochugaon in Assam's Kokrajhar district At just years old she successfully captured and domesticated her first wild elephant an achievement few could have imagined especially for a young girl in a field almost entirely dominated by men That defining moment earned her the affectionate title 'Hasti Kanya' Elephant Girl and marked the
