Beauty and Beast
I felt so lucky to chance upon an elephant trotting down the street during my first few minutes in downtown Pondicherry! He was accompanied by a young man with a switch, although it was unclear who was doing the leading. I was taken aback by how quickly the elephant moved. I was in the process of removing my shoes to go into the Ashram - a famous commune within Pondicherry - when I saw him pass. I hurried to get my camera, but missed him the first time, only getting a relatively distant shot of his rear. Luckily, I found him again a few blocks off, after the Ashram. He was very tame and let me pet him, and also well-trained, as you'll see from the next shot.