With tourists on board, the Bolero driver was seen driving the SUV, used as a safari car, in reverse as a wild elephant chased it through the forest.
A video of a man driving a Mahindra Bolero in reverse to avoid a chasing wild elephant on a safari ride has gone viral. The video was shared by Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, who praised the driver’s calmness in the face of being crushed by the elephant. The SUV, which had been converted into a safari vehicle, also had at least two tourists who witnessed the heroic act and shot the video.
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Supriya Sahu, an IAS officer, shared the video on social media after receiving it from one of her friends. The video was reportedly shot in Karnataka’s Kabini National Park, near Mysuru.
Praising the driver, Mahindra wrote on Twitter, “This was apparently at the Kabini Reserve last Thursday. I hereby anoint the man at the wheel as the best Bolero driver in the world & also nickname him Captain Cool.”
The driver, identified as Prakash, can be seen calmly reversing the Bolero as the wild elephant chases it through the forest in the 36-second video. The wild elephant eventually gave up chasing the Bolero as the driver maintained the animal’s speed while reversing at the same rate.
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The video not only demonstrates the driver’s mental presence, but also his driving abilities. The Bolero in the video lacks a reverse camera, which could have aided the driver’s job. However, he had to constantly refer to the ORVMs to stay on track and keep a safe distance from the chasing wild elephant in front. That is one of the main reasons why Anand Mahindra praised his actions.