UDHAGAMANDALAM: Building a house close to the road with its roof at ground level is not a very wise proposition, 30-year-old Tamil Nadu resident Zumila knew. She was well aware that a vehicle could veer off the road anytime and plunge into her house, where she lives with her 45-day-old child.But not even in her wildest dreams did she expect what happened to her on Thursday - an elephant calf crashed through her roof as she slept with her child in the house at the Kozhipalam area of Gudalur town.A jumbo and its year-old-calf were taking a stroll in the area in the early hours of Thursday when the baby stepped on the asbestos roof of the house . The sheet gave way and the calf vanished into a hole as its horrified mother watches.Zumila were in deep slumber when a deafening crash jolted them awake. In the dim light, Zumila saw an elephant in the room, looking as dazed as she felt.Just a bad dream, she thought, and tried to go back to sleep. But things started happening. Her baby shrieked, and the terrified baby's cries alarmed the equally petrified calf. Zumila grabbed her baby and made a dash for the kitchen. "The elephant calf, in its haste to get out of this strange environment, knocked her down as she ran, causing minor injuries," said P Ganesan, forest officer , Gudalur range.The calf could not get out of the house as the front door was closed. But a mother's worry for her child saved the day as the mother elephant, looking for the calf, broke open the backdoor of the house and pulled it out. Zumila, still shaken up, is in hospital being treated for her injuries. "We have photographed the damaged house... The government will recommend compensation to the family," the forest officer said.

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