Showing the cage, he said, “I used to keep three big cats here. I would clean the boards myself and feed the animals. My animals were like my children. I did not even marry till the concerned authorities took them away from me. Because, I spent all my time with them. I used to treat them like babies. When they got children, they used to sleep with me. No zoo can take care of them so well.”

Asked if he remembers his days as a ringmaster, Bahadur said, “Of course, I miss those days. That’s why despite selling all my other cages, I have kept this one. It reminds me that I had magnificent animals like lions, tigers and bear.”

“Those days circus artistes were treated with a lot of respect. Ringmaster was the star of the show and always in the spotlight.” Though Bahadur could have worked with other animals, he chose to stay behind the scenes. “Since I used to train and perform with lions and tigers, I felt it would not be right to perform with dogs and horses. The big cats and other wild animals have their own charm,” he said.

“When the government came to seize our animals, there was little I or anyone else could do to stop them. I personally went and handed them over to the zoo and the park authorities,” he said. Bahdur dismisses all allegations that circus animals are ill-treated. “Not a chance. They were our family members and our means to earn a living. After I sent my animals to zoos, many of them perished. In zoos, out of every 50 kg of the meat that is served, 40 kg is bone. That’s why the animals don’t live their entire life span,” Bahadur opined.