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pet Alsatian dogs. It would play, run around the house and even
sleep in their bed.

One day, accidentally, it ate a poison - Barium carbonate which
had been kept in the library to kill mice and rats. Bruno was
under a fit of paralysis and was taken to a veterinary doctor. He

was injected twice and finally, revived. After a while, Bruno
resumed eating normally. In another incident, he drank a gallon
of old engine oil which the narrator had kept to fight a termite

attack. This did not have any ill - effect on Bruno.
As days passed, Bruno grew bigger but remained as sweet and
playful. The narrator’s wife changed his name to ‘Baba’ which
was a Hindustani word for ‘a small boy’. He had learned a few

tricks too. When commanded ‘Baba, wrestle’ or ‘Baba, box’, he
would tackle and overpower the person. When ordered ‘Baba,

hold gun’ he would point a stick at the person. When asked
‘Baba, where’s baby?’ he would take out the piece of wood and
would cradle it affectionately like a baby. As he was big now, he
had to be chained because he could harm the tenant’s children.

The narrator, his son and their friends advised the narrator’s
wife to send Baba to a zoo as he was too big to be kept as a pet.
She gave in and finally, after taking consent from the zoo in-

charge, they packed Baba in a cage and sent him to the zoo at
Mysore. Everyone missed him but felt relieved as it was not
comfortable to keep him at home. The narrator’s wife missed

Baba immensely. She cried and worried about him. She wrote
letters to the zoo in-charge to ask about Baba’s well - being.
They replied that Baba was fine but did not eat and remained

sad much like her. She would ask her friends visiting Mysore to
visit Baba. Everyone said that he was sad and appeared thin.
After three months had passed, the narrator’s wife convinced
him to take her to meet Baba. Everyone had predicted that the

bear would not recognize her but she had not even reached the
cage when Baba recognised her. He stood on his two paws and
was delighted to see her. She petted Baba and fed him his

favourite food. She spent three hours there until the visiting