Many ringmasters had lost their jobs after the Indian government banned the use of wild animals in circuses. Hari Bahadur, a former ringmaster of Rajmahal Circus, however, chose to take up a different role. Bahadur, better known as Rajkumar in the circus, was famous for his big cat acts with lions and tigers. He has now converted one of the cages into a sound room and operates from behind the stage.

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.

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