Whiskered house guest from forests of Bilaspur

My early years spent in the riverside hill town of Bilaspur, Himachal, bring back memories of vast outdoors, boating rides and visits to local fairs.

I was still in the second grade when my father, a forest officer, moved to the town nestled on the banks of Sutlej. My most vivid memories are of playing in the lush lawn outside our house, boating on the Gobind Sagar lake on the weekends as well as joyrides and watching wrestling bouts at the local fairs with my grandfather who would visit us every now and then.

From the myriad of memories, one stands out: that of my father bringing home a leopard cub. 

As a forest officer, he would often get called in to assist when leopards would enter inhabited areas. On one such excursion, his team came across the abandoned cub. To the best of my understanding, the procedure directed for the cub to be reunited with its mother and that required it to be taken to the same spot where it was found for the next few days.

Too young to be left as is, the cub stayed at our home, looked after by forest guards who resided at the adjacent office building and my family. I still recall the fascination with which me and my sister would crouch down to the cub's level, our mother and nani standing guard, watching him chase birds around our lawn and sleep in the darkest corner he could find. 

Unfortunately, the cub could not be reunited with his mother despite the department’s best efforts. It was soon time to bid farewell as he was moved to a rehab centre. It has been nearly two decades since, but his whiskers and spots are still vivid in my recollections.

Vedant Chandel, Chandigarh