The Bond of Love

Summary

This is the story of love and friendship between an animal and a human being. One day the
author found a bear cub in a field. He took it home and presented it to his wife. The bear
and the author’s wife developed great love for each other. When the bear grew up, it was
sent to the zoo at Mysore. She became very sad. After three months, she visited the zoo.
The bear recognized her and danced with happiness. But she could not live without the
bear. She got the permission from the zoo superintendent to get the bear back. A special
place was made at home for the grown up bear. Now both the bear and the writer’s wife
were happy. The story shows that animals too are capable of much love and affection just
like human beings.

Comprehension Questions

Short Answer Questions (to be answered in about 30 – 40 words each)

1. How did the narrator get the baby sloth bear?
The author got the baby sloth bear as a result of an unfortunate accident. It was riding
on the back of his mother who was wantonly shot dead by one of the author’s
companions. It was in great shock and tried to flee but the narrator managed to
capture it, and brought it home.

2. Why did the narrator not kill the sloth bear when she appeared suddenly?
Two years ago when the narrator and others were passing through the sugarcane
fields, people were driving away wild pigs by shooting. Just when everything was over,
a sloth bear appeared. Being kind-hearted, the narrator did not want to kill any animal
without any motive or provocation. As the sloth bear had not provoked or attacked
him, he did not kill it.

3. How did the author’s wife receive the baby sloth bear?
The narrator’s wife was extremely happy to get the baby sloth bear as a pet. She put a
coloured ribbon around his neck. She even gave him the name ‘Bruno’.

4. How was Bruno, the baby bear, fed initially? What followed within a few days?
Initially, the little Bruno was given milk with the help of a bottle. But soon he started
eating all kinds of food and drank all kinds of drinks. He ate a variety of dishes like
porridge, vegetables, nuts, fruits, meat, eggs, chocolates etc., and drank milk, tea,
coffee, lime-juice, buttermilk, even beer and alcoholic liquor all with a relish.

5. What accident befell Bruno? How did it seriously affect his health?
One day Bruno ate the rat poison (barium carbonate) kept in the library by the author
to kill rats. The poison affected the bear’s nervous and muscular system and left him
paralysed. He rapidly became weak, panted heavily, vomited, and was unable to move.

6. How was Bruno cured of paralysis?
Bruno had mistakenly consumed poison and had got paralysed. He was taken to the
veterinary doctor who consulted his book and injected 10 c.c. of the antidote into him.
The first dose had no effect. Then another dose was injected which cured Bruno
absolutely. After ten minutes his breathing became normal and he could move his arms
and legs and thirty minutes later he was cured completely.

7. Why did Bruno drink the engine oil? What was the result?
Once the narrator had drained the old engine oil from the sump of his car and kept it
to treat termites. Bruno, who would drink anything that came his way, drank about one
gallon of this oil too. However, it did not have any effect on him.

8. How did Bruno come to be called ‘Baba’?
After months of living with the narrator’s family, Bruno grew in size and was fond of the
whole family. Bruno came to be called ‘Baba’ after the narrator’s wife developed a
special bond of affection for him. She loved him and started calling him ‘Baba’, which in
Hindi means a ‘young boy’.

9. What kind of tricks did Bruno, the pet bear, do?
Bruno was mischievous and played a lot of tricks. When he was called to wrestle, he
would vigorously tackle anyone who came forward. When asked to hold the gun, he
pointed a stick at the members around. On being asked where the baby was he
brought out a stump of wood and cradled it as if it were a baby.

10. Why was it decided to send Bruno to Mysore zoo? What was the reaction of the
narrator’s wife?
The narrator, his son and friends advised the narrator’s wife to send Bruno to a zoo
because he was now too big to be kept at home. But she loved the pet bear so deeply
that she could not accept the proposal readily. It took her some weeks to make up her
mind and give her consent.

11. How did the narrator’s wife react when Baba was sent to Mysore zoo?
When Baba was sent to Mysore zoo, the narrator’s wife felt so miserable that she could
not be consoled. She wept and kept worrying about the bear. She refused to eat
anything for some days. She wrote letters one after another to the curator of the zoo to
inquire about Baba’s wellbeing.

12. How did Baba behave when he saw the narrator’s wife in the zoo?
Baba was overjoyed to see the narrator’s wife. He recognised her from a distance of
some yards and jumped and cried with delight. To express his pleasure at meeting her
again, he stood on his head.

13. What did the narrator’s wife do while in the zoo?
In the zoo, the narrator’s wife rushed to the cage where Baba had been kept. She
showed her love by stroking him affectionately through the bars and sat near the cage
for three hours. She gave him a lot of things to eat and drink.

14. Describe the scene at the time of the closing of the zoo.
As the closing time at the zoo drew near, the narrator’s wife cried bitterly at the
thought of parting from Baba. He too cried bitterly. This touching scene saddened the
curator and the keepers of the zoo.

15. How would the narrator’s wife reach the island where Baba was kept?
The narrator had tied a rope to the overhanging branch of a mango tree with a loop at
its end. To reach the island, his wife would put one foot in the loop and kick off with
the other to cross the six-foot wide pit around the island. She would then spend hours
sitting on a chair with Baba in her lap.

Long Answer type Questions (in 100-150 words)

1. How did the writer get a baby-bear for his wife?
Two years ago, the author and his friends were passing through the sugarcane fields
near Mysore. People were driving away the wild pigs from their fields by shooting at
them. Suddenly a sloth bear came out of the field. One of the writer’s companions shot
at the bear. It fell dead. They realized that a bear cub was riding on the mother bear’s
back. The cub was making pitiful howls. The writer tried to catch it. But the bear cub ran
away into the field. The narrator and his companions ran after it and were able to catch
it. The baby bear tried to free itself. It tried to scratch the author with its long, hooked
claws. They put the bear into a gunny bag and brought it to Bangalore. The author
presented the little creature to his wife. She was very happy. She named the bear cub
‘Bruno’.

2. The author ends the story ‘The Bond of Love’ with the rhetorical question: “But who can
say now that a sloth bear has no sense of affection, no memory and no individual
characteristics?” Discuss this statement in the light of Bruno’s character.
The whole story ‘The Bond of Love’ revolves around the mutual, sincere and selfless
love of the narrator’s wife and her pet bear, Bruno. The young bear loved and brought
up like a child by the author’s wife, proves that he richly deserves this love because he
himself is capable of showing equally deep and faithful love. He is treated like a
member of the family and he himself proves that he is as much bound by loyal love to
the members of the family as they are to him. The deep emotions of Bruno come to the
fore when he is sent to a zoo. He is so pained by the separation from his mistress that
he frets terribly and refuses to eat anything. He grows very lean and thin. Even in three
months, he does not reconcile to the separation and never forgets the narrator’s wife.
He recognizes her at once, even from a distance of some yards, when she visits him
after three months. He is highly delighted, stands on his head and eats a lot from her
hands. At the closing time of the zoo he cries bitterly at the thought of parting again
from his mistress. His emotions move the hearts of the zoo curator and the keepers. It
is only when he is brought back home that he starts enjoying life again. All this proves
that animals too have affection, love, and individual qualities.

3. What special arrangements were made to keep Bruno at home?
Bruno, the pet bear, was transported back to Bangalore in a cage lent by the Mysore
zoo authorities. The cage containing Bruno was hoisted on top of the car and tied
securely. The vehicle was driven slowly and carefully, lest he was hurt. At the writer’s
home in Bangalore, special arrangements were made to keep Bruno at a safe distance
from the people in the house. A squad of coolies was engaged to create an island in
the compound. Around this 20×15 feet island, a dry pit, six feet wide and seven feet
deep, was dug. A wooden box that was once used to keep the fowls was put on the
island for Baba to sleep at night. Straw was placed inside to keep it warm and his
‘baby’, the gnarled stump, and his ‘gun’, the piece of bamboo, was also put back for
him to play with. After that the coolies hoisted the cage on to the island and Baba was
released.

Answers to Textbook Questions

1. On two occasions Bruno ate/drank something that should not be eaten or drunk. What
happened to him on these occasions? (Textual)
Once the narrator had brought home barium carbonate for killing rats in the library.
Since the poison had been kept on the floor of the library, Bruno consumed it. This had
a paralyzing effect on him. Bruno was rushed to the veterinary doctor who gave him
two doses of the antidote. On another occasion, Bruno drank engine oil. However, the
engine oil did not have any effect on him.

 2. Was Bruno a loving and playful pet? Why, then, did he have to be sent away? (Textual)
Bruno was certainly a loving and playful pet. He had developed affection for everyone
around him and was particularly attached to the narrator’s wife. However, he had to be
sent away to the zoo because he had grown too big to be kept at home. He could be a
threat to the people in the neighbourhood, especially children.

3. How was the problem of what to do with Bruno solved?
The problem of what to do with Bruno was solved when the narrator’s wife, though
reluctantly, gave her consent to send Bruno to the zoo in Mysore. A letter was written
to the curator of the zoo who replied in the positive. Bruno was sent away in a cage and
carried in a lorry that had been sent by the zoo authorities.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q 1 Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow.

(a) After weeks of such advice she at last consented. Hastily, and before she could change

her mind, a letter was written to the curator of the zoo.

i. Who is referred to as ‘she’?

The narrator’s wife is referred to as ‘she’.

ii. What advice was given to her and by whom?

The narrator, his son and friends advised her to give Bruno to the Mysore zoo.

iii. What reply was given by the curator?

The curator replied in the affirmative that he would accept a tame bear in his zoo.

iv. Give the antonym of ‘consented’

forbade

(b) There followed the return journey to Bangalore and a visit to the superintendent’s

bungalow. A tearful pleading.

i. Who went to Bangalore and from where?

The narrator and his wife went to Bangalore after visiting Bruno at the Mysore zoo.

ii. Why did they visit the superintendent?

The curator at the Mysore Zoo told the narrator’s wife that she could take ‘Bruno’ back

home only if the superintendent agrees. Hence they travelled to Bangalore.

iii. What was the superintendent’s response?

The Superintendent was a kind fellow and he agreed. At his recommendation, the

curator lent a cage for the safe journey of the bear back home to Bangalore.

iv. Find the synonym of the word-‘emotional appeal’.

pleading

Q 2 Answer each of the following questions in about 30-40 words.

(a) Why was Bruno kept in chains most of the time?

Bruno had grown up very fast. Therefore, it was felt that it could be dangerous to let

him move about freely with the children of the tenants around. Therefore, it was

decided to keep Bruno in chains.

(b) What did the letters from the curator and the friends who visited the zoo report about

Baba?

The letters from the curator of the zoo reported that Baba was well but sad and upset,

and refused to eat food. The friends who visited the zoo gave similar reports telling

that he had grown very thin and kept fretting all the time. 

(c) What request did the narrator’s wife make to the curator? Did the curator grant the

request?

The narrator’s wife requested the curator of the zoo to allow her to take her pet sloth

bear, Baba, back home. He refused initially by saying that Baba was a government

property and he could not be given away. But afterwards, he suggested that they

should contact the Superintendent in Bangalore for permission to take Baba home.

(d) When did the narrator take his wife to the Mysore zoo and why?

The narrator had managed to prevent his wife from going to the Mysore zoo for three

months. But one day she put her foot down and told him that if he was not ready to

take her to the zoo by car, she would go by bus or train. So, the narrator took her to

the zoo by car to see Baba.

Q 3 Answer each of the following questions in about 100-150 words.

(a) Describe the two accidents that befell ‘Bruno’. How did he recover from them?

There were rats in the narrator’s library. In order to kill them, he had put down barium

carbonate in the library. It was poison. Bruno entered the library and ate some of the

poison. He suffered from a stroke of paralysis. He was weakening rapidly. He was

breathing heavily and vomiting. The author at once took him to a veterinary doctor.

The vet gave him I0 cc of antidote through an injection. But his condition remained

unchanged. Then another 10 cc was injected. This improved his condition. Bruno got

up and enjoyed a good meal. At another time, the little bear drank a lot of old engine

oil. But fortunately, it had no effect on him.

(b) How was Bruno brought to the narrator’s home? How did he become a member of the

family?

The baby bear was brought to the narrator’s home by chance. The narrator and his

companions while going, to Mysore were crossing some fields when they heard the

noise of shooting, Some pigs had intruded the fields and they were being driven away

with gun shots. Some of them died while others ran away. When everything seemed

silent and normal, a mother sloth bear suddenly appeared on the scene and one of

the narrator’s companions killed the bear instantly without any provocation. The cub

bear who was riding the back of his mother was utterly grieved and soon fled away to

escape being killed. The narrator, who felt pity for the young cub, chased him and

captured him despite protests from the little animal. He brought the baby bear home

and gifted it to his wife. The narrator’s wife accepted him with love and gave him the

name Bruno. Soon there developed such a bond of reciprocal love between Bruno and

the narrator’s wife that Bruno came to be called ‘Baba’ which means a ‘small boy’. He

had now become a true family member who enjoyed complete freedom and deep

affection.