Canacona is a taluka covered by vast forests and man-animal conflicts usually take a deadly turn in the rural areas, though their tales of bravery do not reach the ears of others. While most people who come in face to face with a wild animal do not survive or are badly injured, Barkelo Bhandari using his wit and strength fought back the much stronger leopard and lived to see another day. This story catapulted him into the spotlight and he earned the admiration of his fellow Canacona residents and his own village, in particular. Nearly a year ago, Barkelo, who is a fisherman by trade and his family’s sole bread winner, had gone to fish near his house in the wee hours of the morning, as was his usual practice. At this time, his family was in distress as he was suffering from cancer and they knew what the odds were like when it came to surviving a battle with cancer. What they didn’t know then, that Barkelo, would have to face another unexpected battle, that very morning.
“As if the cancer was not enough, the leopard played a cruel joke on us a year ago; my husband was catching crabs from amongst the rocks near our house at around 5 am. While he was bending, he was attacked by an adult leopard but he punched and fought with the leopard till the leopard ran away, “recalled his wife.
While he lived to tell the tale to his family and friends, these days, there has been an outpouring of sympathy and condolences to the family.
Last week, Barkelo, aged 50, breathed his last, following his long struggle with cancer, leaving behind his ailing mother, wife and only son to fend for themselves.
When this correspondent met Barkelo last month he showed the scars on his leg and neck where a leopard had attacked him.
Fishing was one of his professions, which he practiced with lot of vigour, although he was equally good in other traditional jobs he undertook in order to support his family.
Coming from an economically backward family he was not fortunate to have a decent education but his hard work and intelligence and pursuance was enough to educate his only son who is now doing his final year B.Com in a local college in Canacona.
His mother who is in her seventies is distraught and in spite of her ill-health, works in the neighborhood as a domestic help to keep the fire burning in the house.
While speaking to this correspondent with tears in her eyes, she recollects how smart and intelligent her son was. She also said she wished it was she who was taken by God in place of her son.
Her daughter-in-law and Barkelo’s wife Laxmi, who hasn’t left the house since the demise of her husband, said that they had nothing to worry about when her husband was alive. She added that despite suffering from cancer for the last four years, he had never stopped working and would always be working on something or the other to keep himself busy.
“My husband died waging a battle to a disease, the name of which brings tremors and shivers in our mind. My mother-in-law and I stare at the darkness in our house as the light outside brings tears in our eyes, as any word uttered is lost in the silence that has gripped our family since last week”, said Laxmi.
