SUPPLEMENTARY READER :VISTAS

THE TIGER KING BY KALKI

Gist of the lesson:

 The Maharaja Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bhadur was called “Tiger King”.
 When he was just 10 days old he asked intelligent questions to the astrologers and was
told that he would be killed by a tiger. He uttered “Let tigers beware!”
 No other miracle took place, the child grew like any other Royal child drinking white
cow’s milk, taught by an English tutor, looked after by an English nanny and watched
English films.
 When he was 20, he was crowned as king. It was then the prediction of his death by the
tiger reached the Maharaja’s ear and he in turn to safe guard himself killed a tiger and
being thrilled he told the astrologer who replied that he can kill 99 tigers but should be
careful with the 100th.
 From then on he started killing tiger and none was allowed to hunt tigers. A high-
ranking British officer visited the state that was fond of hunting tiger and his wish was
declined.
 The officer requested for getting a photograph with a tiger killed by Maharaja and this
request was rejected.
 So to please the officer’s wife he sent 50 diamond rings expecting that she would take 1
or 2 instead she kept all the rings costing 3 lakh rupees and sent ‘thanks’ to the
Maharaja. But his state was secured.
 In 10 years he killed 70 tiger and didn’t find any in Pratibandapuram so he decided to
marry a girl from royal state which had more tigers to complete his target.
 Whenever he visited his in-laws he killed 5-6 tigers. So he killed 99 tigers and was
feverishly anxious to kill the 100th but couldn’t find.
 News about the presence of a tiger near a village proved disappointing.
 Now the Dewan was warned of his danger so he visited ‘People’s Park in Madras’ and
brought an old tiger and placed it in the forest and informed the Maharaja.
 The Maharaja took great care and shot the tiger and left the place with great triumph.
 The bullet did not hit the tiger but out of fear the tiger had collapsed. Now the staff
killed the tiger and brought it in grand procession.
 It was the 3rd birthday of the Maharaja’s son and he wanted to buy a present from the
toyshop. He bought a wooden tiger which was poorly carved.

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 While the Maharaja was playing with the prince a tiny sliver of the wooden tiger pierced
his right hand which later on caused his death. Thus the hundredth tiger takes his final
revenge upon the “Tiger King”.

Question and Answer:

1. What was the miracle that took place in the royal palace?
When the Maharaja was a 10 day old infant spoke and asked intelligent questions about his
death. After knowing that he would be killed by a tiger he uttered saying “Let tigers
beware.”
2. How was the Tiger King brought up?
As a child the Tiger King was brought up by an English nanny and tutored in English by an
Englishman. He was given the milk of an English cow. Like many other Indian crown princes
he watched only English movies.

3. What did the State astrologer say he would do ‘if the hundredth tiger were also killed’?
The State astrologer was so sure of his prediction that he announced that he would cut off
his ceremonial tuft, crop his hair short and become an insurance agent in case the king was
able to kill the 100th tiger, too. He was sure that the Maharaja’s death would be caused by
the 100th tiger.
4. What did the high-ranking British officer wish to do? Was his wish fulfilled?
The high-ranking British officer wanted to kill a tiger. When he was denied the permission
for hunting, he sent a word to the king that he would be happy if he was allowed to get
photographed with the dead body of a tiger killed by the king. However, his wish remained
unfulfilled.
5. How did the Maharaja manage to save his throne?
The Maharaja had annoyed the visiting senior British officer over the issue of tiger-hunting
and ‘stood in danger of losing his kingdom itself’. So, the Maharaja and the Dewan decided
to placate and pacify the officer through bribe by sending gifts of expensive diamond rings
to the ‘duraisani”, the wife of the British officer. Thus he managed to save his throne.
6. How did the ‘duraisani’ behave on receiving the gifts?

Some fifty samples of expensive diamond rings were sent to the duraisani and it was
expected that she would select on or two and return the rest. But the lady proved to be
greedy as she retained all of them and merely sent a letter of thanks.
6. Why did the Maharaja’s tiger killing mission come to a sudden still?

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Within ten years Maharaja’s tiger hunting had resulted in the killing of seventy tigers.
However his tiger killing mission came to a sudden standstill because the tiger population
became extinct in the forest of Pratibandapuram.

8. Why did the Maharaja suddenly decide to marry? Whom did he wish to marry?
The Maharaja suddenly decided to marry because firstly, he was of marriageable age and
secondly, he wanted to kill thirty more tigers in his father-in-law’s state in order to
complete the tally of hundred tigers .For this reason he wished to marry a girl in the royal
family of a state with a large tiger population.

9. Why did Maharaja order the dewan to double the tax?

The Maharaja called the dewan and ordered him to immediately double the tax of the
villagers who had informed him of a tiger in the forest because despite his best efforts he
was unable to locate the beast. This infuriated the Maharaja.

10. What did the Maharaja buy as a birthday gift for his son?
The Maharaja wished to give his son a very special gift on his birthday and he bought a
wooden toy tiger as a perfect birthday gift for his son.

11. How did the king’s arm become seriously infected?

The king’s arm had got infected from a prick caused by one of the slivers on the wooden
tiger. In one day, the infection got flared in the Maharaja’s right hand and in four days it
developed into a suppurating sore which spread all over the arm. Though he was operated
yet he died.

Unsolved Question

1. How did the Maharaja kill the hundredth tiger?

2. The title of the Maharaja reflected grandeur but his death was an anticlimax. Justify.
3. How did the Tiger King meet his end? What is ironical about his death?
4. What idea do you form about the ruling Indian class during the pre-partition days from
the king’s encounter with shopkeeper?
5. What idea do you form about the married life of the king?
6. Why did the tiger king decided to marry? How do you conclude his attitude towards
marriage?
Long answer type question

1. How did the Tiger King meet his end? What is ironical about his death?
The wooden toy tiger the king had got as a birthday present for his son had been carved by
an unskilled carpenter. It had a rough surface with tiny slivers of wood standing up like
quills all over it. One of those slivers pierced the Maharaja’s right hand and although the
king pulled it, his arm got infected. In four days, it developed into a suppurating sore and
spread all over the arm. The king died while being operated upon.

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The king’s death is ironical but not surprising for the reader who is, in fact, looking forward
to it. Having ‘killed’ the 100th tiger, the king is jubilant for he has fulfilled his vow and
disproved the prediction of the royal astrologer. He is now at ease for he thinks he cannot
die of a tiger’s attack. No wonder, he orders the ‘dead’ tiger to be taken in a procession
through the town and gets a tomb erected over it. All this while he does not know that the
100th victim was not killed by him but by other hunters.

That is indeed quite ironical. Death is lurking around him and the king is unaware of it.
Again, it is ironical that a king who has killed 100 tigers and is bold and fearless dies of a
mere ‘sliver’ on the body of a wooden tiger. Thus, ironically death does come to him from a
tiger.
2.‘The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power’ Elucidate.

THE ENEMY BY PEARL S BUCK

GIST OF THE LESSON:
 Dr. Sadao, a Japanese surgeon finds a wounded American soldier on the beach near
his house.
 He is unable to throw him back though he was his enemy as he was a doctor and his
first duty was to save a life.
 Hana, his wife, though initially reluctant because it was dangerous for all including
the children to keep the enemy in the house, joins her husband in operating and
nursing the enemy soldier back to health, even though the servants desert the
house.
 Hana assists Dr. Sadao in operating the soldier in spite of her physical discomfort and
hesitation.
 Though it was war time and all hands were needed at the front, the General did not
send Sadao with the troops as he is an expert surgeon and the General needed him.
 Sadao tells him about the enemy soldier but he does not take any action as he is
self-absorbed and forgets his promise that he would send his private assassins to kill
the enemy and remove his body.
 Taking advantage of the general’s self-absorption Sadao decides to save the soldiers
life. After the soldier is out of danger Dr. Sadao helps him to escape from his house
to safety.

SOLVED SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:

1 Why did the General overlook the matter of the enemy soldier?
The General had an attack and according to Dr. Sadao he could not survive the second
attack. So if Dr. Sadao was arrested, no other doctor was capable of performing the
operation. So for furthering his selfish needs he overlooked the matter and promises to
send his assassins. But he was so self-absorbed, he forgot about it.

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