The Tiger King - Kalki

The story 'The Tiger King' is a satire on the conceit of those in power. The
writer tries conveying how kings, not interested in the welfare of the people,
circumvented all laws to suit their own selfish interests.

The story is about the Maharaja of Pratibandhapuram about whom the chief
astrologer had predicted that the cause of his death would be a tiger. In order
to prove the prophecies of the astrologer wrong, the Maharaja killed ninety
nine tigers, but the hundredth tiger escaped his bullet. Later, one of the
hunters killed it by shooting at it from a close range. The King thought that the
hundredth tiger had been killed by him. However, an inanimate wooden tiger
became the hundredth tiger that ultimately caused his death. The prophecy of
the astrologer proved to be true, despite the king's best efforts to prove it
wrong.

Justification of Title
‘The Tiger King’ is a very appropriate title for the story for several reasons. First
of all, the king is crazy about tiger hunting so much that he marries a princess
whose father’s kingdom has a sizeable tiger population. He kills one hundred
tigers just to fulfil his vow. Secondly, the king with all his frenzy, anger and
ruthlessness is as ferocious as a tiger. Thirdly, he dies of a sliver prick received
from a wooden toy tiger. Finally, the prediction that a tiger would cause the
king’s death also comes true. Since the story revolves round the king and the
hundred tigers that he kills, it could not be better titled than “The Tiger King”.

Irony and Satire

‘The Tiger King’ is replete with irony that reveals the follies of autocratic and
wilful rulers who flout all laws and bend them to suit their selfish interests. The
dramatic irony in the story is sharp when the Tiger King alone is unaware that
his bullet had not killed the hundredth tiger. The other characters and the
readers anticipate his doom as he celebrates his triumph over his destiny. We
realize how misplaced the King’s pride at killing the first tiger was. The
astrologers had prophesied, “You may kill ninety-nine tigers like this, but your
death will be brought on by the hundredth tiger.” The King wanted to prove

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the astrologer wrong and to save his life. Ironically, to avert death he actually
invites it. The lofty titles used to introduce the Tiger King, suggesting an
invincible ferocity are indeed ironic for he is finally killed by a cheap, crudely
made wooden toy tiger which became the tool of Nature’s revenge. He had
killed a hundred tigers in vain and must be punished for it. Irony is indeed
sharp when the surgeons announce the operation successful and declare the
king dead.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Who is the hero of the story ‘The Tiger King’ ? How may he be identified?
The Maharaja of Pratibandhapuram is the hero of this story. He may be
identified as His Highness Jamedar-General, Khiledar-Major, Sata Vyaghra
Samhari, Maharajadhiraja Visva Bhuvana Samrat, Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur,
M.A.D., A.C.T.C., or C.R.C.K. This name is often shortened to the Tiger King.

2. What was the great miracle that took place? What was its result?
The astrologers said the child born under that particular star would one day
have to meet its death. At that very moment a great miracle took place. An
astonishing phrase emerged from the lips of the ten-day-old Jilani Jung Jung
Bahadur. Everyone stood motionless with astonishment and stupidity.

3. Why did the Maharaja order the dewan to double the land tax?
Maharaja went out on an expedition to find the hundredth tiger. The tiger
could not be found. Enraged, he ordered the dewan to double the land tax.

4. What was the chief astrologer’s prediction?

The chief astrologer predicted that the prince was born in the hour of the Bull.
The Bull and the Tiger are enemies. Therefore, death comes from the Tiger.

5. How did the crown prince Jung Jung Bahadur grow up?
The infant had an uneventful childhood. He grew up just like other royal
princes of Indian states during the British rule. The prince grew taller and
stronger day by day. The boy drank the milk of an English cow. He was brought

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up by an English nanny and tutored in English by an Englishman. He saw
nothing but English films.

6. Why did the Maharaja ban tiger hunting in the state?

Maharaja banned the tiger hunting in the state because he wanted to prove
the predictions of state astrologer wrong that he would be killed by the
hundredth tiger. That is why he put a ban on the hunting of tigers on all the
tiger-rich forest of Pratibandhapuram so that only he kills tigers and no one
else.

7. Point out the irony in the statement: “From that day onwards it was
celebration time for all the tigers inhabiting Pratibandhapuram.”
The state banned tiger hunting by anyone except the Maharaja. An official
statement was issued. If anyone dared to harm a tiger even by flinging a stone
at him, all his wealth and property would be confiscated. The tigers could
rejoice that they would not be killed by the riff-raff. The irony is that they were
set to die at the hands of the Maharaja.

8. How did the Maharaja devote himself to realise his ambition? How far did
he succeed?
The Maharaja pursued his ambition with single minded devotion. He vowed
that he would attend to all other matters only after killing the hundred tigers.
He bravely faced many dangers to his life from tigers in achieving his mission.
Sometimes he had to fight a tiger with his bare hands. But each time the
Maharaja proved victorious by killing the beast.

9. Why, do you think, was the Maharaja in danger of losing his throne ?
The Maharaja had annoyed a high-ranking British officer by refusing him
permission to hunt tigers in Pratibandhapuram. The Maharaja did not relent
even when the request was toned down that the durai himself did not have to
kill the tiger. The Maharaja could do the actual killing. The durai wanted only a
photograph of himself holding the gun and standing over the tiger’s carcass.
The Maharaja stood in danger of losing his throne because he prevented a
British officer from fulfilling his desire.

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10. What traits of the Maharaja and the British officer are exposed and
satirised through the episode of refusal of permission for tiger hunt by the
British officer?
It reveals that the Maharaja was wilful, obstinate and adamant. He had a false
sense of honour. If he had permitted one British officer, others would also turn
up. He is quite unreasonable and shows lack of understanding. Thus, he lacks
practical approach. He would sacrifice diamonds to preserve his throne.

The British officer seems publicity conscious. He is more interested in the

photographs with the dead-tiger than in the tiger-hunt. The costly gift of
diamonds mollifies his hurt ego.

11. Comment on the ‘ring episode’ in the story ‘The Tiger King’.
The Maharaja of Pratibandhapuram ordered a famous British company of
jewellers in Calcutta to send samples of expensive diamond rings of different
designs. Some fifty rings arrived. The Maharaja sent the whole lot to the British
officer’s good lady. He expected her to choose one or two rings and send the
rest back. But she simply sent a letter of thanks.

12. “……. an unforeseen hurdle brought his mission to a standstill”. What was
the mission and how did it stop?
The Maharaja’s mission was to shoot one hundred tigers. He had killed seventy
tigers within ten years. Then the tiger population became extinct in the forests
of Pratibandhapuram. It was believed that either the tigers practised birth
control or they committed suicide. They might have run away from the state.
Perhaps they desired to be shot by the British hands alone.

13. How did the Maharaja succeed in raising his tiger killing tally to ninety-
nine?
The Maharaja married a girl from a state which possessed a large number of
tigers. Each time he visited his father-in-law, he killed five or six tigers. In this
manner he raised the tally of tigers killed by him from seventy to ninety-nine.

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14. Why was the Maharaja so anxious to kill the hundredth tiger?
The Maharaja had killed ninety-nine tigers. If he could kill just one more tiger,
he would have no fear left. Then he could give up tiger hunting altogether. He
thought of the tiger during the day and dreamt of it at night. Moreover, he had
to be extremely careful with that last tiger. The late chief astrologer had
already warned him.

15. What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to

the wilfulness of human beings?
Through this satirical story the author has rightly portrayed how human beings
have subjected innocent animals to untold torture and death, merely to fulfill
their own whims and fancies. The Maharaja’s indiscriminate killing of tigers led
to their extinction in some states, but the Maharaja was oblivious to the grave
consequences his action was leading to. In order to prove an astrologer wrong,
the Maharaja went on a killing spree proving his dominance over the hapless
animals.

LONG ANSWER QUESTION

1. How did the Tiger King meet his end? What is ironical about his death?
OR
How did the prediction of the chief astrologer come true, though he had
killed the hundred tigers?
It was the 3rd birthday of the Maharaja's son and he wanted to buy a present
from the toy shop. He bought a wooden tiger which was poorly carved by an
unskilled carpenter. It had a rough surface with tiny slivers of wood standing
up like quills all over 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.
The King's death is ironical but not surprising. Having 'killed' the 100th tiger,
the - king was thrilled for he had fulfilled his vow and disproved the prediction
of the royal astrologer. He was at ease for he thought he would not die of a
tiger's attack. No wonder, he ordered the 'dead' tiger to be taken in a
procession through the town and get a tomb erected over it. All this while he
did not know that the 100th victim was not killed by him but by other hunters.

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That is indeed quite ironical. Death was lurking around him and the king was
unaware of it. Again, it is ironical that a king who had killed 100 tigers and was
bold and fearless died of a mere sliver on the body of a wooden tiger. Thus,
ironically death does come to him from a tiger.

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