THE TIGER KING - Kalki

READ AND FIND OUT

Q1. Who isthe Tiger King? Why doeshe get that name?

Ans. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram wascalled the Tiger King. At the time of hisbirth the
astrologersdeclared that the prince would have to die one day. The ten- day- old prince asked the
astrologersto reveal the manner of hisdeath. The wise men were baffled at thismiracle. The chief
astrologer said that hisdeath would come from a tiger. The young prince growled and uttered
terrifying words: ‘Let tigersbeware!’ He decided to kill one hundred tigers. He, thus, got the name
‘Tiger King’.

Q2. What did the royal infant grow up to be?

Ans. Crown prince Jung Jung Bahadur grew taller and stronger day- by- day. He wasbrought up by an
English nanny and tutored in English by an Englishman. He got the control of hisstate when he came
of age at twenty. He decided to kill tigers. For him it wasan act of self- defence, asthe astrologershad
predicted hisdeath by a tiger

Q3. What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigersto kill?

Ans. Within ten yearsthe Maharaja wasable to kill seventy tigers. Then the tiger population became
extinct in the forestsof Pratibandapuram. One day the Maharaja sent for the dewan and asked him if
he wasaware of the fact that thirty tigersstill remained to be shot down by hisgun. The dewan
shuddered with fear. The Maharaja told him that he had decided to get married. He asked the dewan
to draw up statisticsof tiger populationsin different native states. Then he wasto investigate if there
wasa girl he could marry in the royal family of a state with a large tiger population. Thisplan wasput
into practice. The dewan found the right girl from a state which possessed a large number of tigers.
The Maharaja killed five or six tigerseach time he visited hisfather- in- law. Thus, he wasable to find
the required number of tigersto kill. He shot ninety- nine tigers.

Q4. How will the Maharaja prepare himself for the hundredth tiger which wassupposed to decide his
fate?

Ans. Maharaja’sanxiety reached the highest level of excitement when only one tiger remained to be
killed. He thought of the hundredth tiger during the day and dreamt of it at night. But tiger farmsran
dry even in hisfather- in- law’skingdom. It became impossible to locate tigersanywhere. If he could
kill just that one single beast, the Maharaja would have no fear left. Asthe late chief astrologer had
said that Maharaja should beware of the hundredth tiger. The Maharaja wassunk in gloom. Then came
a happy news. In hisown state sheep began to disappear frequently from a hillside village. Surely, a
tiger wasat work. The villagersran to inform the Maharaja. The Maharaja announced a three- year
exemption from all taxesfor that village. He set out on the hunt at once. But the tiger wasnot easily
found. The Maharaja continued camping in the forest and waiting for the tiger.
Q5. What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy wasindisputably disproved?

Ans. In order to save hisskin, the dewan got an old tiger brought from the People’sPark in Madras. It
waskept hidden in hishouse. One midnight with the help of hisaged wife, he dragged the tiger to the
car and shoved it into the seat. He himself drove the car straight to the forest where the Maharaja was
hunting. The dewan hauled the beast out of the car and pushed it down to the ground. Next day, the
same old tiger wandered into the Maharaja’spresence. The Maharaja wasoverjoyed. He took careful
aim at the beast. The tiger fell down in a crumpled heap. The Maharaja wasextremely happy that he
had killed the hundredth tiger.

The huntersfound that the old tiger wasnot dead. It had only fainted on hearing the sound of the
bullet. They did not want the Maharaja to know thisfact and lose their jobs. iSo one of them shot at it
and killed it. The dead tiger wastaken in procession through the town and buried there. A tomb was
erected over it.

The prophecy wasnot disproved asthe king met hisdeath with the infection caused by the sliver of a
wooden tiger. The astrologer wasalready dead. He could not be punished or rewarded.

READING WITH INSIGHT

Q1. The story isa satire on the conceit of those in power. How doesthe author employ the literary
device of dramatic irony in the story?

Ans. On surface level, ‘The Tiger King’ seemsto be a simple story about a royal prince, hisgrowth and
exploitsasa king. The propheciesat hisbirth about the manner of hisdeath make the story
interesting by introducing the element of surprise and suspense.

On a deeper level, the story isa satire on the conceit of those in power. It isusually seen that those in
power have too much pride in themselvesand what they do. Two such specimensin the story are the
Tiger King and the British officer. The author employsdramatic irony and humour to show their faults
and weaknesses. The wordsof these characterscarry an extra meaning. They do not know what is
going to happen. The Tiger King resolvesto hunt a hundred tigersto disprove the prediction of the
astrologer. In hisstubbornness, he fallsprey to a wooden tiger. The high- ranking British officer is
equally vain. He ismore interested in photograph with carcassthan hunting itself. The Tiger King
offersto organise any other hunt except tiger- hunt. It may be a boar- hunt, mouse- hunt or a
mosquito- hunt. He hasto lose three lakh of rupeesfor hisrefusal. The ego of the British officer is
satisfied when hiswife ispleased to get diamond ringssent by the Maharaja.

Q2. What isthe author’sindirect comment on subjecting innocent animalsto the willfulnessof
human beings?

Ans. For centuriesinnocent animalshave been subjected to the wilfulnessof human beings. Man has
been killing animalsfor sport, meat or organsof body. The author doesnot make any direct comment
about it in the story. Man advancesstrange logic to defend even hisunlawful and cruel acts. The
Maharaja quotesan old saying, “You may kill even a cow in self- defence”. Hence, he findsno objection
to kill tigersin self- defence. It revealsnot only the callousnessof human beingstowardswildlife but
their disregard for maintaining ecological balance. The extinction of tiger speciesin Pratibandapuram
state and the state ruled by the Maharaja’sfather- in- law amply illustratesthe result of man’scruelty
towardswild animals. An old tiger hasto be brought from the People’sPark in Madrasto satisfy the
king’swhim to kill one hundred tigers.