THE
TIGER KING
By Kalki
About
the author
Ramaswamy Aiyer Krishnamurthy was a Tamil
writer, journalist, poet, critic and Indian independence activist. He was born
on September 9, 1899. He was better known by his pen name Kalki. He derived his
pen name Kalki from the suffixes of his wife name Kalyani and his name
Krishnamurthy. His writings includes over 120 short stories, 10 novelettes, 5
novels, 3 historical romances, editorial and political writings and hundreds of
film and music reviews. Krishnamurthy's
father was Ramaswamy Aiyar,
a poor accountant in Puttamangalam village in the old Tanjor district of
erstwhile Madras Presidency. Krishnamurthy began his primary education in his
village school and later attended Municipal High School in Mayavaram but
quit in 1921 for joining Gandhiji’s call for non-co-operation. He died on
December 5, 1954.
Introduction
The story ‘The Tiger King’ is a satire on the
pride and stubbornness of those in power. The writer takes us to the days of
autocratic and eccentric kings. These kings lived under the thumb rule of
British, hence they fear them. Most of the time the rulers were not interested
in serving the people and working for the welfare of the public; instead they
spent their time in foolish pursuits. They flouted all laws and bent them to
suit their selfish interests. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram tried to belie
what was written in his fate. The chief astrologer had predicted that the cause
of his death would be a tiger. The King tried his best to belie the prediction.
His campaign of tiger-hunting was very successful. All his strategies and wise
plans worked till he killed 99 tigers. But the hundredth tiger eluded him till
his death.
The irony of fate brings quite an unexpected
end of the Maharaja. The hero who killed ninety nine tigers couldn't kill the
only one that was left. The last tiger he thought to be dead survived. The
King's bullet had missed its mark. Ironically, the hundredth tiger which caused
his death was not a ferocious beast of blood and flesh. It was a wooden tiger.
One of the slivers of wood pierced his right hand and caused infection and a
suppurating sore. It ultimately led to his death.
Theme
Animals and birds are as much part of the nature
as human beings. The destruction or haphazard killing of one species may not
only lead to its extinction, but it will adversely affect the ecological
balance. Those animals which serve as food for the wild animals, will increase
in large number, if the beast of prey are wiped out. Each species, howsoever
fierce, deadly, ferocious or poisonous has its role in maintaining ecological balance
in nature.
Characters
1. The
Tiger King:
a hero of the story, the Maharaja of Pratibandhpuram, also known 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.
2. Crown
prince:
a ten day old baby who later became the Maharaja of Pratibandhpuram.
3. Chief
astrologer:
a royal foreteller of the state.
4. Durai: means "chief, leader" in Tamil.
5. A British high ranking officer & his secretary
6. Dewan: a chief administrative office of the Maharaja.
7. Duraisani: the wife of the high ranking British officer, a greedy woman
who takes all the 50 or so diamond rings for herself.
Summary
The Maharaja Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bhadur was
called “Tiger King”. When he was just 10 day 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. He was taught by an English
tutor and looked after by an English nanny. He 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. He pledged that all other affairs of the state would be attended
after killing the hundred tigers.
Then he started killing tigers. None except
Maharaja was allowed to hunt tigers. A high-ranking British officer visited the
state that was fond of hunting tigers 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 one or two, 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. He asked his Dewan to find the tiger otherwise face his anger. Now
the Dewan was afraid of losing his job 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 third 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. 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”.
Main
points
1. When the Prince at ‘Pratibandhpuram’ was
born – Astrologers predicted that he would be killed by 100th tiger,
to prove the astrologer wrong he killed the first tiger and challenged the
prediction.
2. The astrologer said that the 100th tiger
would kill him. The Maharaj put all his Estate duties aside and set upon
killing 100 Tigers.
3. When all the Tigers in his Estate were
killed, he married a princess whose father had many Tigers his forests.
4. He even spent Rs. 3 lakhs to please a
British officer who wanted to hunt tigers in his estate.
5. Finally, the hundredth tiger was killed, the
Maharaja was very happy & then decided to spend time with his son.
6. He bought a wooden toy tiger on his son’s
third Birthday – toy was made up by an unskilled carpenter. One of slivers
pierced his right hand - developed an infection - operated & died.
7. Irony – killed 99 tigers but wooden tiger
took its revenge.
Short
Answer Type Questions
Q. 1. Who is the Tiger King?
The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram is the Tiger
King of the story. He was known in his kingdom by different names 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.
Q. 2. Why does the Tiger King get this
name?
Ans. Tigers dominate the life and even death of
the king. So he is named the tiger king. The chief astrologer foretells that he
is born in the hour of the Bull. The Bull and the Tiger are enemies. Therefore,
his death will come from the Tiger. Ironically, the king who killed 99 tigers,
his death was caused by a wooden toy tiger.
Q3. What
was the miracle that took place in the royal palace?
Ans. When the Maharaja was
a 10 day old baby, he spoke and asked intelligent questions about his death.
After knowing that he would be killed by a tiger, he uttered saying “Let tigers
beware.”
Q4. How did the chief astrologer react to the tiger king’s
question about the manner of his death? How did the tiger king take it?
Ans. When the baby
barely ten days old, opens its lips in speech. The chief astrologer was
wonderstruck. He thought it to be incredible that the baby raised an
intelligent question –to know about the manner of his death. The astrologer
told that the prince was born in the hour of the bull. The bull and tiger are
enemies. Therefore, death to him shall come from the Tiger. The tiger king
growled, “Let tigers beware!”
Q5. How
was the Tiger King brought up?
Ans. As a child the Tiger
King was brought up by an English nanny and tutored by an Englishman. He was
given the milk of an English cow. He watched only English movies.
Q6. Why was it celebration time for all the tigers inhabiting
Pratibandapuram?
Ans. There was a
celebration time for all the tigers inhabiting Pratibandapuram because the
state banned tiger hunting by anyone except the Maharaja and a proclamation was
issued to the effect that if any one dared to fling a stone at a tiger, all his
wealth and property would be seized.
Q7. What
did the State astrologer say he would do ‘if the hundredth tiger were also killed’?
Ans. 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.
Q8. What
did the high-ranking British officer wish to do? Was his wish fulfilled?
Ans. 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.
Q9. How
did the Maharaja manage to save his throne?
Ans. 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 please 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.
Q10. What did the Maharaja do when he stood in danger of
losing his kingdom?
Ans. The Maharaja
obtained some fifty expensive diamond rings of different designs from a British
Jewellery Company in Calcutta and sent them to the British officer’s good lady
expecting her to choose one or two rings and send the rest back. But she kept
all the rings and thanked the Maharaja for the gift. This cost the Maharaja
three lakh rupees but his kingdom was saved.
Q11. How
did the ‘duraisani’ behave on receiving the gifts?
Ans. Some fifty samples of
expensive diamond rings were sent to the duraisani and it was expected that she
would select one 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.
Q12. Why
did the Maharaja’s tiger killing mission come to a sudden still?
Ans. 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.
Q13. What plan did the Maharaja think of to fulfill his vow
to kill hundred tigers after the tiger population became extinct in his state?
Ans. When the tiger
population became extinct in his state the Maharaja planned to marry a girl of
royal family of a native state with a large tiger population so that he would
kill the remaining thirty tigers in the state of his father-in-law when he
visits that.
Q14. Why
did Maharaja order the dewan to double the tax?
Ans. 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.
Q15. What was the happy news which
dispelled the Maharaja's gloom?
Ans. Sheep began to
disappear frequently from a hillside village. It was not the work of Khader
Mian Saheb and Virasami Naicker who were famous for killing sheep. The Maharaja
announced a three-year exemption from all taxes for that village. The Maharaja
refused to leave the forest until the tiger was found.
Q16. Why did the dewan warn the Maharaja
not to double the land tax forthwith? What was the reaction of the Maharaja?
Ans. The hundredth tiger
was not located. The Maharaja's anger was at its height. He called the dewan
and ordered him to double the land-tax forthwith. The dewan warned that the
people would rise in revolt. Then their state too would fall a prey to the
Indian National Congress. The king didn't relent. He told the dewan that in
that case he might resign from his post.
Q17. How did the tiger king celebrate
his victory over the killing of the 100th tiger?
Ans. The Maharaja thought
that he had killed the hundredth tiger. He was overcome with elation. He
ordered the tiger to be brought to the capital in grand procession. The
dead tiger was taken in a procession through the town. It was buried and a
tomb was erected over it.
Q18. What was the Dewan's tiger like?
How did he take it into the forest?
Ans. Dewan's tiger was an
old tiger. It was not ferocious and agile. It was passive and exhausted. He was
pushed down to the ground. He wandered into the Maharaja's presence and stood
as if in humble supplication. The tiger was kept hidden in Dewan's house. At
midnight when the town slept in peace, the Dewan and his wife dragged the tiger
into the car drove straight to the forest.
Q19. Why did the Dewan decide to give up
his own tiger to be killed by the Maharaja?
Ans. The Maharaja's anxiety
had reached a fever pitch. The hundredth tiger was yet to be killed. The Dewan
could lose his job if he couldn't search the tiger. He had brought a tiger from
the People's Park in Madras and kept hidden in his house. He dragged the tiger
to the forest where the Maharaja was hunting.
Q20. Why didn't the hunters tell the
King that the tiger was not dead?
Ans. The Maharaja thought
that he had killed the hundredth tiger. He didn't know that his bullet had
missed the mark. The beast was killed not by him but by one of the hunters.
However, they kept it a secret. They feared losing their jobs if the Maharaja
knew the truth.
Q21. Why did the shopkeeper charge three
hundred rupees from the Maharaja while the actual price of the wooden
tiger was just two annas and a quarter?
Ans. The wooden tiger cost
only two annas and a quarter. But the shopkeeper feared to quote such a low
price to the Maharaja. He could be punished under the rules of Emergency. So he
presented it as a rare example of craftsmanship. He charged three hundred
rupees as its Price.
Q22. How did the hundredth tiger take
its revenge upon the Tiger King?
Ans. The king decided that
a wooden toy-tiger was a perfect gift for his son's third birthday. One day he
was playing with that wooden tiger. One of the slivers pierced the Maharaja's
right hand. Infection spread all over the arm. Three surgeons performed an
operation but couldn't save the King. Thus, the hundredth tiger took its
revenge upon the King.
Q23. What
did the Maharaja buy as a birthday gift for his son?
Ans. 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.
Q24. How
did the king’s arm become seriously infected?
Ans. 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.
Q25. What caused the death of the Maharaja?
Ans. The prophecy of
the chief astrologer came true. A toy-wooden tiger-the hundredth tiger killed
the Maharaja. The silver quill on the wooden tiger pierced his hand when he was
playing with it on the crown prince’s third birthday. It caused a suppurating
sore that spread all over the arm. He was operated but died.
Long answer type questions
Q1. What impression do you form about the
Tiger King after reading the story?
Ans. The Maharaja of
Pratibandapuram, Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, had many titles and sub-names.
But he was popular as the Tiger King. The chief astrologer predicted that his
death would come from a tiger. Crown prince Jung Jung Bahadur grew taller and
stronger day by day. When he grew to twenty he took the reign in his hands.
The Maharaja continued his campaign of
tiger-hunting with rare singlemindedness. Within a span of ten years he killed
70 tigers. It was his master strategy to marry a girl of a state which had a
large tiger population. So he was able to kill 99 tigers in all.
The Tiger King could pay any price to maintain
his kingdom. He had to give a bribe worth three lakh rupees to a high ranking
British official to retain his kingdom.
The Maharaja knew how to take work from his
minions. He used the dewan to find out the suitable girl for his marriage. He
could be hot-headed and doubled the tax on the people. He also threatened the
dewan to dismiss him from his service. It is ironical that the King met his
death by a wooden tiger. At last, the hundredth tiger took revenge upon him.
Q2. How did his campaign of tiger
hunting continue? How was he avenged by the hundredth tiger?
Ans. The Maharaja was
forced to start the campaign of killing a hundred tigers in self-defence. The
chief astrologer had predicted that his death would be caused by a tiger.
Particularly, he was advised to be careful with the hundredth tiger. The
Maharaja's campaign was a great success. He could kill seventy tigers in ten
years. Then an unseen obstacle brought his campaign to a halt. The tiger
population in the forests of Pratibandapuram became extinct. The Maharaja
adopted a new strategy. The Maharaja married a girl from a state with a large
tiger population. Very soon his tally reached 99, just one short of the
required hundred.
Ironically, the Tiger King's death came from
the hundredth tiger. It was a toy-tiger made of wood. He had presented a wooden
tiger to his son on his third birthday. One of the slivers pierced the
Maharaja's right hand. Infection spread all over the arm. Three surgeons
operated on him but couldn't save him from dying. At last the astrologer's
prediction came true. The hundredth tiger took its revenge upon the king.
Q3. The Tiger King is a satire on the pride and power
0f Maharaja of Pratibandapuram. Describe the use of dramatic irony leading to the death of the Tiger King.
Ans. The Tiger King is a
satire on the pride and stubbornness of those in power. The Maharaja of
Pratibandapuram tried to belie what was written in his fate. The chief
astrologer had predicted that the cause of his death would be a tiger. Not that
the King didn't try his best to belie the prediction. His campaign of
tiger-hunting was very successful. He was single minded and determined. But the
satirical aspect of the whole story is the King's inability to kill the
hundredth tiger. All his strategies and wise plans worked till he killed 99
tigers. But the hundredth tiger eluded him till his death.
The irony of fate brings quite an unexpected
end of the Maharaja. The hero who killed ninety nine tigers couldn't kill the
only one that was left. The last tiger he thought to be dead survived. The
King's bullet had missed its mark. Ironically, the hundredth tiger which caused
his death was not a ferocious beast of blood and flesh. It was a wooden tiger.
One of the slivers of wood pierced his right hand and caused infection and a
suppurating sore. It ultimately led to his death.
Q4. Why did the Maharaja's anxiety reach
a fever pitch? What steps were taken to hunt the hundredth tiger?
Ans. The Maharaja's anxiety
reached a fever pitch. One more tiger was to be killed to achieve his tally of
a hundred. By this time the tiger farms had run dry even in his father-in-law's
kingdom. But soon came the happy news that dispelled his gloom. There was a
possibility of a tiger living in a hillside village. The Maharaja announced a
three-year exemption from all taxes for that village. He set out for hunt at
once. The tiger was not found but the Maharaja refused to leave the forest.
The dewan himself was in danger of losing his
job. He got a tiger arranged from the People's Park in Madras. The tiger was
left in the forest where the Maharaja was hunting. He took a careful aim at the
beast. The tiger fell down on the ground in a heap. Then came the anti-climax.
The tiger survived. The Maharaja's bullet missed its mark.
Unfortunately, the king didn't know that the
hundredth tiger was not killed by him. So the hundredth tiger caused his death.
Ironically, the hundredth tiger that caused his death was not a ferocious
beast. The king died of the deadly infection. A wooden toy-tiger, was the cause
of his death.
Q. 5. How did the Tiger
King come in the danger of losing his throne and how did he save
his kingdom?
Ans. The state banned tiger hunting by anyone
except the king. Once a high ranking British officer visited Pratibandapuram.
He was fond of hunting tigers. He liked to be photographed with the tigers he
had shot. The Maharaja was firm in his resolve. He refused permission. He was
ready to organise any other hunt. The officer could go on a boar hunt but the
tiger hunt was impossible.
The British officer's secretary sent word
through the dewan. The Maharaja could do the actual killing. The officer only
wanted to be photographed holding the gun near the dead tiger. The Maharaja
didn't relent. He prevented a British officer from fulfilling his desire. The
Maharaja stood in danger of losing his kingdom itself. He held deliberations
over the issue with the dewan. Samples of expensive diamond rings were ordered.
A famous British company of jewellers in Calcutta sent fifty rings. The
Maharaja sent the whole lot to the British officer's good lady. She was
expected to choose one or two rings. The lady kept all the rings with her. She
sent her thanks to the Maharaja for the gifts. The Maharaja was very happy.
Though he had lost three lakh of rupees, he had managed to retain his kingdom.
Even the coteries who surround these power
centers are interested in taking advantage of the proximity for their own
welfare. This is a story about transience-of life, of power and reverberates
the maxim: “Too many slips between a cup and a lip.”
Q6. Justify the title ‘The Tiger King’.
Ans. “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 fulfill his vow. Secondly, the king with all his frenzy,
anger and ruthlessness is as ferocious as a tiger. Thirdly, he dies of a silver
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”.
Q7. Pick out the instances of satire in
the story ‘The Tiger King’.
Ans. Satire employs irony,
sarcasm, ridicule, etc. in exposing and criticizing follies and vices in men.
The story uses humour to criticize self-seeking Kings who willfully exploit
both nature and their subjects for sefish interests.
1. When the Maharaja of Pratibandhpuram was
told that he would be killed by a tiger, he could never imagine the twist in
fate where a toy tiger could be fatal. Because of his conceit, he was
unprepared for such surprises flung by life at him.
2. The grandeur associated with a king’s life
proves a mockery. The news of the king’s ailment invited not one, but three
surgeons. They got so tied up in technicalities that they declared the
operation successful even though the king died.
3. The story also satirizes the corrupting
influence of power. Just because the Tiger King had power, he felt he could
browbeat his subjects and even defeat fate. He neglected his responsibility as
a ruler. He neglected the welfare of his subjects, his family, increased
and reduced taxes at will and sacked his officers. They feared him or else he
would have learnt the truth.
4. When we see the king gloating over his
bravery after killing the hundredth old, weak tiger, we notice that Kalki
is satirizing the notions of cowardice and bravery. There is no heroism in
fighting an unequal battle. The King’s cowardice was obvious when he justifies
that one may kill even a cow in self-defence.
5. Kalki is also criticizing the King’s men and
subjects who pander to his whims out of fear or like the shopkeeper manipulate
and fool him.
Q8. Where do you find humour in the story
‘Tiger King’?
Ans. 1. The instance of the
Stuka bomber
2. The king’s offer of mouse hunt.
3. The incoherent blabbering by the Dewan and
the Chief Astrologer
4. The Dewan procuring an old tiger from
people’s park and its stubborn refusal to get off the car and the description
of its waiting in humble supplication to be shot.
5. The shopkeeper quoting three hundred rupees
for a cheap two annas and a quarter toy tiger
Q9. What is the author’s indirect
comment on subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human beings?
Ans. 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.
Q10. How would you
describe the behaviour of the Maharaja’s minions towards him? Do you find them
truly sincere towards him or are they driven by fear when they obey him?
Ans. Maharaja’s minions were subservient
and sycophantic. Most of them were scared of Maharaja and tried to keep him in
good humour by obeying his orders. They did not dare to disobey him as his
displeasure could mean loss of their job or even loss of their lives.
The astrologer was afraid of predicting his
death, till Maharaja told him to “speak without fear”. Dewan who should have
advised the king not to kill the tigers did not dare to go against his wishes
and aided his marriage to a princess whose father’s kingdom possessed a large
number of tigers. Being afraid of losing his job, he presented an old tiger to
satisfy the whims of his Maharaja. Likewise, the hunters chose not to inform
him of the survival of the 100th tiger and instead killed it themselves
fearing that they might lose their jobs. Even the shopkeeper, who sold the king
a cheap wooden toy tiger, quoted a higher price lest he should be punished
under the rules of emergency. So, it is evident that the king’s minions were
driven by fear rather than any feelings of sincerity towards their ruler.