CBSE Class 12 English The Tiger King Notes Set 04

The Tiger King

About the Author

Ramaswamy Aiyer Krishnamurthy (1899 – 1954), better known by his pen name ‘Kalki’, was a Tamil writer, journalist, poet, critic and Indian independence activist. His writings include over 120 short stories, 10 novellas, 5 novels, 3 historical romances, editorial and political writings and hundreds of film and music reviews. He used his writings as a medium to voice his concerns about social inequalities, caste discrimination and political issues prevalent during his time.

YOUR STUDY GOALS

• Chapter Sketch
• About the Characters
• Summary of the Chapter

YOUR PRACTICE GOAL

• NCERT Folder
• Extract Based Questions
• Short Answer Type Questions
• Long Answer Type Questions

Chapter Sketch

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 strange kings, who spent their time in foolish pursuits. They flouted all laws and bent them to suit their selfish interests. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram tried to believe what was written in his fate by killing a 100 tigers. 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 died due to a wooden toy tiger.

About the Characters

• The Maharaja (Tiger King): He is a comical and eccentric character who behaves like an autocrat and kills tigers indiscriminately.
• The Dewan: He is the Maharaja’s Chief Minister. He not only supports the Maharaja in his decisions but also warns him of danger.
• The Astrologer: He is an Indian priest who predicts the Maharaja’s demise. He is so confident of his prediction that he promises to remove his holy tuft if his prediction fails.

Summary of the Chapter

The Prophecy

The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram is often called ‘Tiger King’. When he was born, the astrologers foretold that he would grow up to be a great warrior but one day he would have to meet his death due to a tiger. The child warned the tigers to beware of him. The crown prince grew taller and stronger day by day. Like other princes in India, the prince grew up like an Englishmen.

The Tiger Hunt

The Maharaja was crowned the king at the age of twenty, when the astrologer’s prediction reached his ears. So, he went on a tiger hunt and killed his first tiger. When he showed his kill to the astrologer, he was told that he would be killed by the 100th tiger. The astrologer added that if the king would succeed in killing the hundredth tiger, the astrologer would cut off his tuft of hair, burn all his astrology books and become an insurance agent. The Maharaja started his tiger hunt and banned tiger hunting in his kingdom. He further vowed to attend to all other matters only after killing a hundred tigers. In his quest, the Maharaja faced many dangers but each time it was the Maharaja who won.

Threat of Losing the Kingdom

Once the Maharaja was on the verge of losing his kingdom. He had refused to allow a high ranking British officer to hunt tigers. After much discussion with the dewan about the issue, they sent 50 diamond rings to the officer’s wife. The Maharaja expected that she would choose one or two rings, but the lady kept the whole lot. The Maharaja lost money but his kingdom was saved.

Decision to Marry

The Maharaja’s tiger hunts were very successful. Within ten years, he was able to kill seventy tigers. As a result, the tiger population became extinct in Pratibandapuram. The Maharaja, then, decided to marry a princess of a royal family with a large tiger population. He killed five or six tigers each time he visited his father-in-law. Soon, he had managed to kill ninety-nine tigers. Now, only one tiger remained to be killed.

The Maharaja’s Anger

The Maharaja was unable to find the last tiger. Suddenly, there came the news that a tiger had been seen in a hillside village. The Maharaja was so happy that set out on the hunt at once. However, the tiger was not found. As a result, the Maharaja doubled the tax. When the dewan warned him against this decision, the Maharaja asked the dewan to resign.

Killing the 100th Tiger

The dewan, to save himself, decided to give up the old tiger that had been brought from the People’s Park in Madras and kept hidden in his house. The dewan and his wife took the tiger to their car and left it in the forest in which the Maharaja had been hunting. The Maharaja was delighted to see the hundredth tiger. He took careful aim and shot at the beast. Thinking that the tiger was dead, he asked other to bring the tiger to the captial. However, after the Maharaja left, the hunters realised that the tiger was still alive. It fainted by the shock of the bullet flying past it. They decided not to tell the Maharaja as they feared losing their jobs. So, one of the hunters then killed the tiger himself.

The Wooden Tiger

After achieving the feat, the Maharaja turned his attention to his child. It was his third birthday and he wished to give him something special. He went for shopping but couldn’t find anything worthy enough. Finally, he spotted a wooden tiger and brought it for his son. The wooden tiger was carved by an unskilled carpenter. Tiny slivers of wood stood up like quills all over it. One of the slivers pierced the Maharaja’s right hand while he was playing with his son. He didn’t mind it and pulled it out. The next day, an infection spread in his hand. In four days, it developed into a sore which spread all over his arm. Three surgeons from Madras operated on him, but were unable to save his life. Thus, the hundredth tiger took its revenge.

Word-Meaning

• stuka bomber — A German dive-bomber and ground attack aircraft used in World War II
• throw me off track — distract
• beat a hasty retreat — to withdraw from a place very quickly
• abode — residence
• demise — death
• swallowed hard — made an effort to control oneself, often because one is nervous
• transfixed — motionless with wonder or astonishment
• stupefaction — great astonishment
• enunciated — uttered or pronounced clearly
• growl — a low harsh sound of anger
• hindsight — understanding of a situation or event only after it has happened
• crown prince — a prince who is to inherit the throne
• nanny — a woman employed to look after a child in its own home
• court of wards — a legal body created to look after the upbringing of minor heirs and protecting their estates
• tuft of — a bunch of hair growing from the back of an otherwise bald head
• boar — wild pig
• durai — (here) the British lord or officer
• deliberations — long and careful discussions
• duraisani — (here) the wife of the British officer
• extinct — no longer in existence
• harakiri — suicide
• brandishing — waving a weapon in a threatening way
• babble — talk rapidly in a foolish or confused way
• fever pitch — a state of extreme excitement
• tally — count or record
• exemption — act of freeing from some obligation
• wantonly — mischievously, playfully
• flout — defy or disregard
• catastrophic — disastrous
• supplication — request
• elation — great happiness
• bafflement — confusion
• whizzing — moving quickly
• craftsmanship — art or skill in an occupation or trade
• slivers — thin or narrow pieces
• quills — sharp spines of a porcupine
• suppurating — forming or discharging pus
• sore — wound

Important Themes of the Chapter

Irony of Fate The theme of ‘The Tiger King’ contains the irony of fate, the pursuit of power and control, and the consequences of hubris (excessive pride or self-confidence). Throughout the narrative, the protagonist, the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, strives to defy his predicted fate of death by a tiger through relentless tiger hunting. However, despite his efforts to control his destiny, he ultimately meets his demise unexpectedly and ironically, highlighting fate’s unpredictability and human agency’s limitations.

Satire on Power and Arrogance The story also explores themes of ambition, obsession and the consequences of unchecked power. Through the Maharaja’s tragic fate, the narrative explores human agency’s limitations and fate’s inevitability. It serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of hubris and the importance of humility in the face of life’s uncertainties. Ultimately, ‘The Tiger King’ highlights the irony that sometimes, the harder one struggles against fate, the more firmly it traps them.