The Tiger King Summary Class 12 English

Introduction

The story mocks the wilfulness and arrogance of those in power. The story's author transports us back to the reign of kings. Additionally, they were subject to British suzerainty. Moreover, the monarch had no interest in looking after the interests of the populace; instead, they engaged in futile activities.

To serve their purposes, they changed the law. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram also makes an effort to refute the tiger-kiling prophecy made by the main astrologer, which he claims was an error. In an effort to disprove the forecast, he successfully hunted 99 tigers. While not formed of flesh and blood, the 100 tigers still kill him. He lost his life as a result of an illness when one of the wood's silvers sliced his right hand.

About the Author

Ramaswamy Aiyer Krishnamurthy (September 1899 - December 5, 1954), better known by the pen name Kalki, was an Indian writer. He was an activist in the Tamil Freedom Movement as well as a writer, journalist, poet, and critic.

More than 120 short tales, ten novelettes, five novels, three historical romances, editorials, political essays, and countless cinema and music reviews are among his works.

The Indian Fine Arts Society bestowed to Kalki the Sangeetha Kalasikhami Prize in 1953. A postage stamp was published in his honor to mark the occasion of the centennial festivities. The Tamil Nadu government made his works public domain.

Summary

The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram is the story's main character. The narrative centers on how he came to be known as "Tiger King." The author informs us that the novel's protagonist is now deceased before the story even begins. The astrological forecast that was made following his birth, nevertheless, is the intriguing occurrence that will assist us comprehend the narrative.

When the king was just 10 days old, astrologers said that he would become a highly powerful monarch and the best of warriors, champions, and heroes, but they were hesitant to say that the king would eventually die. The infant, who was 10 days old, called the astrologers as soon as he heard this. They were puzzled by the sound's origin for a brief period of time. The infant pointed his senses in his direction and requested information about the cause of his demise. According to him, it was unnecessary to forecast death because it was a natural occurrence.

The baby's behavior caught the astrologers off guard and piqued their curiosity. They declared that the king will be murdered by a tiger since the tiger and the bull are enemies and the monarch was born at the hour of the bull. The prince gave a ferocious roar and declared he would kill every tiger.

The crown prince grew in height and physical size throughout time. Like the other crown princes of Indian states, he drank milk from an English cow, had an English nanny raise him, was schooled by an Englishman, and exclusively watched English movies.

As soon as he turned twenty, the state gave him control of its affairs. Eventually, the king overheard people discussing the king's awful end. In the jungles of Pratibandapuram, the monarch made the decision to slaughter the tigers. When he killed the first tiger, the Maharaj was overjoyed and proudly presented the animal's dead body to the State astrologer to refute the prophecy that had been made about him.

The astrologer confirmed the prophecy by suggesting that although he will not perish while killing the first 99 tigers, he should exercise caution when dealing with the 100th tiger. The monarch declared that the 100th tiger would likewise be slaughtered as an additional test for the astrologer. His tuft would be removed, his hair would be chopped short, and he would work as an insurance agent, the astrologer said.

The monarch declared that tigers in the jungles of Pratibandapuram would only be hunted by him as of that day. Anyone who even ventured to hurt a tiger would face punishment. He made the decision to only resume managing state matters once he had killed the 100 tigers, as he was adamant about doing so.

Even though he occasionally missed the target when hunting, he was always able to slay the tiger using only his hands. A high-ranking British commander once expressed a desire to hunt tigers in the jungles of Pratibandapuram, and the monarch refused to allow him to do so, almost causing him to lose his reign.

The cop said that taking a picture with the dead tiger was more important to him than actually killing the cat. Additionally, the monarch refused it and gave his wife the opportunity to select three gifts from fifty diamond samples. The British officer's wife also sent him a letter thanking him for the present, and he discovered that she had kept the entire collection of diamonds to herself. Even though he had to foot a sizable price, the monarch was happy that he was able to keep his throne.

In 10 years, the Maharaja was successful in his endeavors and killed 70 tigers. But a fresh issue emerged since the tiger population was now gone. He summoned the dewan and requested that he arrange his marriage to a princess of a country where there are many tigers. So, he got married and every time he went to see his in-laws, he would kill five or six tigers. He used 199 slain tigers' skins to adorn the walls of his palace.

When he couldn't finish counting all one hundred tigers, the Maharaja started to feel anxious. There were no tigers left in his father-in-law's realm. His discovery that Tiger were going extinct in his state brought him good news. He started looking for the final tiger in a hasty manner. He looked for it but couldn't find it, and it appeared like the tiger was intentionally making fun of him. The tiger had to be located before he would leave the forest. Due to the king's peculiar behavior, some officers lost their positions.

Once, the Maharaja contacted the dewan and requested that he double the land tax. The dewan received a threat that he would lose his position when he begged the monarch to use common sense. With the assistance of his wife, the helpless dewan brought a tiger (from Madras' People's Park) hidden inside the palace and released him loose where the king was hunting.

The king's aim was precise, and the tiger fell to the ground before being found alive by his troops. They didn't want to lose their employment. So, one of the hunters took precise aim and killed the tiger with a shot. The king held a lavish celebration to mark the killing of the one hundredth tiger. Now, the king went back to taking care of his household matters in peace.

A few days later, the monarch bought a toy wooden tiger for his kid to play with. Due of his fear of being punished, the shopkeeper sold it to the monarch for a far greater price than it had originally cost. The item was poorly made and covered in several little slivers.

The king was playing when a sliver of wood wounded his right hand. It turned into an illness in just four days, and it quickly covered his entire arm. The Madras monarch was to be operated on by three renowned surgeons, but the procedure was a failure, and the king died. The monarch was killed by the hundredth "tiger," proving that the prophecy was accurate.

Conclusion

The Tiger King Summary emphasizes the reality that no matter how strong one is, one cannot influence fate. No matter what we do, death will always be an inescapable element of human life. We cannot alter the trajectory of our life by using force and strength.

Our lives must be accepted in whatever form they take. The narration of the plot of the narrative also adopts a humorous tone. It displays how arrogant and egotistical those in positions of authority can be. Because death was a given in everyone's life, including the king's, he might have chosen to disregard the prophecy.

However, he was unable to resist the need to defy death by using his might. He might have utilized his time and energy to take care of his state matters rather than succumbing to that hollow resolve.