CHAPTER - 2 The Tiger King

 

The Tiger King

1. Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?

Answer:
The Tiger King is the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram. When he was born, astrologers predicted that he would die because of a tiger. After growing up, he became determined to prove the prediction wrong. He started hunting tigers and killed many of them. Since hunting tigers became the main aim of his life and he killed almost one hundred tigers, people began to call him the Tiger King.

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

Answer:
The royal infant grew up to be a powerful and fearless king. He was brave and skilled in hunting. However, he was also proud and stubborn. The prediction made by the astrologers had a great effect on his life. He became obsessed with killing tigers and spent much of his time and energy trying to defeat fate. His desire to kill one hundred tigers became the most important goal of his life.

3. What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?

Answer:
After some years, there were no tigers left in the forests of Pratibandapuram. The Maharaja had killed ninety-nine tigers and needed only one more tiger to complete his target. To solve this problem, he married a princess from a neighbouring state that had many tigers. Whenever he visited his in-laws, he went on tiger hunts. In this way, he continued hunting tigers until he thought he had killed the hundredth tiger.

4. How will the Maharaja prepare himself for the hundredth tiger which was supposed to decide his fate?

Answer:
The Maharaja became very worried when he could not find the hundredth tiger. He believed that this tiger was closely connected to his fate and future. He ordered his officers to find a tiger at any cost. An old tiger was finally brought secretly and released in the forest. The Maharaja carefully went on the hunt and shot at the tiger. He believed that he had killed it and felt happy and relieved that he had defeated the prediction.

5. What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy was indisputably disproved?

Answer:
The astrologer had predicted that the Maharaja would die because of a tiger. After the Maharaja believed that he had killed the hundredth tiger, it seemed that the astrologer had been proved wrong. However, the prophecy was not disproved. Later, the Maharaja bought a wooden tiger as a birthday gift for his son. A small wooden splinter from the toy entered his hand and caused a serious infection. He eventually died because of it. Thus, the tiger was responsible for his death, and the astrologer's prediction came true.

6. The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power. How does the author bring this out?

Answer:
The author shows that people in power often become arrogant and misuse their authority. The Maharaja thinks that he can control everything, even fate. He bans all others from hunting tigers and punishes those who do not obey him. Government officers are afraid of him and try to keep him happy. The king believes that he can escape death by killing tigers, but in the end he fails. Through these incidents, the author humorously criticizes the pride, foolishness, and misuse of power by rulers.

7. Why did the Maharaja decide to get married?

Answer:
The Maharaja decided to get married because there were no more tigers left in his own kingdom. He still needed some tigers to reach his target of one hundred. Therefore, he searched for a princess from a state that had many tigers. He married her so that he could visit her kingdom regularly and continue hunting tigers there. His marriage was not based on love but on his desire to find more tigers.

8. How did the Tiger King meet his end?

Answer:
The Tiger King met his end in a very unexpected way. On his son's third birthday, he bought a wooden tiger as a gift. While playing with the toy, a tiny wooden splinter pierced his hand. The wound became infected and developed into a serious problem. Doctors performed an operation, but they could not save him. He died because of the infection caused by the wooden tiger. In this way, the astrologer's prediction finally came true.