The summary of the tiger king of class 12th revolves around the king of Pratibandapuram who tried to refute his fate by bending the laws in favor of him. He tries to change his fate by hunting down 100 tigers but still, the destiny was something and he was killed by a tiger itself not made of flesh.
Summary of Tiger King- About The Author
Ramaswamy Aiyer Krishnamurthy, pen name(Kalki) the tenth and last avatar of Lord Vishnu. He was a Tamil writer, poet, journalist, critic, and activist who penned down many short stories along with novels editorial and hundreds of films and musical reviews.
So, lets us go further and enjoy this beautiful prose based on the rich and powerful king of olden times who tried to change his fate by killing tigers on a large scale.
Characters of The Tiger King
1. Maharaja (Tiger king)
He was brave, determined, and courageous. He was a firm ruler and when he got to know about his prediction, he challenged by saying that he was not afraid and let the tigers beware.
He was raised in an English environment and became tall and sturdy. To fulfill his proclamation he went on a reckless killing of the tigers and to finish his target he marries from another state and completes his target.
But very soon he could not find his last tiger and cunningly presented one by his dewan. But no one can change what is in store in one’s destiny. He was killed at last by a wooden tiger. We can say though he showed valor, lacked wisdom.
2. Dewan
He was an opportunist and a very cunning man who married two women at the same time and very well knows how to tackle these types of situations. He is corrupt and very cleverly he gets an old tiger from the circus to be able to save himself and the courtiers from the wrath of the tiger king.
He used this opportunity and even after knowing that the tiger died with the sound of the bullet, not with the shot he proclaimed the tiger king victorious.
Some other characters
- Chief astrologer: a royal foreteller of the state.
- Durai: means “chief, leader” in Tamil.
- A British high ranking officer & his secretary
- Duraisani: the wife of the high-ranking British officer.
The Tiger King Summary Class 12th
The story is satire referring to the Maharaja Sir Jilani Hung Bahadur of Prartibandapouram. When he was 10 days old Astrologers predicted that a tiger would be the reason for the death of the king. Surprisingly the 10 days old infant said, “ let the tigers beware”. He was raised in royalty by drinking the milk of a white cow and looked after by a nanny and watching English films.
He was crowned king when he was 20 and came to know about his prediction about his death by a tiger. So, mercilessly he went on killing tigers and ban the tiger hunt in this state. But according to astrologers, he needs to kill 100 tigers to belie this prediction.
According to them, he needs to be very vigilant from the 100th tiger. One day a high-ranking officer wants to go for the tiger hunt but the king refused and to save all of them from the vexation of the officer he sent 50 Diamonds to the officer’s wife and lures her.
After slaying 70 tigers in his own area he went to other areas to complete his target and marries a girl from the royal state to do so. He completes his target whenever he goes to his in-laws and every time he killed 5 to 6 tigers. So he was able to slay down 99 tigers and was unable to find the 100th tiger.
This made him very violent and so he gave threats to Dewan. He managed to get an old tiger from the circus and presented it in front of the king in the forest to save his life. He told the Maharaja about the 100th tiger and very happy he went for his hunting.
After shooting the tiger he felt he had belied his fate and feel victorious. But he was unaware of the fact that he had missed the bullet and the tiger was old enough to die from the sound of the gun. No one has the guts to tell as they all were afraid of their lives and bring the 100th tiger in the Grand Procession.
At last, he was soo happy that he got a wooden tiger for his son as a birthday present and while playing with it he got injured from the rough edges which went on into an infection. He died from the 100th tiger and no matter it was not made of flesh but a wooden toy tiger killed a king and took his revenge. The fate reminds unchanged.
NCERT Solutions For The Tiger King
Q1. Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?
The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was known as the tiger king. When he was born, the astrologer declared that he would have to die one day. The prince who was then 10 days old ordered them to change the manner of his death. The chief astrologer said it would come from a tiger. But the child said bravely, let the tigers beware and then he decided to kill 100 tigers. So, he got the name ‘Tiger King’.
Q2. What did the royal infant grow up to be?
The crown prince grew taller and stronger day by day. He drank the milk of an English cow and was taken care of by an English nanny and tutored in English. When he was twenty he got the throne and controlled the state. He decided to kill the tigers in self-defense to evade his death.
Q3. What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?
Within 10 years he was able to kill seventy tigers and slowly, the tiger population became extinct in pratibandapuram.
The Maharaja with a marriage alliance decided to kill tigers and with the help of Dewan, he had decided to draw up the statistics in different regions.
The dewan found a right girl of a region who had a good number of tigers and so the Maharaja married and the practice was put into use. Every time he was able to kill 5 or 6 tigers whenever he visited his father-in-law. Through this, he was able to shoot ninety tigers.
Q4. How will the Maharaja prepare himself for the hundredth tiger which was supposed to decide his fate?
When he came to know that only one tiger was left, his excitement level reached its zenith. He day and night thought of the hundredth tiger. Tigers were left very few in Pratibandapuram and other regions. It became almost impossible to locate the 100th tiger.
As the late chief astrologer said the king should beware of the 100th tiger, the maharaja would have no fear at all. Then the villagers ran to inform about the tiger and Maharaja exempted that village from taxes for three years. The Maharaja continued with his hunt of the tiger and this seemed not an easy job for him.
Q5. What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy was indisputably disproved?
To save himself from the wrath of the Maharaja, the dewan managed to get an old tiger from people’s park in Madras and kept it a secret. One Midnight he with his wife’s help dragged the tiger to the car and himself drove the car.
The next day, the same old tiger was dragged to the jungle. Maharaja was overjoyed at seeing the last tiger and marked his shot. The tiger fell and the Maharaja was excited that he had killed the 100th tiger.
The hunters found that the tiger was not dead and so they decided to kill the beast. They did not want the king to know this fact. The dead tiger was taken in a grand procession and buried there. A tomb was also erected over there.
The prophecy was not disapproved as the king was killed by the wooden toy tiger by its silver. Since the astrologer was dead he could not be punished.
Q6. What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human beings?
For many years we have seen a very rough attitude towards innocent animals. Man has been killing animals for sport, meat or to sell their organs. The author of this lesson does not comment directly. Man has found almost baseless logic to hurt the ecological balance of the mother earth. They find no objection to killing any innocent animal for their own selfish cause. The extinction in Pratibandapuram and the other states of the tiger king illustrates man’s callousness towards animals. It shows that all the people and the dewan himself tried to satisfy the tiger king by managing to bring the tiger from the park in madras.
Q7. How would you describe the behavior 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? Do we find a similarity in today’s political order?
A minion is an unimportant person who has to obey the orders of the royalty. Most of them feared the Maharaja and had to obey and serve him to save themselves from the wrath. Displeasure to the maharaja would mean loss of life or job. Only a few of them were sincere towards him. One such person was the astrologer but after the prediction about which he was certain, he wanted to cut his tuft, burn his books of astrology if this wouldn’t come true.
Today is also the same scenario, subordinates and the lower rank officers served the high rankers like their puppets. Their self-interest and fear of losing jobs would make them puppets and serve like deaf and dumb throughout.
Q8. Why did the Maharaja order the dewan to double the land tax?
The king went out campaigning to find the 100th tiger, and when he could not, he doubled the land tax.
Q9. How did the chief astrologer react to the infant prince’s observation?
The chief astrologer was astonished and put his finger on his nose. He wondered that the 10-year-old infant was asking questions so curiously. He said that the prince was born in the hour of the bull and the bull and tiger are enemies, so he would die because of the tiger.
Q10. Why did the Maharaja ban tiger hunting in the state?
He banned tiger hunting because he wanted to prove the state astrologers wrong, and by killing the tigers he could evade his death. That is why he banned hunting tigers in Pratibandapuram.
Q11. Who was the Tiger King? What is the story associated with the birth of the Tiger King?
The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was called the Tiger King. At his birth,
astrologers predicted that one day he would actually have to die. They further said that
he would grow up to become a great warrior, a great hero, a great champion, but would
die one day. Surprisingly, a miracle took place. The ten-day-old prince spoke in his
squeaky voice that “everyone who is born has to die one day. So it would make sense if
they could tell the manner of his death”.
Everyone present there was tongue-tied. A baby of ten days not only opened its lips but even asked intelligent questions. The chief astrologer then said that since the prince was born in the hour of bull and the bull and the tiger are enemies, the death of the prince would result from a tiger. The royal infant was not afraid to hear these words. He grumbled asking the tigers to beware.
Q11. How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge on the Tiger King?
A few days after the Maharaja killed the hundredth tiger, it was the third birthday of
his son. The Maharaja desired to give him some special gift on this occasion. He
purchased a wooden tiger from a toy shop and gifted it to his son.
That day, the Maharaja and his son were playing with the wooden tiger. The surface of
the toy was rough since it had been carved by an unskilled carpenter. A tiny splinter
pierced into the Maharaja’s right hand. He pulled it out. But the next day, the infection
spread even in the Maharaja’s right arm. Within four days, it developed into a pus and
his arm became sore. Three famous surgeons were called from Chennai. They
performed the operation. Even though the operation was successful, the Maharaja
passed away. Thus, the hundredth tiger took its revenge on the king.
Q12. Giving a bribe is an evil practice. How did the Tiger King bribe the British officer to save his kingdom? How do you view this act of his?
Tiger King wanted to disprove the astrologer’s prediction and therefore started to
hunt and kill tigers. Anyone who disobeyed him would be punished and all his wealth
and property would be confiscated. In order to have enough tigers to hunt, he had
banned hunting tigers in his kingdom. A high-ranking British official came to the state.
He desired to hunt tigers. The British officer was also not allowed to hunt. The officer
sent a word to get himself photographed holding a gun beside the tiger’s dead body.
However, the Maharaja refused even that. As the Maharaja had prevented a British
officer from fulfilling his desire, he was in danger of losing his kingdom. Hence, he
offered a bribe of 50 gold rings that was valued at three lakhs to the wife of the British
officer. By this act the Maharaja was able to avert the danger.
In my view, this reveals the corrupt attitude of both the King and the British official. It
also shows how blinded the King was in his ambition (to prove the astrologer wrong)
that he wasted the people’s money to appease his ego. He was ready to relinquish
people’s hard-earned money to ensure that his longevity is ensured by proving the
astrologer wrong.
Q13. Even today so many among us believe in superstitions. An astrologer
predicted about ‘the Tiger King’ that he would be killed by a tiger. He ‘killed’ one hundred tigers yet was himself ‘killed’ by a tiger. How did the superstitious belief ‘prevail’?
A few days after the Maharaja killed the hundredth tiger, it was the third birthday of
his son. The Maharaja desired to give him some special gift on this occasion. He
purchased a wooden tiger from a toy shop and gifted it to his son.
That day, the Maharaja and his son were playing with the wooden tiger. The surface of
the toy was rough since it had been carved by an unskilled carpenter. A tiny splinter
pierced into the Maharaja’s right hand. He pulled it out. But the next day, the infection
spread even in the Maharaja’s right arm. Within four days, it developed into a pus
forming sore spreading all over the arm. Three famous surgeons were called from
Chennai. They performed the operation. Even though the operation was successful, the
Maharaja passed away. Thus, the hundredth tiger took its revenge on the king.
This shows that the superstitions prophecy did eventually prevail. The 100th tiger was
not killed by the king. However, it died. But with regard to the king, the 100th tiger,
appeared in the form of the inanimate tiger, that caused the death of the king.
Multiple Choice Questions The Tiger King
1. How many surgeons were summoned to attend the king?
- 3
- 7
- 12
- 13
Ans – 3
2. Identify the literary device in “like quills all over it”?
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Alliteration
- Personification
Ans- simile
3. The wooden tiger was carved by
- A master craftsman
- An unskilled carpenter
- The shopkeeper himself
- A British carpenter
Ans- an unskilled carpenter
4. The original cost of the present was
- 2 annas and a quarter
- 2 annas and a half
- One and a half anas
- 3 annas
Ans – 2 annas and a quarter
5. How old was the king’s son?
- One year old
- Three years old
- Five years old
- Seven years old
Ans- three years old
6. The 100th tiger had-
- Been shot dead
- Fainted
- Disappeared
- Been set free
Ans- fainted
7. The old tiger had been brought from-
- Calcutta park
- Business park
- Father in law’s kingdom
- People’s park
Ans- people’s park
8. The frustrated tiger king asked the dewan-
- To resign
- To go too far off places in search of a tiger
- To invite the British officer
- To get a tiger from the madras zoo
Ans- to resign
9. Maharaja on not finding the last tiger-
- Went to the madras zoo
- Terminated the services of many officers
- Went to live in the jungle
- Gave up the idea completely
Ans- terminated the services of many officers.
10. Each time the maharaja visited his father-in-law, he killed ____tigers
- 1-2
- 5-6
- 9-10
- 12-13
Ans- 5-6
11. In 10 years of hunting expeditions, the maharaja killed______ tigers
- 30
- 50
- 70
- 90
Ans- 70
12. Maharaja and dewan ___ the British officer to save the kingdom
- Entertained
- Bribed
- Pacified
- Confronted
Ans- bribed
13. ______became the king’s main occupation
- English
- Justice
- Governance
- Tiger hunting
Ans- tiger hunting
14. A high ranking British officer wished to go on
- A tiger hunting expedition
- To the jungle
- And investigate the decrease in tiger population
- And remove the tiger king
Ans- tiger hunting expedition
15. The astrologer stated he would ___if the king killed the 100 th tiger
- Leave the state
- Kill himself
- Cut his tuft
- Denounce the world
Ans- cut his tuft
16. The state astrologer predicted that no harm would come to the tiger king till the killing of ____ tigers
- 89
- 99
- 79
- 100
Ans- 99
17. What character trait of the prince is revealed when he utters the words, ‘let tigers beware’?
- Humility
- Arrogance
- Pride
- Will-power
Ans- Arrogance
18. How old was the prince when he ridiculed the astrologer?
- 10 days
- 10 weeks
- 10 months
- 10 years
Ans- 10 days
19. Kalki, the author of the “tiger king” has used as a background, days of ____ ings dominating their subjects.
- Just
- Brave
- Eccentric
- Gullible
Ans- eccentric
20. What shows the false ego and pride of the king in the story?
- His killings of tigers and no concern for nature
- His desire to marry
- His orders from time to time
- None
Ans- his killing of tigers and no concern for nature
21. Why did the king send rings to a British official’s wife?
- To save his state and to please the British
- To invite them for hunting
- To invite the, for a feast
- To find more tigers
Ans- to save the state and to please the British
22. What is the irony in the story?
- King’s desire to prove predictions wrong
- King’s desire to marry
- King’s desire to kill tigers
- The king killed 99 tigers and died because of a toy tiger
Ans- the king killed 99 tigers and died because of a toy tiger
23. Who actually shot the 100th tiger?
- One of the hunters who accompanied the king
- A soldier
- King’s guest
- British high officer
Ans- one of the hunter’s who accompanied the king
24. What became the cause of the king’s death?
- A tiger
- A tiger from his wife’s forest
- A tiger in his state
- The wooden tiger from the toyshop
Ans- the wooden tiger from the toyshop
25. What is the theme of the story?
- Desire of power
- Desire to have power for one’s selfish interests and not for the welfare of the subjects
- Desire to help others
- None
Ans- desire to have power for one’s selfish interest and not for the welfare of the subjects.
Conclusion
We have penned down the Tiger King summary and the ncert solutions to help the students get their idea clear. The story emphasizes that animals and other species are part of this beautiful nature just like human beings. Destruction and massive killing will lead to their extinction in turn disturbing the ecological balance. If these were wiped out it will very badly affect the food chain.
