12th Standard Supplementary Reader Textbook - Vistas. Lesson No 2: The Tiger King - Kalki. Glossary, Summary, Questions and Answers. Glo...
12th Standard Supplementary Reader Textbook - Vistas.
Lesson No 2: The Tiger King - Kalki.
Glossary, Summary, Questions and Answers.
Glossary -
1. Stuka Bomber - German Aircraft.
2. Imperative - necessary.
3. Indomitable - impossible.
4. Final abode - an ultimate home.
5. Transfixed in stupefaction - very much amazed, or terrified.
6. Enunciated - to pronounce.
7. Squeaky voice - high-pitched sound.
8. Quake - to shake.
9. Hindsight - memory.
10. Drawled - to speak slowly.
11. Tuft - a small amount of hair on a bald head. ( In Hindi, we call it," Choti").
12. Proclamation - a kind of declaration, an order from an authority.
13. Durai - a chief leader.
14. Carcass - a dead body.
15. Duraisani - a wife of a Durai, a betterhalf.
16. Retain - to keep or to maintain.
17. Harakiri - a Japanese word for suicide.
18. Brandishing - to point or wave in the air.
19. Shuddering - to shake with fear.
20. Babble -to talk quickly.
21. Savage - dangerous.
22. Wary - careful.
23. Wantonly - purposely.
24. Obstinacy - stubbornness.
25. Catastrophic - causing sudden destruction.
26. Bafflement - a confused state.
27. Annas - the earlier currency of dependent India.
28. Quills - one of the large stiff feathers of the wing.
29. Flared - becoming wider towards the bottom.
30. Suppurating sore - sore or a wound that has become inflamed and formed pus.
Summary - This is a very interesting lesson written by, Kalki, and that is, ' The Tiger King'. This story has many elements such as amazement, destiny, humor, stubbornness, authority behavior, etc. He was born in the provenance of, Pratibandhpuram. When an astrologer called to predict his density, a merely 10-day-old boy talked to the astrologer, and his density was, that he may die because of a tiger as he was born in the hour of a bull, especially the 100th tiger. So, he was called as a Tiger King.
Then he grew as an Englishman in a complete English surroundings, and when he became the King, he decided to change his destiny by killing 100 tigers. Up to 70 tigers, he had not faced any problems, but slowly there were no more tigers in his territory, then he decided to get married to a girl from a provenance where there were enough tigers. Then he successfully reached the 99 number, but as per his density predicted by the chief astrologer, he could not kill the 100th tiger, got wounded by a toy tiger, which he gifted to his 3-year-old son on his birthday, and finally died because of that wound.
Tough, he tried to change his destiny, but couldn't do so, and the prediction about his death came true.
Read and find out - ( Page. No. 8)
1. Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?
Ans - The Tiger King was the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Pratibandhpuram. He got the name because, at the time of his birth, the astrologers predicted his fortune that he would die because of a tiger, so since his childhood, he was determined to kill 100 tigers, and when he grew older, he started killing the tigers, so he got the name, " Tiger King King".
Read and find out - ( Page. No. 10 )
2. What did the royal infant grow up to be?
Ans -When Crown Prince Jung Bahadur grew taller and stronger, he was surrounded by an English Environment. He drank the milk of an English cow, was brought by an English nanny, tutored by an English Englishman, and saw nothing but English films. At the age of twenty, the state came into his hands, and to prove astrologers' predictions wrong, he started killing the tigers.
Read and find out - ( Page. No. 13 )
3. What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?
Ans - Maharaja started hunting tigers in the dynasty of Pratibandhpuram, and in 10 years he killed around 70 tigers, but he was determined to kill 100 tigers, to save himself from the predicted death. So he decided to marry a girl from the province with enough tigers for hunting. Luckily, he got one, and then he started to complete his target in his in-law's provenance.
Read and find out - ( Page. No. 14)
4. How will the Maharaja prepare for the hundredth tiger to decide his fate?
Ans - The Maharaja completed the score of 99 tigers in his in-law's prominence, and only one tiger remained to hunt, but unfortunately he could not find the last one. He became distraught, about where to find the last one because the astrologers predicted his fortune that for him killing the 100th tiger might cause his death. But, suddenly, when he heard the news that the sheep from a nearby village started missing, he thought he had the last one. So, immediately he went hunting the 100th tiger.
Read and find out - ( Page. No. 15)
5. What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy was indisputably disproved?
Ans - After killing 99 tigers, the Maharaja became very anxious and desperate to kill the 100th tiger because of the fear of death according to the prediction of an astrologer, and he ordered his deewan to arrange one more tiger otherwise he would be killed, but unfortunately there were no more tigers available. So, to save his skin, he brought a tiger from the Madras zoo, so that the Maharaja could kill it, because, at that time, the Maharaja was hunting. But, the Maharaja lost his aim, so his hunters killed the tiger. The Maharaja was very happy that he fulfilled his target of killing 100 tigers.
Nothing will happen to the astrologer, meaning neither he will be punished nor rewarded, because, by that time, he was already dead.
Reading with Insight -
1. The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power. How does the author employ the literary device of dramatic irony in the story?
Ans - Yes, Indeed it is a satire on those in power, though the plot seems to be like an interesting story for a reader. Just to prove the astrologer's prediction wrong, the maharaja killed 99 tigers, and to achieve that target, he was ready to do anything, like threatening his ministers, marrying a girl in whose provenance there were enough tigers, even he had put his state on stake by prohibiting an English officer from hunting, and then pleased him by gifting 50 diamond rings to his wife which cost him around 3 lakhs of Rupees, and for the last tiger, the deewan had to fetch from the zoo or a park.
Finally, he died because of the wooden toy tiger. So, what was the use of killing 100 tigers! It simply shows his stubbornness and cracky manner to rule the state. At the same time, there is a moral that whatever you do, you can not change your destiny. So, the story has all elements like satire, humour, and irony.
2. What is the author's indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human beings?
Ans - This story plot belongs to the time before independence, and at that time hunting was a main passion, sport, or a sort of bravery by the Maharajas and Englishmen. Actually, hunting animals was always a passion, thrill, sport, excitement, or even treated as a mark of so-called, "Bravery". In those days, it was a tradition to keep the dead heads of the animals in their court, without thinking that at what extent they were harming the ecosystem.
In the lesson, the Maharaja said," You may kill a cow in self-defense". Here, a question arises in my mind how many examples or victims are there who were killed by Cows. It shows a kind of cruelty to innocent creatures. Now we can relate this with the current campaign carried all over the world, " Save Tigers, Save Wildlife". Each and Every creature created by God has a specific role to perform for the proper food chain or food web.
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3. How would you describe the behavior of the Maharaja's minions towards him? Do you find them sincere towards him or are they driven by fear when they obey him? Do we find a similarity in today's political order?
Ans- First, let us understand the meaning of ' Minion', an unimportant person in any organization who has to obey orders of the authority, a servant. In his state also, there were many, who just obeyed Maharaja's order without thinking whether they were following right or wrong, they just wanted to please Maharaja, because they knew that if they went against his will, they might lose their job or even life. Only, the chief Astrologer dared to say the truth though it was bitter that the Maharaja would die while killing the 100th tiger. Others were merely pupates of him like Diwan, ministers, and hunters. When the Maharaja missed the aim of the 100th tiger, they did not dare to say the truth to Maharaja.
If we talk about today's scenario, we would find such flatterers in almost every department, they just work on the principle that " The Boss is always right", rather than, " How can the Boss be wrong, there is no question about it". Yes, in politics also, they don't show the harsh or bitter reality, they just go on saying," Everything is fine sir, you just don't worry, people are very happy and contented in our state.
4. Can you relate instances of game-hunting among the rich and the powerful in the present times that illustrate the callousness of human beings towards wildlife?
Ans - Today, a lot of awareness has been created among the masses and many missions are carried out worldwide like, ' Save Tiger', Save Wild Life', 'Save Forests', etc, but still some instances are reported about illegal smuggling and hunting wild creatures, despite of the fact that strict laws have been implemented in the country. Many national parks and wild sanctuaries have been made so far. But still, some people are involved in such activities. Here, it the worth noting fact is that not only Rich, but commoners and poor people also go hunting especially for meat, and valuable organs of wild creatures. We need to understand the importance of forests, wildlife, and natural resources because, without these entities, mankind's survival would be impossible on Earth.
5. We need a new system for the age of ecology- a system that is embedded in the care of all people and also in the care of the earth and all life upon it. Discuss.
Ans - Creating a system that prioritizes both human well-being and ecological sustainability is crucial for our future. This system would integrate principles of sustainability, equity, and stewardship, ensuring that the needs of current and future generations are met without compromising the health of the planet. It would require collaborative efforts across sectors and communities to develop policies and practices that promote resilience and regeneration in both human and natural systems. Education and awareness would be key components to foster a culture of care and responsibility towards each other and the environment.
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