Chapter 2 — The Tiger King

"The Tiger King" by Kalki is a satirical story about the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, who is prophesied at birth to be killed by a tiger. He spends his reign hunting a hundred tigers to prove the prophecy wrong, yet ultimately dies from a splinter of a wooden toy tiger — the ultimate irony the satire builds toward.

Astrologers announce that the infant prince was "born in the hour of the Bull" and since the Bull and the Tiger are enemies, "death comes from the Tiger." The ten-day-old prince himself demands they specify the manner of his death, receiving this answer from the chief astrologer.

When the astrologer's prophecy reaches the Maharaja's ears, he reasons that "you may kill even a cow in self-defence" and there can be no objection to killing tigers in self-defence. He starts a tiger hunt and becomes thrilled when he kills his first tiger. The state astrologer then warns him to be careful with the hundredth tiger, deepening his obsession.

If the hundredth tiger is also killed, the astrologer says he will "tear up all my books on astrology, set fire to them" and will "cut off my tuft, crop my hair short and become an insurance agent."

When tigers become extinct in Pratibandapuram, the Maharaja decides to marry. He instructs the dewan to find a bride from a royal family in a state with a large tiger population. He then kills five or six tigers on each visit to his father-in-law, bringing his total to ninety-nine.

Unable to find the hundredth tiger, the dewan secretly brings one from the People's Park in Madras. The Maharaja shoots with "boundless joy" — but the bullet misses. The tiger faints from shock. To protect their jobs, the hunters shoot and kill it from one foot away. The Maharaja believes he has killed his hundredth tiger and leaves in triumph, unaware of what really happened.

After the hunt, the Maharaja buys a wooden toy tiger for his son's third birthday. The toy had been "carved by an unskilled carpenter" and its surface was rough with tiny slivers of wood. One sliver pierces the Maharaja's right hand. Infection flares the next day, spreads over his arm, and despite an operation by three surgeons from Madras, "The operation was successful. The Maharaja is dead."

The story's dramatic irony is that the Maharaja kills ninety-nine real tigers to defy a prophecy, yet is finally killed by a cheap wooden toy tiger worth two annas and a quarter. As Kalki writes: "In this manner the hundredth tiger took its final revenge upon the Tiger King." The story satirises the conceit of those in power who believe they can override fate through brute force.

A high-ranking British officer visits Pratibandapuram wanting to hunt tigers and be photographed with the carcass. The Maharaja refuses all tiger-hunting permission, even a photo opportunity, fearing others would follow. Standing firm puts his kingdom at risk, so he sends fifty diamond rings to the officer's wife to appease her, losing three lakh rupees but retaining his kingdom.

"The Tiger King" is written by Kalki (the pen name of the Tamil author R. Krishnamurthy). It is Chapter 2 of Vistas, the supplementary reader for Class 12 English in the NCERT curriculum.

Yes. The NCERT Class 12 English Vistas PDF, including "The Tiger King", is available free on CBSE PrepMaster. No sign-up or payment is required — you can read or download it directly.