Class 12 Chapter:2(Vistas)

🌈Chapter 2 

🐯The Tiger King 

👑Author: Kalki

✍️ Introduction About the Author

Kalki Krishnamurthy (1899–1954) was a renowned Tamil writer, journalist, and freedom fighter. Known for his historical and satirical works, he often used humor and irony to critique society and politics. *The Tiger King* is one of his famous short stories, originally written in Tamil as "Puli Aadhai" and later translated into English.  

👑 Character Sketch

 The Tiger King (Maharaja of Pratibandapuram)**  

   - Arrogant, proud, and stubborn.  

   - Obsessed with proving the astrologer wrong by killing 100 tigers.  

   - Ruthless in achieving his goal, ignoring warnings.  

   - Ironically meets his fate due to a wooden tiger.  

The Astrologer

   - Predicts that the king will die by a tiger.  

   - Represents fate and irony in the story.  

The British Officer

   - Symbol of colonial power.  

   - The king refuses to let him hunt tigers, showing his defiance.  

The Shopkeeper & Wooden Tiger

   - The wooden tiger becomes the cause of the king’s death (indirectly).  

🎯 Theme of the Chapter

- Fate vs. Free Will– Despite his efforts, the king cannot escape his destiny.  

- Arrogance & Hubris – The king’s pride leads to his downfall.  

- Irony – The man who killed 100 tigers dies by a "toy" tiger.  

- Colonialism & Power– The king’s defiance against British authority.  

📖 Summary

The Tiger King is about the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, who is foretold by an astrologer that he will die by a tiger. To defy fate, he kills 99 tigers but struggles to find the 100th. Finally, he kills a wooden tiger, and a splinter from it causes an infection, leading to his death—ironically fulfilling the prophecy.  

💬 Important Quotations

•  The child will grow up to become the warrior of warriors, hero of heroes, champion of champions. But... he will have to die." – Astrologer’s prediction.  
• "From that day onwards, it was celebration time in Pratibandapuram." – The king’s obsession with tiger hunting begins.  
• "What if the hundredth tiger isn’t killed?" – Shows the king’s desperation.  
• "The Maharaja’s bullet had missed the beast. It had fainted from the shock of the bullet whizzing past." – Irony of the 100th tiger’s survival.  
• "The king’s death came from a wooden tiger." – Climactic irony.  

🔚 Message of the Chapter 

The story is a **satirical take on human arrogance and the inevitability of fate**. Despite his power, the Tiger King could not escape destiny. Kalki uses humor and irony to deliver a moral lesson.  

🎭 Moral:

"No one can change what is written in the stars."

"No one can change what is written in the stars."*