Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 2 – The Tiger King (Kalki) Summary

 

NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English

Vistas

Chapter 2 – The Tiger King

(Kalki)

 

Summary

The narrative revolves around Maharaja Sir Jilani Hung Bahadur of Pratibandapuram. Astrologers, when he was merely ten days old, foretold his future demise at the jaws of a tiger. Astonishingly, the infant prince quipped, "Let tigers beware!" His upbringing mirrored that of a typical royal child, nurtured on white cow’s milk, cared for by an English nanny, and exposed to English films.

Upon ascending the throne at twenty, the Maharaja learned of this ominous prophecy. Determined to avert fate, he embarked on a tiger-hunting spree and outlawed tiger hunts in his realm. Astrologers warned of the 100th tiger, cautioning even after slaying 99, he should remain vigilant.

During a visit by a senior British officer who sought a tiger hunt, the Maharaja refused, instead gifting the officer's wife fifty diamond rings worth three lakh rupees to pacify him. Over a decade, he successfully dispatched 70 tigers, depleting Pratibandapuram's tiger population. To fulfill his goal, he wed a girl from a kingdom teeming with tigers, ensuring he hunted 5-6 tigers on every visit. Despite these efforts, the elusive 100th tiger remained elusive.

In desperation, the Maharaja's rage fell upon the Dewan. To save himself, the Dewan arranged for an aged circus tiger to be placed in the forest. The Maharaja, upon hunting this tiger, believed he had succeeded, unaware his shot missed, causing the tiger to collapse in fright. Afraid to disclose the truth, they slew the tiger and paraded it triumphantly.

 

Celebrating joyously, the Maharaja gifted a wooden tiger to his son, unwittingly causing a woodcut on his hand that led to a fatal infection. In a twist of fate, the wooden 100th tiger avenged itself, ultimately causing the demise of the king.