Q.Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?

The key to this question lies in understanding the central irony of Kalki Krishnamurthy’s short story The Tiger King. The entire narrative is built around a prophecy: the astrologers foretold that the king would die at the hands of the hundredth tiger. The king, in his arrogance, decides to kill all one hundred tigers himself to cheat fate. The “celebration” happens when he believes he has succeeded.

Let’s trace the sequence of events that leads to this moment.

1. The King’s Mission: The Tiger King, Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, is obsessed with killing exactly one hundred tigers. He bans all other tiger hunting in his kingdom and personally shoots every tiger he can find. By the time he reaches the ninety-ninth tiger, he is desperate to find the hundredth.

2. The Fake Tiger: No real tigers are left in his kingdom. His dewan (minister) brings a tiger from the local zoo, but the king misses his shot. To avoid the king’s wrath, the dewan then procures a wooden tiger — a life-sized toy — and places it in the forest. The king, eager to complete his mission, shoots at it.

3. The “Kill” and the Celebration: The king fires at the wooden tiger. The toy tiger, being hollow and poorly made, falls over. The king’s hunters and attendants, knowing what the king wants to hear, declare that the hundredth tiger has been killed. The king is overjoyed. He believes he has defeated the prophecy. This is the moment of celebration — the tigers (in the sense of the king’s mission) are “celebrating” because the hundredth tiger has been “killed,” and the king’s life is supposedly safe.

4. The Ironic Twist: The celebration is tragically ironic. The hundredth tiger was not a real tiger at all. And the king does not die from a tiger’s claws or teeth. While playing with the wooden tiger’s toy, a tiny splinter from it gets embedded in his hand. The splinter becomes infected, and the infection leads to his death. So, the prophecy is fulfilled in the most absurd way possible: the hundredth tiger (the wooden one) does kill him, but through a splinter, not a mauling.

When we examine a character's vow in literature, we look at what drives it and what it reveals about their core nature. The Maharaja in The Tiger King makes a solemn promise after hearing the astrologer's prediction that a tiger will cause his death. His response isn't to avoid tigers or proceed carefully—it's to hunt down and kill exactly one hundred tigers, as if sheer willpower can overrule destiny itself.

Let's work through what each option would mean in this context:

1. Resilient suggests someone who bounces back from setbacks or hardship. While the Maharaja does persist through obstacles (like the dwindling tiger population), resilience describes recovery, not the initial driving force behind his vow.

2. Determined captures someone with fixed purpose and resolve, someone who sets a goal and pursues it relentlessly regardless of difficulty. The Maharaja's vow is precisely this: a single-minded mission to kill a hundred tigers. He bends his entire kingdom's resources, marries strategically for access to tigers, and obsesses over the count. This is determination in its purest form.

3. Generous would mean he gives freely or shows kindness. The Maharaja's actions—monopolizing tiger hunting, threatening his officials, draining state resources for a personal quest—show the opposite. His vow serves only himself.

4. Cautious implies careful, measured behavior to avoid risk. A cautious man hearing "a tiger will kill you" would avoid tigers entirely. The Maharaja does the reverse: he seeks them out aggressively, even recklessly.

The text itself reinforces this: the Maharaja's entire reign revolves around his tiger count, he refuses to let anyone else kill tigers in his state, and he grows desperate as he nears his hundredth kill. This single-minded pursuit, this refusal to abandon his goal despite mounting absurdity, defines determination.

The question asks us to identify the specific danger the Maharaja encountered during his obsessive quest to kill a hundred tigers, driven by the astrologer's prediction that his death would come "from the Tiger."

The story operates on two levels of danger: the literal threat during the hunts and the prophetic doom hanging over the Maharaja's life. Understanding both reveals the story's central irony.

The Dangers Faced

1. The prophecy itself was the primary psychological danger. The astrologer had warned the infant prince that a tiger would cause his death, specifically the hundredth tiger. This prediction haunted the Maharaja throughout his life and drove every decision he made regarding tigers. The fear of this prophecy shaped his entire existence.

2. During the actual tiger hunts, the Maharaja faced physical danger from the tigers themselves. Wild tigers are apex predators, and hunting them—even with guns and support—carries inherent risk of mauling or death. The Maharaja killed ninety-nine tigers in his desperate attempt to defy fate.

3. The hundredth tiger presented the greatest anticipated danger. When the Maharaja finally encountered what he believed to be his hundredth tiger, he fired at it. The tiger appeared to collapse, and the Maharaja, relieved that he had "conquered" his fate, left the scene. However, the tiger had only fainted from the shock of the bullet missing; his attendants later killed it quietly to maintain the illusion.

4. The ultimate danger came from an unexpected source: a wooden toy tiger. The Maharaja bought a poorly crafted wooden tiger as a birthday gift for his son. While playing with it, a tiny sliver from the rough wood pierced his hand. The wound became infected, developed into a suppurating sore, and despite three surgeons operating on him, the Maharaja died.

The story's bitter irony lies in the fact that the Maharaja successfully killed a hundred tigers (ninety-nine by himself, one by his staff) but died from a wooden toy tiger—the prophecy fulfilled in the most unexpected way. His elaborate precautions against real tigers proved futile; fate found its path through the most harmless-looking object.

Concept and Intuition

This question tests your understanding of character motivation and the satirical tone of Kalki's "The Tiger King." The story often highlights human vanity, ego, and the pursuit of superficial glory. When a character expresses a preference for "being photographed with the tigers," especially in the context of a hunting expedition where the actual hunting is restricted, it's crucial to look beyond the literal act and consider the underlying psychological drive.

People often seek photographs with impressive or dangerous subjects not just for personal memory, but to project an image, to gain status, or to show off an experience to others. In a story like "The Tiger King," where the Maharaja's ego drives the entire narrative, it's highly probable that other characters, particularly those in positions of power like a British officer, would also be motivated by similar desires for recognition and public acclaim. The photograph serves as a tangible proof of association with a grand, adventurous, and somewhat dangerous feat, even if the officer didn't perform the most dangerous part himself.

Step-by-step Analysis

1. Analyze the phrase "fonder of being photographed with the tigers":

   • "Fonder of" indicates a strong preference or liking for this specific activity over others.
   • "Being photographed with" implies that the officer wants to be the subject of the photograph, alongside the tigers. This isn't about him taking the photo, but about him being in the photo.
   • "With the tigers" specifies the crucial element of the photograph – the majestic and dangerous animals.

2. Consider the context from "The Tiger King":

   • The Maharaja has banned tiger hunting by anyone other than himself.
   • The British officer is denied permission to hunt a tiger.
   • Despite being denied the hunt, the officer still wants a connection to the tiger.

3. Evaluate Option (A) indifference towards hunting:

   • While the officer might not be as interested in the act of shooting as he is in the photograph, "indifference" is too strong a word. He is part of a hunting party and wants to be associated with the outcome. His preference for a photo doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't care about hunting; it just means he values the symbolic outcome (the photo) more than the physical act of hunting. This option doesn't capture the positive motivation behind seeking the photograph.

4. Evaluate Option (B) desire for recognition/fame:

   • A photograph with a tiger, especially a dead one from a hunt, serves as a trophy or a testament to an adventurous spirit. Such an image is typically shared to impress others, to gain admiration, or to enhance one's social standing. In the context of the story's satirical portrayal of ego and status, this motivation aligns perfectly. The officer, unable to hunt, still wants to partake in the glory by being photographed with the "prize." This is a clear desire for public acknowledgment and personal prestige.

5. Evaluate Option (C) love for tigers:

   • This option is directly contradicted by the context. The officer is part of a hunting expedition where tigers are killed. No one who genuinely loves tigers would participate in or seek to be associated with their demise in this manner. His interest is in the tiger as a symbol of power or a trophy, not as a beloved creature.

6. Evaluate Option (D) love for photography:

   • While the officer might appreciate photography, the phrase emphasizes what he is photographed with ("the tigers"), not the art or technical aspects of photography itself. If he simply loved photography, he might be interested in taking pictures of various subjects, or even of the tigers alone. His specific desire to be in the picture with the tigers points to a motivation beyond a general appreciation for the medium. The subject of the photo (himself with the tiger) is paramount, suggesting a focus on self-image and status.

Comparing the options, the desire for recognition or fame (B) best explains why someone would specifically prefer to be photographed with a tiger, especially when they are otherwise restricted from the actual hunt. It's about the image and the message that image conveys to others.