The British officer

The British officer appears briefly but reveals much about the world of the story. A high-ranking Englishman, he wishes to hunt a tiger in the king's state and to be photographed with his kill, expecting his wish to be granted as a matter of course. When the king refuses, the officer is offended, and his displeasure alone is enough to endanger the king's throne — a reminder of where real power lay in the age of British authority over the princely states. He is finally appeased only by an extravagant flood of costly gifts sent to his wife. Through this figure Kalki quietly mocks both the vanity of colonial officials, who expected …