Character sketch of the Tiger King

The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram had many titles but was popularly known as the ''Tiger King''. He was portrayed as an autocrat, brave, resolute, determined, courageous and a firm ruler of his state. He was brought up by an English governess. He was tutored in English by an Englishman. When he grew to twenty, he took the reign in his hands. The Maharaja knew how to make his minions do the work for him. No one in the kingdom had the courage to raise his voice against the king.

When he was born, the astrologers had predicted his death by a tiger. His callousness came through his indiscriminate killing of tigers and almost bringing the species to become extinct, just to prove the prophecy wrong. His irrational behavior was portrayed when he announced that he would attend to the affairs of his people and state, only after killing a hundred tigers. He wanted to prove the prophecy wrong that his death was bound to come because of a tiger. He was determined to fulfill his pledge. So he issued a proclamation that no one will kill the tiger except him. The lawbreakers would be taken to task and their properties would be confiscated. Being a man of firm determination and self-respect, he denied permission to the British officer to hunt the tiger too. But, the officer felt offended as he was not even allowed to kill or even, to take a photograph with a dead tiger. To save himself and his kingdom, the king, with the advice of his Dewan, sent around fifty exclusive diamond rings for the officer's wife. He did so to impress them but had to pay a hefty amount because the British officer's wife kept all the rings and sent only a thank you note for the king. It is ironical that the king met his fate by a wooden tiger only and thus the hundredth tiger took revenge upon him.