The Tiger King, by Kalki is about divine retribution.

Kalki's The Tiger King is a caustic comment on what happens when one harms nature. The short story by Kalki provides a humorous rendition of the consequences of killing a hundred tigers in a rather wanton manner. The Tiger King is killed, of all things by a splinter from a sub-standard carved wooden tiger that has been sold to him at an exorbitant rate (as if he would pay for it), or perhaps even the very surgeons who had been called from Madras did him in. The statement by one of them, "The operation was successful. The Maharaja is dead" suggests that the surgeons probably had a hidden agenda of executing the Tiger King because he had gone too far in killing a hundred tigers.

The consequence of killing a hundred tigers becomes evident in the manner of the tiger king's death and the warning is that one should beware of harming nature lest one should invite the wrath of divine retribution! The manner in which "the hundredth tiger took its final revenge upon the Tiger King" is a warning to all those who would want to subject innocent animals to grievous harm. The Ancient Mariner in Coleridge's Ryme of the Ancient Mariner was punished for killing the Albatross, the Tiger King, too, is punished for the same reason.
The hundredth tiger appears to be the Tiger King's nemesis and each tiger that he killed added to the quantum of crime and guilt that was added to his account. The punishment of the Ancient Mariner was different from that of the Tiger King, and one might argue that the latter's death might have been a rather too easy way out from his crime than the former's. The manner of the Maharaja's death is a more sinister punishment than the Ancient Mariner's. The Surgeon's announcement about the success of the operation is eerie enough! It is as if they are hired assassins and the operation was an operation for killing the Maharaja. The warning is ominous enough, destroyers of nature, beware of what you are doing! You will be terminated by a bunch of assassins, 'exterminated,' would be the right term! Kalki's, The Tiger King is a political satire and it attacks the weaknesses and willfulness of people in power. It serves a warning that people in power have a responsibility towards their subjects and their responsibility includes protecting nature. When a person who is in power abuses his powers wilfully, like the Maharaja did, especially in the willful extermination of a hundred tigers, (ninety-nine) the punishment can be severe. In today's times, there have been instances of game-hunting among the rich and the powerful. Such instances illustrate the callousness of human beings towards wildlife. The killing of Cecil the lion, the bludgeoning of leopards by people when they stray into residential areas, all point out towards the need to think about the consequences of harming wildlife. In many cases, the perpetrators of such crimes go scot-free, but then Kalki ends his story in a rather ominous manner with a parting warning about how nature-hundredth tiger took its final revenge". You might not be put into prison because of your power, but then you never know who might be watching!
It would not be wrong to suggest that The Tiger King deals with the concept of divine retribution which also talks about divine justice. You might get away with killing ninety-nine targets, but then be punished by the hundredth tiger with might also be your nemesis! The recent case of a Bollywood celebrity being awarded a sentence for killing a BlackBuck twenty years ago is a warning that you can't get away with crimes against nature even if you are the celebrity! In the case of the Tiger King, retribution or punishment came in the form the Surgeons from the 'three famous surgeons' who were brought up from Madras, and the bad luck of the Tiger King that a 'sliver' of wood from the poorly made wooden tiger pierced his right hand. In this case, you have the human and divine agency coming together to punish the tiger king for killing ninety-nine tigers. When the surgeons come out of the operation theatre after operating on the Tiger King and declare, "The operation was successful. The Maharaja is dead," one wonders if they might not have been part of an 'operation' to kill the Maharaja! In any case, having such an immature, superstitious and obsessed head of state would have been the worst that the people could have expected from him! It was therefore essential for the safety of the remaining tigers, and the security of the citizens of Pratibandapuram to have the Maharaja executed.

Important extract-based questions

The three surgeons who performed it came out of the theatre and announced, "The operation was successful. The Maharaja is dead."
In this manner, the hundredth tiger took its final revenge upon the Tiger King.

1. Where had the surgeons come from and why?

2. What is the figure of speech in the line, "The operation was successful"?

3. What was the hundredth tiger?

4. How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge?

The Tiger King by Kalki suggests we need a new system to protect our ecology!

The Age of ecology is about protecting and respecting life in all forms.

A reading of Kalki's The Tiger King suggests that we need to work on a system that is embedded in the care of not only human beings but also the earth and all life upon it. What the Tiger King does is simply not what is expected of human beings today. Instances of high profile people hunting and shooting down exotic animals have been treated with dismay and disgust. A few years back (2014) a dentist from Minnesota killed Cecil a black-maned lion in Zimbabwe. Walter Palmer killed Cecil in a bow hunt after allegedly paying $50,000/- for the privilege - Jim Zarroli. The story was that the lion had been lured away from a National Park before being killed. 

At home in India too, we have come across incidents where leopards have been found straying into villages and towns only to be attacked and killed brutally by human beings. This human versus animal conflict has been increasing to a great extent in recent years and wildlife experts suggest that this is because human beings have themselves started encroaching on wildlife sanctuaries. The need for space has led to wild animals straying out of their sanctuaries in search of food. In our greed for space, we have destroyed what was by all rights the home of tigers, leopards, and even elephants!

We need a new system for the age of ecology!

The agenda for all policymakers and people who matter in the Government, of course, should be to create a system which is embedded in the care of all people and also in the care of the Earth and all life upon it. The Tiger King's responsibility should have been to protect the tigers and not to decimate them! It is highly ironical that " A proclamation was issued to the effect that if anyone dared to fling so much as a stone at a tiger, all his wealth and property would be confiscated." The "celebration" by the tigers in Pratibandapuram after the "proclamation" was premature and short-lived as the Maharaja started killing tigers one after the other. One cannot, however, claim that the Tiger King was not aware of the fact that he was breaking the law and so he claimed that he had killed the tigers in "self-defence"!

Kalki's The Tiger King parodies the lightness with which people who matter treat environmental degradation. The extinction of the tigers in Pratibandapuram is blamed on "birth control or...harakiri...Or simply (running) away from the State because they desired to be shot by British hands alone." Nobody is ready to state the obvious, that the tigers were driven to extinction because of the Tiger King and not because of any of the above reasons! The Maharaj's Minions are equally to blame for the decimation of the tiger population because they acquiesced in the whole crime - they were partners in crime, and they should have objected and raised their voices in favour of the poor tigers! This is indirectly a comment on the common man's abdication of his own responsibility towards protecting the ecology of the Earth. What we need today is a system that is robust enough to protect the ecology and not just do lip service. We need to create a system that is respected by everyone, a system which protects life in all forms. The poaching of tigers in the tiger reserves, smuggling of turtles, and trading in exotic birds and animals all point toward an aberration in the existing system. People in power need to understand that they are responsible for protecting and caring for the entire Earth. Educating the common man about the importance of having a healthy and well-balanced ecology will go a long way in making him understand how ecology affects his personal life. Accepting the boundaries of wildlife sanctuaries to be sacrosanct and the need to "live and let live" will help protect the environment and the animal and bird species that reside in them.

The conflict between man and nature also results from the introduction of domesticated animals in national parks.

1. Kalki, The Tiger King: Vistas Supplementary Reader in English for Class XII

2. Zarroli Jim, No Prosecution For Dentist Who Killed Cecil The Lion: October 13, 2015 

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/10/13/448321072/dentist-who-killed-cecil-the-lion-escapes-prosecution

The Church of The Epiphany Celebrates its Garden Fete on the 8th of January, 2017

This time we had to postpone the celebration of the Annual Garden Fete of the Church of the Epiphany, Gurgaon to the  8th of January, 2017 instead of having it the month of November 2016. I guess this means that we will be having two Garden fetes in the year 2017! The convenors for the Annual Garden Fete were Mrs. Marion Sircar, and Mrs. Lalita Joshua. The Chief guest on the occasion was Colonel (Retd.) Datta, who happens to be incidentally the oldest parishioner of the Church. The church is also celebrating one hundred and fifty years of service in the town of Gurgaon. The fete was part of the ongoing celebrations which will culminate in the month of February, 2017.Without adding too much information, I would like the pictures to tell a story of their own!

Greeting the Rising Sun Photo by Rodrick Lal — National Geographic Your Shot

Greeting the Rising Sun Photo by Rodrick Lal — National Geographic Your Shot: When I last visited the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary in Haryana, India, I was disappointed by the poor lighting combined with the mist that played spoilsport. But then, I was not to be deterred and decided to take a few photographs of birds and antelopes stirring to life. I knew I wouldn't get sharp images but still, I went on taking a few snaps. When I checked the snaps, I liked the surreal effect! This is another of a similar snap posted on the Yourshot website.

Shooting Nature at Dawn at a Wildlife Bird Sanctuary

A few days back when I visited the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary early in the day, I was a bit disappointed with the lighting conditions. The sun had yet to rise and the mist meant that I would not be able to focus on the eyes of the birds. Nevertheless, I did take a few hazy pictures more for the art than for the sharpness, a few of which I have shared below:

Dawn is a magical moment in the national park. It lends a rather surreal effect to the landscape and the birds take up the shapes of shape-changers as they seem to merge into the background!

The males of the Asian Antelopes don't seem to bother about the grooming and upbringing of their little ones. The doe takes care of her little ones while the stag roams around!

It is a very touching sight to see a family of Asian antelopes toghether. The mothers take a collective responsibility of their little ones. Incidentally, I saw a couple of dogs chasing the little ones across the lake.