Sep 19, 2005 06:17 PM
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(Updated Sep 20, 2005 08:14 PM)
About the Author
R.K. Narayan is one of India's top notch writers. His novels are a mix of human emotions and good natured humour. The best part of his novels are that they are so close to real life behaviour that you can almost feel that you are a part of the novel. Amongst his well known books are Malgudi Days and The Guide. Both have been picturized and were quite popular, the former as a serial and the latter as a full fledged movie. This novel ''The Tiger for Malgudi'' seems to be very much in the mould of ''Malgudi Days'' and is again centered in and around a village called Malgudi.
The Story
As mentioned above the story is set in and around Malgudi. The story is essentially an autobiography of a tiger who is just more than a tiger. The tiger has grown out of his wild days as a wild beast and suddenly gets comfronted by human beings. At first he sees human beings as puny and unintelligent, till one fine day he is caught for a circus. Then he starts fearing human beings and obeying them day in and day out, till another fine day when he breaks free. Then starts the new phase in the tiger's life as he comes in contact with a swamiji and now the tiger percieves human beings with respect and starts getting influenced by the swamiji. The swamiji has strange power to talk with animals and he and the tiger have some really good discourses on all topics ranging from life to philosophy.
The Highpoints
The story has the following high points:
1) Good, clean humour. The dialouges are really well penned.
2) Simple and entertaining plot.
3) Stark reality has been potrayed as it is.
4) All characters have been developed very look. Look out for the Captain, the Swamiji and Film-maker apart from the main protagonist.
5) A view of the the world from the eyes of an animal.
Some Dialouges
Just when the hunter was going to pull the trigger of his gun on the tiger a man steps forward.
The man: ''I am the commisioner of 'Save The Tiger' Foundation formed by the Indian Government under the Agricultural Ministry.''
The Hunter: ''But, but what has a tiger to do with agriculture.''
The swamiji asks the tiger to describe God.
Here's the tiger's view: God would be a huge Tiger as huge as all the worlds put together. Even his tail would be big enough to encompass all the forests on earth. The swamiji was stuck by this description as Man in his preoccupation has always thought God to be human like.
The Tiger's view on human body structure: The humans have a strange body structure which enables them to walk on two legs. But this structure exposes their posterior so much that no wonder they have to cover with clothes from waist down.
Overall
The book has R.K. Narayan written all over it. Simple story, humourously presented with a touch of reality and sarcasm. A great novel to pass your team time with. My analysis for this novel is a four star rating.