A Tiger for Malgudi  (English, Paperback, Narayan R. K.)

A Tiger For Malgudi is a novel that revolves around Raja, a tiger who spends a great deal of time in captivity, but spends the latter portion of his life in serenity, on the hills.

Summary Of The Book

A Tiger For Malgudi is narrated by a tiger named Raja, in first person. Raja recounts the time he was captured by the owner of a circus, and how he managed to escape. He then enjoys his youth in the wild jungles of India. As time passes by, he has a litter with a tigress, and spends his time bringing them up. One day, he finds out that his entire family had been killed at the hands of hunters, and then decides to take his revenge.

He begins to move through the nearby villages, attacking the livestock and cattle. He is then captured by several poachers, who send him to a zoo located in Malgudi. Life takes a turn for Raja when he finds himself stuck with a brutal trainer, who doesn’t give him enough food, and forces him to perform certain tricks in the circus. He kills his trainer one day as he is unable to bear being tormented. He then creates a ruckus in the town, but gets captured again.

Who captures Raja this time? What lessons does Raja learn under his new owner? Is his life still misfortunate? Narayan has portrayed the different phases in the life of a man, through the life of Raja. By the end of the book, the readers will begin to place themselves in the tiger’s spot, making them feel one with him. Written in Narayan’s classic witty style, A Tiger For Malgudi is definitely worth a read for all age groups.

About R. K. Narayan

R. K. Narayan was a well-known novelist and short-story writer.

Narayan also wrote Waiting For The Mahatma, Under The Banyan Tree And Other Stories, The Bachelor of Arts, and The Vendor of Sweets.

Narayan was born on 10th October, 1906, in Madras, British India. He completed his schooling from Christian College High School, Chennai.

Narayan’s father was posted at Maharajah’s Collegiate High School, Mysore, where the library was loaded with books. This helped to satisfy Narayan’s desire to read. It was during this time that he began writing as well. Narayan failed to enter a university in his first try, which made him spend one more year at home, reading and writing. He then cleared the entrance test, and gained admission into Maharaja College of Mysore, where he finished his undergraduate degree. He was discouraged by his friend to study further, after which he took up the job of a school teacher. Narayan soon quit that job, and began writing novels at home. His writing career spanned more than 60 years, during which he was presented with several awards, including the Padma Vibhushan and the Sahitya Akademi Award.