(IN): The tigress and the Maharaja

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The tigress and the MaharajaMeera Guthi

*The news of Rani's lustrous coat had reached far and wide in the hunting

community and many a hunter had tried to track her down, but she was far too

clever for them.*

 

In the outskirts of the hot and humid plains of central India, in a forest

named Kuna, lived a handsome tigress, Rani. She was born in this forest and

came from a family of royal tigers. Rani had gained fame among the hunters

for her lustrous coat. There was a special quality about it. It shimmered in

the sunlight and glowed warmly when the moon appeared bright in the night

sky. It was the smoothest of velvet and the dark stripes stood out against a

rich orange skin. A hunter's fame would reach far and wide if he possessed

it; it would be the pride of all his collection and he would be the envy of

the hunting community for generations to come.

 

The news of Rani's lustrous coat had reached far and wide in the hunting

community and many a hunter had tried to track her down, but she was far too

clever for them. It also fell upon the ears of the Maharaja of Kunapur. Ever

since the Maharaja heard about this beautiful tigress, he had not slept a

single night without dreaming of her. He knew that if he could add her

lustrous tiger skin to his collection, which was already impressive, no king

or prince would ever dare to doubt his hunting skills or his bravery.

 

One day, the minister approached the Maharaja with some news on the tigress,

which was passed on to him by some villagers. He said, " Rani has been seen

near the ruins of the old fortress; she has a litter of cubs. It might be a

good idea to capture her now because… "

 

" Because she would go to any extent to protect her cubs, " completed the

Maharaja, nodding his head slowly.

 

The Maharaja offered a handsome reward to the villagers who had brought him

the good news and began to make elaborate plans and preparations for

capturing the tigress. The rifles were polished till they glimmered and

squeaked, the elephants and the hunting dogs were lined up, and the fittest

were selected, the list of the hunting party and the drum beaters were

drawn. The Maharaja also consulted with astrologers who drew detailed charts

and made complex calculations to get a favorable date for the hunt.

All was set. On the night before the hunt, the Maharaja could barely sleep

and when he did, he dreamt of Rani - her stuffed body, the star attraction

in his beautiful palace, and his fame and stories of bravery flung far and

wide.

At the crack of dawn, the Maharaja sprang out of bed, ready for the

surprises and the rewards the day would bring him.

By late afternoon, Rani watched over her cubs as they slept peacefully in a

cleverly concealed nook of the ruined old fortress. A little later, she

would have to go to the nearby river to drink water and hunt for some game

before the cubs got hungry again.

Suddenly, birds fluttered, deer darted nervously into bushes and monkeys let

out a shrill cry that echoed in the forest. Rani pricked her ears and slowly

but surely, she could hear the dreaded drums of the hunter. She stood up and

paced nervously near her cubs, who were still undisturbed by the commotion

and the intruders in the forest.

 

The beat of the drums grew louder and louder, until it reached a deafening

pitch. When the hunting party had almost surrounded the old fortress, Rani

let out a mighty roar, and four other tigers sprang up from nowhere, roaring

along with her. This surprised the hunting party, which began to run

helter-skelter in fear, while the terrified elephant swerved. The Maharaja

fell down, just as his rifle slid away. He was armless now.

 

Rani stood on the rock above him. She was indeed the most magnificent

creature he had ever set eyes upon -- savage, noble and fearful.

 

Her eyes shone like bright coal embers and her coat glistened in the evening

sunlight. She could have easily pounced on him and killed him in an instant.

Instead, she pierced him with a chilling stare. And suddenly, just like that

Rani turned and vanished into the ruins of the fortress and to her yelping

cubs.

 

The Maharaja was shivering uncontrollably; his minister was at his side,

trying to get him onto the elephant quickly, which had calmed down a little

bit. The hunting party lay defeated.

 

For years to come, the Maharaja wondered why Rani had spared him. Was it

because her cubs were calling her? Or was it because she could now haunt him

for the rest of his life with her chilling stare? The Maharaja would never

know. But one thing was certain, his respect for her grew with each passing

day, and he would never allow anyone to hunt in the jungles of Kuna again.

 

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