Notes & Question/Answers of
In the Kingdom of Fools
- By Attipate Krishnaswami Ramanujan (16 March 1929 – 13 July 1993)
Note:- Write Introduction, Themes, Summary, Vocabulary and Questions & Answers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A.K. Ramanujan was an Indian poet and scholar[3] of Indian literature and linguistics. Ramanujan
was also a professor of Linguistics at University of Chicago.
Ramanujan was a poet, scholar, linguist, philologist, folklorist, translator, and playwright.[4] His
academic research ranged across five languages: English, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Sanskrit.
He published works on both classical and modern variants of this literature and argued strongly
for giving local, non-standard dialects their due. Though he wrote widely and in a number of
genres, Ramanujan's poems are remembered as enigmatic works of startling originality,
sophistication and moving artistry. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award posthumously
in 1999 for The Collected Poems.
Introduction
"In the Kingdom of Fools" is a popular folktale adapted by R.K. Narayan, one of India’s most
celebrated writers. Known for his wit and simplicity, Narayan often wrote stories rooted in Indian
culture, with deep moral lessons. In this tale, set in a whimsical kingdom ruled by a foolish king
and his equally absurd ministers, both justice and logic are upside down—night is day, and day
is night. The story humorously explores themes of wisdom, foolishness, and justice, as a guru
and his disciple find themselves entangled in the kingdom’s bizarre practices. Through clever
twists, the tale emphasizes the importance of using one’s intellect in a world full of absurdity.
Themes
The chapter "In the Kingdom of Fools" explores several key themes, including:
1. **Foolishness vs. Wisdom**: The kingdom is ruled by a foolish king and his equally absurd
ministers, who turn logic upside down. The contrast between the foolishness of the rulers and
the wisdom of the guru highlights the value of intelligence and common sense in navigating a
chaotic world.
2. **Justice and Injustice**: The story critiques the irrational justice system in the kingdom,
where punishments and rewards are given arbitrarily. It shows how a lack of rationality and
fairness in governance leads to injustice and chaos.
3. **Power and Authority**: The tale examines the arbitrary nature of power, as the king's
irrational decisions reflect the dangers of unchecked authority. The rulers' foolishness affects the
entire kingdom, leading to absurd outcomes.
4. **Survival and Adaptability**: The disciple's ability to adapt to the bizarre rules of the kingdom
contrasts with the guru’s refusal to compromise his wisdom. It highlights how individuals must
sometimes adjust to absurd circumstances for survival.
5. **Moral Intelligence**: The story reinforces the importance of moral intelligence, as the guru
uses his wit to outsmart the foolish rulers and escape danger, showing that wisdom and integrity
can triumph over foolishness.
These themes offer a satirical commentary on governance, human behaviour, and the role of
wisdom in overcoming irrationality.
Summary
"In the Kingdom of Fools" is a humorous folktale adapted by R.K. Narayan, where a kingdom is
ruled by a foolish king and his equally ridiculous minister. In this strange land, everything is
reversed: people sleep during the day and work at night, and all food costs just a single duddu (a
small coin), regardless of its value.
One day, a wise guru and his disciple visit the kingdom. While the disciple is tempted to stay due
to the cheap food, the guru warns him that the kingdom is dangerous because of its irrational
rulers. The guru leaves, but the disciple stays behind and enjoys the abundance of food.
Soon, a series of absurd events occur. A man’s house collapses and kills a thief, leading the king
to demand that the owner of the house be executed for the death. This sets off a chain of
irrational blame, with each person, from the builder to the mason, being blamed for the accident.
The king, in his foolishness, finally decides that the most important factor is finding someone "fit"
to be executed, and this turns out to be the disciple.
The disciple, terrified, prays to his guru for help. The guru returns and devises a clever plan to
outwit the foolish king. He convinces the king and minister to switch places with the disciple and
himself, claiming that whoever dies first will be reborn as the ruler of the kingdom. Greedy for
power, the king and minister take their place and are executed instead.
In the end, the kingdom is saved from its foolish rulers, and the people request the guru and
disciple to become their new leaders. The guru accepts on the condition that the kingdom returns
to normal, with people living by rational rules.
The story humorously highlights the dangers of foolish leadership and the triumph of wisdom
over absurdity.
Vocabulary:
1. Idiots the people who are not intelligent
2. Till here, to cultivat
3. Stirring: moving around
4. guru: sainte land for farming
5. amazed: shocked and surprised
6. duddu – money in Kannada language
7. pursuing: follow
refers to theft there
8. ancient trade:
9. summoned To call upon someone
is a person who lays the bricks and built the walls
10. Bricklayer
is a person who makes ornaments out of gold.
11. Goldsmith a dishonest person
12. Scoundrel to blame someone
13. accusation: a law officer who makes sure that the decisions of a court are obeyed
14. bailiffs a post with a sharp, pointed end used to pierce through something
15. stake: an official killing of someone
16. execution to push a sharp pointed post through something
17. impaling order
18. decree a difficult situation that one has got into
19. scrape to Insist on something
20. clamour to put off something for a later time
21. postpone a different appearance in order to hide one’s identity
22. disguised fright
23. panic convince
24. persuade a law officer who makes sure that the decisions of a court are obeyed.
25. bailiff
Textual Questions & Answers
1. What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of Fools?
Answer: The two strange things that the guru and his disciple observe in the kingdom of
fools are:
Everyone sleeps during the day and carry out their work at night
The cost to purchase anything from the market was the same, one duddu (one rupee).
Whether it was a measure of rice or a bunch of banana it cost the same.
2. Why does the disciple’s decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools? Is it a good idea?
Answer: The disciple decided to stay in the Kingdom of Fools because he was delighted that
everything cost a single duddu and everything was very cheap. All that he wanted was good and
very cheap food. According to the Guru, staying there was not a good idea as they were all fools
and so he felt this situation would not last long and was not sure about what they would do in
the future.
3.Name all the people who are tried in the king’s court, and give the reasons for their trial.
Answer: Following people were tried in the king’s court:
The merchant whose house was burgled: Because his house’s wall was weak and it fell
upon the burglar and killed him
The bricklayer who built the wall: Because he built a wall which was weak and which
collapsed killing the burglar
The dancing girl: Because she distracted the bricklayer with her jingling anklets by walking
up and down the road where bricklayer was laying the wall
The goldsmith: Because he didn’t complete the dancing girl’s order on time and so she had
to go to the goldsmith a dozen times.
The merchant whose house was burgled (second time): because his father persuaded the
goldsmith to finish his order first thereby delaying the dancing girl’s order. Since the
merchant’s father died, the merchant had to be executed in his father’s place
The disciple: Because the merchant was too thin to be executed by the newly made stake
and a fat man was required to fit the stake. The disciple was very fat, hence he was caught
4. Who is the real culprit according to the king? Why does he escape punishment?
Answer: The real culprit according to the king is the merchant because although his old father
was the real murderer he was dead and someone had to be punished in his place. He escapes the
punishment because he is too thin to be properly executed on the stake.
5. What are the Guru’s words of wisdom? When does the disciple remember them?’
Answer: The guru’s words of wisdom were that it was the city of fools. He advised the disciple to
leave the city because he would not know what they would do next. The disciple remembers this
when he was going to be executed.
6. How does the guru mange to save his disciple’s life?
Answer: The guru tries to confuse the king by expressing his desire to be killed first. Then to
further confuse the king he tells the story of becoming the king in the next incarnation.
Apparently, it may sound like a case of pure lie to save your dear one’s life. But if we go deeper
consciously or unconsciously the sage is trying to save everybody’s life in the kingdom.
Ultimately, he is able to pull everybody out of the misery of living in the kingdom of fools.
