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Book Review: Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright by Ruskin Bond

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright by Ruskin Bond is a novella loosely based on the theme of conserving wild animals and nature from the realms of greedy human being. A young boy named Rakesh insists Ruskin Bond to narrate a story full of wild animals and forests. Bond agrees but on a term that the end of the story will be provided by the boy himself. Then, Bond narrates a story of a senile tiger that lives in the jungle situated near the river Ganges. Since the towns and farming have been begun around the river banks by clearing the forest, the population of the wild animals shrinks drastically. Poachers and hunters stalk lions, tigers and leopards to display their skin on the walls of their homes as well as to sell in the market. It is sad to note that to fulfill his void ego man kills the innocent animals of jungles. All the tigers of this jungle have been hunted by ferocious hunters, but this tiger has gained great experience in sensing the man and his intentions, thus he knows how to remain out of their sight.

The tiger does not go to the river bank for drinking water as it is an open land and there he can be killed easily. So, he goes up to a lake inside the jungle but that too is shrinking fast. There villagers come with their buffaloes and cows and the tiger does not mind their presence, neither he attacks the cattle. As once he did but then the angry villagers chased him for several days. Thus, it is better to not to disturb their things and lives. The only enemies of the tiger are selfish hunters.

The tiger roars in the jungle not to show his might but to hear back from other fellow tigers but he receives no roaring in return. It is sad that tigers are fast disappearing from the jungles of India. The soul of the Indian jungles will be departed with their extinction. However, one day luck peters out for him and the hunters who have been searching him finally spot him. They shoot the tiger at his limb while the tiger was crossing a suspension bridge over the river. As an upshot, he staggers and falls in the river down and gets washed away. The hunters rummage both the banks but to no avail.

“Is he dead?” the young boy asks and Ruskin Bond says he does not know. They part away for lunch and following it the boy comes to him with a fitting end to the story. The tiger does not drown but is carried away to a far off place where the warm sun rays heals his wounds and he sees the tall grass and myriad trees before him. To confirm whether it is a right place or not, he roars loudly and in return comes back many roars, he feels happy and safe and saunters in the jungle. To this happy ending, even Ruskin feels good about both the tiger and the boy.
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  1. UnknownSeptember 22, 2020 at 8:32 PM

    The ending was fabulous.... I thought the ending will be very sad or with a bad news but the boy narrates the ending by covering up with brilliant thoughts of saving the wild animals, as they are the soul of jungles as well as of the nature.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 4, 2022 at 8:18 AM

    Good story

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 25, 2023 at 9:38 PM

    Good story

    ReplyDelete

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