NCERT Textbook: Poem: Ajamil and the Tigers | Class 11 English Woven Words - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

 Page 1


140 Woven Words
Ajamil and the Tigers
Arun Kolatkar
The tiger people went to their king
and said, ‘We’re starving.
We’ve had nothing  to eat,
not a bite,
for 15 days and 16 nights.
Ajamil has got
a new sheep dog.
He cramps our style
and won’t let us get within a mile
of meat.’
‘That’s shocking,’
said the tiger king.
‘Why didn’t you come to see me before?
Make preparations for a banquet.
I’m gonna teach that sheep dog a lesson he’ll never
forget.’
‘Hear hear,’ said the tigers.
‘Careful,’ said the queen.
But he was already gone.
Alone
into the darkness before the dawn.
In an hour he was back,
the good king.
A black patch on his eye.
His tail in a sling.
And said, ‘I’ve got it all planned
now that I know the lie of the land.
All of us will have to try.
We’ll outnumber the son of a bitch.
2024-25
Page 2


140 Woven Words
Ajamil and the Tigers
Arun Kolatkar
The tiger people went to their king
and said, ‘We’re starving.
We’ve had nothing  to eat,
not a bite,
for 15 days and 16 nights.
Ajamil has got
a new sheep dog.
He cramps our style
and won’t let us get within a mile
of meat.’
‘That’s shocking,’
said the tiger king.
‘Why didn’t you come to see me before?
Make preparations for a banquet.
I’m gonna teach that sheep dog a lesson he’ll never
forget.’
‘Hear hear,’ said the tigers.
‘Careful,’ said the queen.
But he was already gone.
Alone
into the darkness before the dawn.
In an hour he was back,
the good king.
A black patch on his eye.
His tail in a sling.
And said, ‘I’ve got it all planned
now that I know the lie of the land.
All of us will have to try.
We’ll outnumber the son of a bitch.
2024-25
Ajamil and the Tigers 141
And this time there will be no hitch.
Because this time I shall be leading the attack.’
Quick as lightning
the sheep dog was.
He took them all in as prisoners of war,
the 50 tigers and the tiger king,
before they could get their paws
on a single sheep.
They never had a chance.
The dog was in 51 places all at once.
He strung them all out in a daisy chain
and flung them in front of his boss in one big heap.
‘Nice dog you got there, Ajamil,’
said the tiger king.
Looking a little ill
and spiting out a tooth.
‘But there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding.
We could’ve wiped out your herd in one clean sweep.
But we were not trying to creep up on your sheep.
We feel that means are more important than ends.
We were coming to see you as friends.
And that’s the truth.’
The sheep dog was the type
who had never told a lie in his life
He was built along simpler lines
and he was simply disgusted.
He kept on making frantic signs.
But Ajamil, the good shepherd
refused to meet his eyes
and pretended to believe every single word
of what the tiger king said.
And seemed to be taken in by all the lies.
Ajamil cut them loose
and asked them all to stay for dinner.
It was an offer the tigers couldn’t refuse.
And after the lamb chops and the roast,
2024-25
Page 3


140 Woven Words
Ajamil and the Tigers
Arun Kolatkar
The tiger people went to their king
and said, ‘We’re starving.
We’ve had nothing  to eat,
not a bite,
for 15 days and 16 nights.
Ajamil has got
a new sheep dog.
He cramps our style
and won’t let us get within a mile
of meat.’
‘That’s shocking,’
said the tiger king.
‘Why didn’t you come to see me before?
Make preparations for a banquet.
I’m gonna teach that sheep dog a lesson he’ll never
forget.’
‘Hear hear,’ said the tigers.
‘Careful,’ said the queen.
But he was already gone.
Alone
into the darkness before the dawn.
In an hour he was back,
the good king.
A black patch on his eye.
His tail in a sling.
And said, ‘I’ve got it all planned
now that I know the lie of the land.
All of us will have to try.
We’ll outnumber the son of a bitch.
2024-25
Ajamil and the Tigers 141
And this time there will be no hitch.
Because this time I shall be leading the attack.’
Quick as lightning
the sheep dog was.
He took them all in as prisoners of war,
the 50 tigers and the tiger king,
before they could get their paws
on a single sheep.
They never had a chance.
The dog was in 51 places all at once.
He strung them all out in a daisy chain
and flung them in front of his boss in one big heap.
‘Nice dog you got there, Ajamil,’
said the tiger king.
Looking a little ill
and spiting out a tooth.
‘But there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding.
We could’ve wiped out your herd in one clean sweep.
But we were not trying to creep up on your sheep.
We feel that means are more important than ends.
We were coming to see you as friends.
And that’s the truth.’
The sheep dog was the type
who had never told a lie in his life
He was built along simpler lines
and he was simply disgusted.
He kept on making frantic signs.
But Ajamil, the good shepherd
refused to meet his eyes
and pretended to believe every single word
of what the tiger king said.
And seemed to be taken in by all the lies.
Ajamil cut them loose
and asked them all to stay for dinner.
It was an offer the tigers couldn’t refuse.
And after the lamb chops and the roast,
2024-25
142 Woven Words
when Ajamil proposed
they sign a long term friendship treaty,
all the tigers roared.
‘We couldn’t agree with you more.’
And swore they would be good friends all their lives
as they put down the forks and the knives.
Ajamil signed a pact
with the tiger people and sent them back.
Laden with gifts of sheep, leather jackets and balls of
wool.
Ajamil wasn’t a fool.
Like all good shepherds he knew
that even tigers have got to eat some time.
A good shepherd sees to it they do.
He is free to play a flute all day
as well fed tigers and fat sheep drink from the same
pond
with a full stomach for a common bond.
ABOUT THE POET 
Arun Kolatkar (1932–2004) is a contemporary Indian poet.
He was educated in Pune and earned a diploma in painting
from the J.J. School of arts, Mumbai. He writes both in
English and Marathi and has authored two books. The
present poem is an excerpt from Jejuri— a long poem in
thirty-one sections. A German translation of Jejuri by
Gievanen Bandin was published in 1984.
UNDERSTANDING THE POEM
1. The poem has a literal level and a figurative level. Why has the
poet chosen ‘tigers’ and ‘sheep’ to convey his message?
2. What facet of political life does the behaviour of Ajamil illustrate?
3. Why have the words, ‘pretended’ and ‘seemed’ been used in the
lines:
...pretended to believe every single word
of what the tiger king said.
2024-25
Page 4


140 Woven Words
Ajamil and the Tigers
Arun Kolatkar
The tiger people went to their king
and said, ‘We’re starving.
We’ve had nothing  to eat,
not a bite,
for 15 days and 16 nights.
Ajamil has got
a new sheep dog.
He cramps our style
and won’t let us get within a mile
of meat.’
‘That’s shocking,’
said the tiger king.
‘Why didn’t you come to see me before?
Make preparations for a banquet.
I’m gonna teach that sheep dog a lesson he’ll never
forget.’
‘Hear hear,’ said the tigers.
‘Careful,’ said the queen.
But he was already gone.
Alone
into the darkness before the dawn.
In an hour he was back,
the good king.
A black patch on his eye.
His tail in a sling.
And said, ‘I’ve got it all planned
now that I know the lie of the land.
All of us will have to try.
We’ll outnumber the son of a bitch.
2024-25
Ajamil and the Tigers 141
And this time there will be no hitch.
Because this time I shall be leading the attack.’
Quick as lightning
the sheep dog was.
He took them all in as prisoners of war,
the 50 tigers and the tiger king,
before they could get their paws
on a single sheep.
They never had a chance.
The dog was in 51 places all at once.
He strung them all out in a daisy chain
and flung them in front of his boss in one big heap.
‘Nice dog you got there, Ajamil,’
said the tiger king.
Looking a little ill
and spiting out a tooth.
‘But there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding.
We could’ve wiped out your herd in one clean sweep.
But we were not trying to creep up on your sheep.
We feel that means are more important than ends.
We were coming to see you as friends.
And that’s the truth.’
The sheep dog was the type
who had never told a lie in his life
He was built along simpler lines
and he was simply disgusted.
He kept on making frantic signs.
But Ajamil, the good shepherd
refused to meet his eyes
and pretended to believe every single word
of what the tiger king said.
And seemed to be taken in by all the lies.
Ajamil cut them loose
and asked them all to stay for dinner.
It was an offer the tigers couldn’t refuse.
And after the lamb chops and the roast,
2024-25
142 Woven Words
when Ajamil proposed
they sign a long term friendship treaty,
all the tigers roared.
‘We couldn’t agree with you more.’
And swore they would be good friends all their lives
as they put down the forks and the knives.
Ajamil signed a pact
with the tiger people and sent them back.
Laden with gifts of sheep, leather jackets and balls of
wool.
Ajamil wasn’t a fool.
Like all good shepherds he knew
that even tigers have got to eat some time.
A good shepherd sees to it they do.
He is free to play a flute all day
as well fed tigers and fat sheep drink from the same
pond
with a full stomach for a common bond.
ABOUT THE POET 
Arun Kolatkar (1932–2004) is a contemporary Indian poet.
He was educated in Pune and earned a diploma in painting
from the J.J. School of arts, Mumbai. He writes both in
English and Marathi and has authored two books. The
present poem is an excerpt from Jejuri— a long poem in
thirty-one sections. A German translation of Jejuri by
Gievanen Bandin was published in 1984.
UNDERSTANDING THE POEM
1. The poem has a literal level and a figurative level. Why has the
poet chosen ‘tigers’ and ‘sheep’ to convey his message?
2. What facet of political life does the behaviour of Ajamil illustrate?
3. Why have the words, ‘pretended’ and ‘seemed’ been used in the
lines:
...pretended to believe every single word
of what the tiger king said.
2024-25
Ajamil and the Tigers 143
And seemed to be taken in by all the lies.
How does the sense of these lines connect with the line ‘Ajamil
wasn’t a fool’?
4. Why did Ajamil refuse to meet the sheepdog’s eyes?
5. ‘He is free to play a flute all day as well fed tigers and fat sheep
drink from the same pond with a full stomach for a common
bond.’
What do the phrases ‘play the flute all day’ and ‘a common bond’
refer to?
6. The poem is a satire against the present political class. How
effectively does it convey the anger and anguish of the common
man trapped in the system?
TRY THIS OUT
Find out the difference between these literary forms
(a) fable  (b) allegory (c) satire.
SUGGESTED READING 
1. Jejuri by Arun Kolatkar.
2024-25