ENGLISH_IN THE KINGDOM OF FOOLS

Answers to Text book questions:

1. What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of fools?

Everything was different in the kingdom of fools. People worked in the night and slept during the day. Not only have the human beings even the animals stayed awake at night.  Anything and everything could be bought for a ‘Duddu’. A ‘Duddu’ could buy a mass of rice as well as a bunch of bananas.

2. Why does the disciple decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools? Is it a good idea?
The disciple thinks of the easy life ahead. He didn’t want to leave the kingdom because everything was cheap. The disciple wanted only good cheap food.  He dreams of relishing every rich food on offer as everything cost same in that kingdom.

In the end the idea did not prove good for the disciple was chosen to be executed a he fit the stake due to his large size.
3. Name all the people who are tried in the king’s court, and give the reasons for their trial.
The merchant was the first accused because his house wall collapsed and killed the thief. The next person was the bricklayer as it was thought his bad workmanship created a weak wall. Then the dancer was accused of distracting the bricklayer resulting in poor quality of the wall. Next accused was the goldsmith who called the dancer time and again to deliver the jewellery which in turn led to the distraction of the bricklayer. The goldsmith passed the blame on the merchant’s father who wanted his order to be completed first hence the goldsmith couldn’t finish the dancer’s work. At last the wheel turned full circle and the blame came back to the original merchant.

4. Who is the real culprit according to the king? Why does he escape from the punishment?

Although it was the merchant’s father who was believed to be responsible for the collapse of the wall that killed the thief, the king proclaimed that he had inherited everything from his criminal father so the rich merchant was the real culprit according to the King. It was found that the rich merchant was too thin to be properly executed on the newly made stake. The worried king foolishly ordered his servants to look for a fat man to fit the stake. Thus, the merchant escaped the punishment.

5. What is the Guru’s wisdom? When does the disciple realize this?

The Guru’s wisdom was that there was no justice in the Kingdom of fools and due to the unpredictable behaviour of the fools; he wanted to leave the kingdom at once. The disciple remembers these words when the king decides that the disciple was the suitable person to fit the new stake.

6. How did the Guru manage to save his disciple?

It is often believed that our prayers are often heard and answered which was proved in the story. ‘In the Kingdom of Fools’. The king had ordered the execution of the disciple because he fit the new stake. The disciple prayed to the Guru to save him. The Guru saw everything in a vision because he had magic powers. He could see far, the future, the past and the present.

When the guru came, he whispered something in the disciple’s and then asked the king to execute him first and then the disciple. The disciple wanted to be the first on the stake. The two began fighting. The king was puzzled.

The guru explained to the king that the stake in his kingdom was new and was the stake of the god of justice. It had never had a criminal on it. So, first one who dies on it will be reborn as the king and the next one to die will be reborn as the minister.

The king did not want to lose the kingdom in the next life. The king and the minister went to the prison and disguised themselves as the guru and the disciple. Hence, they were executed.

 It was his Guru’s advice and presence of mind that saved the disciple. The disciple realized his mistake of Guru’s not listening to the Guru’s words of wisdom.