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IN THE KINGDOM OF FOOLS

----- A. K. Ramanujan
Introduction:
The story 'In the Kingdom of Fools' by A.K.Ramanujan can be read in two levels – one just as a funny
entertainer and the other as an allegory ( a story, poem, novel etc which can be interpreted to reveal a
hidden meaning ) on the follies and foibles of the so- called 'great' kings and ministers. Even though the
events described in the story take place in the by – gone era when kings were ruling the kingdoms,
everything in the story seems to have some relevance and significance in the present socio – political
scenario also where we too have many ministers, leaders and bureaucrats who are not much better than
the king and minister in the story. When we look at the story from that angle, the story is indeed a
fantastic allegory which criticises the waywardness and power thirst (the king and the minister in the
story even ready to die on the stake to retain their power).
The story can also be read as a story that tells us the fact that we must be very cautious and careful
when we come into contact with foolish people because foolish people are unpredictable and can be
very dangerous. What they may think or may not think or may do or may not do, nobody can say for
sure. So even if we may get some short-term benefit from them (everything available with a single duddu
in the story), it is better to stay away from them. Only the wise, intelligent and diplomatic people like
the Guru in the story can deal with them or manage them.

About the Author:

Attipate Krishnaswami Ramanujan was an Indian poet and scholar of Indian literature who wrote in
both English and Kannada. Ramanujan was a poet, scholar, professor, a philologist, folklorist, translator,
and playwright. His academic research ranged across five languages: English, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu,
and Sanskrit.
Born: 16 March 1929, Mysuru
Died: 13 July 1993, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Full name: Attipate Krishnaswami Ramanujan
Spouse: Molly Daniels-Ramanujan
Awards: Padma Shri, MacArthur Fellowship, Sahitya Akademi Award for English Writers

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Summary:
Our Unique Kingdom
The ministers and kings in the kingdom of fools wanted to do things differently, so they turned
day into night and vice-versa. They ordered everyone to work in the night and sleep all day. The
people complied with their orders. One day, a guru and his disciple arrived in the city. They found
that the village was empty all day and as soon as it was night, everyone went to his work.
When the guru and his disciple wanted to eat something, they came to know that they could buy
everything at a fixed price no matter the quantity. The guru advised his disciple to leave the place
as it seemed to him it was the kingdom of fools, but the disciple wanted to stay there as
everything was very cheap. The guru left, and the disciple decided to stay there. He ate and
became fat like a bull.

The Innocent Thief

One day, a thief was stealing something from a wealthy merchant. While crossing the hole (that
he dug up in the wall), the wall collapsed, and he died on the spot. His brother went to the king
and blamed the merchant for not building a solid wall. The king summoned the merchant at once.
He blamed the merchant for killing the innocent burglar.
The king blamed the merchant for murdering an innocent man. That merchant pleaded in front
of the king that it was not his fault but the fault of the builder who built that wall. The builder
was an older man and lived nearby.
The bricklayer was summoned and questioned by the king. He blamed a girl that went up and
down that street. He told the king that he used to see that girl while building the wall, and thus
she diverted his attention. The king must summon the girl.
As the case deepened, the king summoned the girl at last. The king questioned that girl, and she
told the king that a goldsmith made her come to his shop every day because he would not deliver
her jewellery that she had given him to design for her.

The Deepening Crisis

The goldsmith told the king that he had to finish the merchant’s order before giving the girl his
jewellery. It was the wealthy merchant whose wall had collapsed on the head of that thief. He
told the king that his father (now dead) ordered the jewellery, but the king told him that someone
must be punished instead of his criminal father.
The king’s servant realised that the merchant was too thin to be executed on the stake. They
must find a fat man. They found the disciple. The disciple prayed to his guru to save him. He at
once arrived to save his disciple. They went to the king, and the guru told the king to hang him
first. They started to fight.
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The guru told the king that this stake of justice and whosoever died here would be the next king
and second to die would be the future minister. The king, in secret, released the guru and the
disciple and disguised himself as the guru. As the king and all his minister died, the guru and
disciple were persuaded by the people to rule that village. Finally, they agreed.

Message:
• The story is a folktale and gives two messages. The first message is that one should stay away
from foolish people; else one is bound to suffer.
• The second message is that in order to tackle foolish people one should employ wisdom and not
logic. The guru does not argue or reason the innocence of his disciple. Rather he flatters the king
and manages to convince him that he new stake was lucky. He not only saves the life of his
disciple but also rids the kingdom of the foolish king and his silly minister. In addition, he becomes
the next king and his disciple the next minister.

Title:
• “In the Kingdom of Fools” is a story about a kingdom ruled by a foolish king and his silly
minister. The people too are foolish, for they obey the most ridiculous orders passed by their
king.
• The entire action of the story takes place in this kingdom. The reasons that make this place a
Kingdom of Fools are well exemplified by the episodes in which innocent people are caught one
after the other in the name of justice. Hence, the title stands justified and apt in every way.

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Characters:
1. The Guru: The guru was a very wise man. He was quick to judge that his disciple and he were in the Kingdom
of Fools. Knowing that the behaviour of foolish people is unpredictable, he decided to leave the city immediately.

2. The Disciple: The disciple was a simple but greedy fellow. He followed his guru everywhere and listened to him.
However, once he could not resist the temptation of good and cheap food available in the Kingdom of Fools. He
did not pay heed to his guru’s warning and stayed back. His greed almost cost him his life but he quickly regained
sense. He had faith in his guru’s powers; that is why he first recalled him in his thoughts and then behaved
according to the plan devised by him.

3. The King: The king was a fool who owned a beautiful kingdom. He could go to any length in order to be different
from others. His orders were foolish and his ideas stupid. Turning day into night and ordering execution of those
who disobeyed are examples of his silliness. The king had no idea about justice.

4. The Minister: The minister was also a fool like his king. The king consulted him on different matters but the
minister could never give any sane advice. He would be as irrational as the king himself.

Word Meanings:
• till: raise crops by ploughing and fertilizing
• disciple: a follower or pupil of a teacher, leader, or philosopher
• sneaked : go or do something secretly
• pursuing: carrying out some work
• wrongdoer: a person who does things that are immoral or illegal
• compensate: to give someone something in recognition of loss, suffering, or injury
• accused: a person or group of people who are charged with or on trial for a crime
• plead: to argue a case or cause in a court of law
• guilty: committed an offense, crime, violation, or wrong, especially against moral
• execution: legal punishment of killing someone
• jingling: a light metallic ringing sound
• complicated: difficult
• distracted: unable to concentrate or give attention to something
• damned: a word used to express anger with someone or something
• culprit: a person responsible for a crime or other misdeed
• bailiffs: law officers
• accusation: a statement saying that someone has done something morally wrong, illegal, or unkind
• impatient: someone who wants something to happen as soon as possible
• inherited: receive money, property, or possessions from someone after the person has died
• impaling: to kill someone by fixing on a stake
• execution: legal punishment of killing someone

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Question – Answers:

1. Why were the people of the Kingdom confused when they saw the dead bodies of the king and his
minister?
• After the punishment was executed, the bodies were thrown outside to feed the crows and
vultures. The people were shocked after seeing the dead bodies. They saw that the bodies were
of the king and the minister instead of the guru and his disciple. The people of the kingdom
couldn’t understand the plan of the guru to save his disciple. They also stood confused as there
was no one to rule them and they couldn’t decide who would be their next king and minister.

2. On what conditions did the guru and his disciple agree to rule the kingdom?
• The people of the city was confused and were worried about their condition as their king and
minister were dead. They were unable to decide who would be their next king and minister.
Some people suggested that the guru and his disciple could be their ideal king and minister. The
disciple was convinced at once but it took time to convince the guru to become the king. Finally,
the guru agreed to become the king but on one condition. He said that he will change all the old
laws. Nights would be nights again and day would again be day and the groceries and other items
would be available at their actual prices. Hence, the kingdom would again become like a normal
place.

3. When does the disciple remember the words of his guru?

• The disciple did not pay attention to his guru’s words earlier when he warned him to leave the
place as the people of that kingdom were idiots and their actions were unpredictable. He rather
paid attention towards the cheap food available in that place.
Later when the rich merchant could not executed on the stake for his lean figure, the disciple
who had no faults was arrested by the king’s men as he was fat enough to fit on the stake. At
that time, the disciple became scared by seeing his death in front of his eyes and remembered
his guru’s words.

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4. Why did the King decide to postpone the execution of the guru and his disciple?
• The guru plotted a plan to save his disciple from the foolish king and his minister. The guru arrived
at the kingdom and started arguing that he should die first. The disciple understood his guru’s
plan and started debating with his guru that he should die first.
The confused king wanted to know the reason behind their argument. Then, the guru took him
aside and said that the new stake was the stake of the god of justice and no criminal was punished
in that stake yet, so the first one to die on that stake would be born as the king of that kingdom
and the second one to die would be born as the minister. This made the king worried as he was
unwilling to loose his kingdom and hence he postponed the execution.

5. “Guru was a wise man” – How does the story “The Kingdom of fools” reflect it?
• “Guru was a wise man”, is clearly reflected in the story, “The Kingdom of fools.” When the guru
noticed the strange things about the kingdom he warned his disciple to leave the kingdom as the
unpredictable actions of the fools could bring their life in danger but the disciple did not pay
much attention towards his guru’s words.
Later, when the disciple faced problems for no faults of his, he remembered his guru’s words and
prayed his guru to save him. His guru at once arrived at the place and plotted a plan to save his
disciple’s life. He misguided the king by giving some false illusions about the newly made stake
which made the king to postpone the execution which saved his disciple’s life. This proves that
the guru was a wise man.

6. Briefly describe the characteristics of the disciple.

• The disciple was a greedy person as he became attracted towards the cheap food available in the
Kingdom. Also at the end of the story we have noticed that it did not took much time to convince
the disciple to become the new minister. This shows his greedy nature.
Secondly, the disciple was disobedient as he did not pay attention towards his guru’s words. He
did not listen to his guru when he told him to leave the place and regretted later when he was
arrested the king’s men for no reason.

7. Why was the Kingdom of fools different from other places?

• The King of the Kingdom wanted to make his kingdom the unique one. So he decided to make
new rules and if anybody did not follow the rules would be punished. Firstly,the King said that
there will be no work done during day and from evening the people can start their work. The day
was considered as night and vice-versa. Not only the human beings but also the animals were
made to practice the rules. Secondly, anything be it a measure of rice or bunch of bananas could
be bought at a fixed price that is one “duddu”.

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8. Why did the guru want that he and his disciple should die first?
• The rich merchant was not fat enough to be executed on the stake. As a result the King’s men
arrested the disciple as he had a perfect body to be executed on the stake. The disciple
remembered his guru’s words. And the guru through his vision saw everything and reached the
kingdom to save his disciple’s life. The guru plotted a plan. He convinced the King that as the
stake did not kill any criminal, the first one to die on that would be reborn as the King of the
Kingdom. And the second one would be his minister. That’s why the guru want that he and his
disciple should die first.

9. Why did the guru did not want to stay in the Kingdom of fools?
• The guru when first arrived in the Kingdom saw that during daytime not a single people was out
for their work but soon after the sunset everyone started doing their work. Later on, when he
went to buy food he was surprised to know that everything had a fixed price that is one “duddu”.
The Guru wanted to leave the place because he knew that the people were fools and their
unpredictable actions may bring their life in danger.

10. Why the disciple did not want to leave the Kingdom?
• The disciple was extremely happy to know that everything was available at a fixed rate that is
one “duddu” whether they bought a measure of rice or bunch of bananas. Everything in that
Kingdom was available very easily and life was very simple so the disciple preferred to live in that
Kingdom as long as possible.

11. Why did the King decide to postpone the execution of the Guru and his disciple?
• The guru plotted a plan to save his disciple’s life. He convinced the King that as the stake did not
kill any criminals the first one to die on the stake would be born as the King of the Kingdom and
the second one to die would be the minister. After hearing this the King deeply thought about
the matter. He was tensed as he did not want to leave his kingdom at any cost. So he decided to
postpone the execution.

12. What happened at the night of the execution?

• The King ordered the executioners that the first man to come should be put to death first and
then the second one. At night, he and his minister secretly went to the prison and disguised
themselves as the guru and the disciple. Then they were taken to the stake by the loyal servants
and the execution was done accordingly.

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13. What was so strange about the Kingdom of fools?

• The strangest things about the Kingdom of fools were not only the human beings but also the
animals were practiced to follow those odd rules. No cattle were found outside during daytime,
they were practiced to sleep during day and stay awake during night. Moreover, in the Kingdom
everything was available at a fixed rate that is one “duddu” be it a measure of rice or a bunch of
bananas.

14. What advice did the guru give to his disciple before leaving the place?
• The disciple was impressed with the rule that everything was available at a fixed rate so he didn’t
want to leave the place. But the guru warned the disciple that the Kingdom was full of fools and
there was no justice. Before leaving the place he told his disciple that the people were foolish
and their unpredictable actions could bring their life at risk.

15. Why did the King want to punish the merchant?

• The King wanted to punish the merchant. It was so, because for the weak wall of the merchant’s
house the thief lost his life while stealing as the wall collapsed on his head. Since the merchant
had taken over all his father’s riches and his wrong deeds for so many years he was considered
as the real criminal.

16. Who became the King and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom?
• After the death of the King and the minister the people of the Kingdom became tensed as there
was no one to rule them. Then many of them suggested that the guru and his disciple should
become there new King and minister. The minister got convinced at once but it took time to
convince the guru. Finally on some conditions the guru decided to become the King of the
Kingdom. Hence, the guru and his disciple were the new King and minister of the Kingdom.

17. Is the title “In the Kingdom of the fools” appropriate?

• According to me, the title “In the Kingdom of the fools” appropriate. This is because not only the
ordinary people but also the King and his minister were extremely foolish. To make the kingdom
different from other places, the King decided that days would be considered as night and vice
versa and people would do no work during daytime. Then, anything will be available at single
“duddu” be it a measure of rice or a bunch of bananas.
During the time of execution, as the merchant’s body was lean he was not executed on the stake.
Instead the disciple who became fat was arrested as his body would fit the stake. Later on, by
hearing the guru’s words the King got convinced as gave his life. So, according to me the title is
appropriate.

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18. Do you believe in the fact that our prayers are often heard and answered? Which prayer was heard
in the story and what miracle took place?
• The disciple for no reason was executed on the stake. By seeing his death in front of his eyes he
remembered his guru’s words and prayed to his guru to save his life. The guru through his magical
power saw everything and reached in the Kingdom. After that the guru secretly said something
to his disciple and started debating that he should die first. The guru then said the King as the
stake did not kill any criminals, the first one to die on the stake would be reborn as the King of
the Kingdom and the second one would be his minister. The King did not want to give away his
kingdom in any other hands and hence he decided to postpone the execution. We can conclude
that, our prayers are often heard and answered and sometimes miracles happen which change
our lives.

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