“In the Kingdom of Fools” is a humorous folk tale retold by A.K. Ramanujan, included in the NCERT Class 9 English supplementary reader Moments (Chapter 4). The story follows a guru and his disciple who stumble upon a peculiar kingdom where the king and his minister are fools — people sleep during the day, work at night, and everything costs the same price of one duddu. The tale is prescribed for ASSEB (Assam State Board of Secondary Education) Class 9 students and carries important themes of foolishness, greed, justice, and the value of wisdom.
Summary of In the Kingdom of Fools
A guru and his disciple are wandering from place to place when they arrive at a strange kingdom. They soon discover two very unusual things about this kingdom: first, everything — whether big or small — costs the same price, just one duddu (a small coin); and second, all the people sleep during the day and are awake at night, because the foolish king has ordered it so. Anyone who disobeys these rules is punished by death.
The wise guru immediately recognises the danger of living in a kingdom ruled by fools and decides to leave. However, the disciple refuses to go. He is delighted by the cheap food — he can eat as much as he wants for very little money. The guru warns him that the place is unpredictable and dangerous, but the disciple insists on staying. The guru reluctantly leaves him behind.
The disciple eats well and grows fat, living happily in the kingdom of fools. Meanwhile, trouble brews elsewhere in the kingdom. A thief breaks into a merchant’s house one night and the wall collapses on him, killing him. The thief’s brother complains to the king. The king, being a fool, orders the merchant to be executed since the wall of his house fell on the thief. The merchant protests that it is the bricklayer’s fault for building a weak wall. The bricklayer in turn blames a dancing girl who passed by the street repeatedly, distracting him with her jingling anklets. The dancing girl blames the goldsmith who kept delaying her order for jewellery, causing her to make many trips past the construction site. The goldsmith blames a rich merchant (a different, older merchant) who had given him so many orders that he could not finish the dancing girl’s jewellery in time.
The king orders each person to be brought in, but when the first merchant is found too thin to fit the stake, the king keeps searching for someone “fat enough” to be executed properly. The order passes through the bricklayer, the dancing girl, and the goldsmith — none of them fit the stake either. Finally the old merchant who had delayed the goldsmith is found, but he too is let off for one reason or another. At last the king’s men remember the disciple, who has become very fat from all his eating. The disciple is arrested and brought to be executed.
Terrified, the disciple calls out for his guru. The guru, who has divine powers and knows what is happening, rushes back to the kingdom. He quietly whispers a secret plan to the disciple. When the king asks if they have any last wishes, both the guru and the disciple quarrel over who should be executed first, each claiming to want to die before the other. The baffled king asks why anyone would want to die first. The guru explains that whoever dies on that stake first will be reborn as the king of this very kingdom, and whoever dies second will be reborn as the minister. Since this is a rich kingdom, it is a great opportunity.
The foolish king and his minister are gripped by greed. They do not want anyone else to become king and minister after death. So they send the guru and disciple away in secret and take their places at the stake, dying so that they themselves can be reborn as king and minister. The guru and disciple escape safely. Later, when the people of the kingdom need a new king, they search for the reincarnated one as per tradition. They find the guru and disciple, recognising them as the reincarnated king and minister. The guru accepts, and rules with wisdom and justice, turning the foolish kingdom into a just one — making people sleep at night and wake during the day as normal, and restoring fair prices in the market.
Think About It
Q1. What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of Fools?
Answer: The guru and his disciple find two strange things in the Kingdom of Fools. First, everything in the kingdom costs the same price — just one duddu, whether it is a small item or a large one. Second, all the people in the kingdom are awake at night and sleep during the day. This is because the foolish king has made these rules, and anyone who disobeys them is punished with death.
Q2. Why does the disciple decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools? Is it a wise decision?
Answer: The disciple decides to stay in the Kingdom of Fools because he is attracted by the extremely cheap food available there. Since everything costs only one duddu, he can eat as much as he likes — bananas and other food items — for almost nothing. He is tempted by this material comfort and refuses to leave with his guru.
It is not a wise decision at all. The guru warns him that you cannot trust a kingdom of fools because anything can happen at any time. This warning proves to be true when the disciple is eventually arrested and sentenced to death simply because he has grown fat and fits the execution stake. A wise person would have heeded the guru’s warning and left the dangerous kingdom.
Q3. Name all the people who are tried in the king’s court, and give the reasons for their trial.
Answer: The following people are tried in the king’s court:
- The merchant (house owner) — His house wall collapsed and fell on a thief who was breaking into it, killing the thief. The thief’s brother complained to the king, and the king blamed the merchant for the weak wall.
- The bricklayer — The merchant blamed the bricklayer for constructing a weak and defective wall. The bricklayer was then summoned to court.
- The dancing girl — The bricklayer argued that a dancing girl used to walk up and down the street repeatedly with jingling anklets, distracting him while he worked. This led to the weak wall construction.
- The goldsmith — The dancing girl explained that she kept walking past the construction site because the goldsmith kept delaying her jewellery order, forcing her to visit him many times.
- The old rich merchant (second merchant) — The goldsmith claimed that a rich merchant had given him so many orders at once that he could not complete the dancing girl’s jewellery in time. This older merchant was also summoned.
Q4. Who is the real culprit according to the king? Why does he escape punishment?
Answer: According to the king, the real culprit is the old rich merchant — the second merchant summoned — because he had given the goldsmith too many orders, setting off the entire chain of events. However, the king’s men find that this merchant is too old and frail and does not fit the execution stake either.
Actually, the “real culprit” as identified in the foolish court’s chain of blame is the old merchant who was the original cause in the chain. He escapes direct execution because the execution stake does not fit him — the stake is too large or he is too thin. The king then looks for someone fat enough to be executed properly in place of all the guilty parties. In this absurd court, justice is not about who truly committed a crime but about finding someone whose body fits the stake. This highlights the utter foolishness and injustice of the kingdom.
Q5. What are the guru’s words of wisdom? When does the disciple understand the value of these words?
Answer: When the guru and disciple first arrive in the kingdom, the guru warns the disciple: “This is a kingdom of fools. You can’t trust fools. Anything can happen at any time here. Let’s go.” These are his words of wisdom — a warning that a kingdom ruled by fools is a dangerous and unpredictable place, regardless of how pleasant it may seem on the surface.
The disciple ignores this wise advice, seduced by the cheap food. He only understands the value of his guru’s words when he is arrested and brought to the execution stake. At that terrifying moment, facing death for no real crime of his own, he finally realises how right his guru was — that in a kingdom of fools, an innocent person can be condemned to death based on the most absurd and illogical chain of events. He desperately calls out for his guru, having learned his lesson far too late.
Q6. How does the guru manage to save his disciple’s life?
Answer: The guru uses his wit and understanding of the king’s foolishness to save the disciple. He rushes back to the kingdom when he senses the danger. He whispers a plan to the disciple. When the king asks them if they have any last wishes before execution, both the guru and the disciple pretend to quarrel, with each one desperately insisting that he wants to be the first to die on the stake.
The astonished king asks why anyone would want to die first. The guru explains that he has learned a great secret: whoever dies first on that particular stake at that auspicious moment will be reborn as the king of this very kingdom, and whoever dies second will be reborn as the minister. Since this is a prosperous kingdom, being reborn as its ruler is a wonderful opportunity.
The foolish king and minister are immediately overcome by greed and fear — they cannot bear the thought of strangers becoming king and minister. They secretly release the guru and disciple and take their places at the stake themselves, dying in the belief that they will be reborn to reclaim their throne. This clever trick by the wise guru exploits the king’s greed and foolishness, saving both his own life and his disciple’s life.
Talk About It
Q1. “You can’t trust a fool.” Do you agree? Give examples from the story and from real life to support your answer.
Answer: Yes, the statement “You can’t trust a fool” is absolutely true, and the story illustrates this perfectly. In the Kingdom of Fools, the king and his minister make irrational decisions without thinking about justice or consequences. An innocent disciple ends up sentenced to death simply because he has grown fat — having no connection at all to the original crime. The entire chain of blame in the court is illogical and unjust, yet the king accepts it without question. The guru’s warning — that you cannot trust fools because anything can happen at any time — is fully validated by the story’s events.
In real life too, we find that people who do not think carefully or act rationally can cause great harm to innocent individuals around them. A foolish person in a position of authority can make wrong decisions that affect many people. This is why wisdom, careful thinking, and sound judgment are essential qualities in a leader or a person in power. The story teaches us that material comfort (like cheap food) should never blind us to the real dangers of living under poor or foolish leadership.
Q2. Discuss what would happen if all decisions were based on foolish logic like the king’s in this story.
Answer: If all decisions were based on foolish logic like the king’s in this story, society would descend into chaos and injustice. In the story, the king condemns multiple innocent people based on an absurd chain of blame, and ultimately sentences someone to death simply because they are the right size to fit an execution stake. This is the opposite of a just legal system.
In a society governed by such logic, the guilty would go free and the innocent would be punished. People would live in constant fear, not knowing when they might be blamed for something completely unrelated to them. Honest and hardworking people would suffer, while those who manipulate the system cleverly (or luckily) would survive. The story is a warning against accepting poor governance and blind rule-following without applying wisdom and fairness. A good society requires rational thinking, fair laws, and wise leadership.
Additional Questions and Answers
Short Answer Questions
Q1. Who wrote “In the Kingdom of Fools”? Where does the story originally come from?
Answer: “In the Kingdom of Fools” was retold by A.K. Ramanujan. The story originates from a collection of Indian folk tales from the Kannada tradition. A.K. Ramanujan was a renowned Indian poet, scholar, and translator who collected and retold many folk tales from different Indian languages and traditions.
Q2. What did the guru and disciple find strange about the kingdom’s market?
Answer: The guru and disciple found it very strange that everything in the kingdom’s market cost the same price — one duddu. Whether the item was small like a banana or large like a sack of grain, it all cost the same. This uniform pricing system was one of the two peculiar rules set by the foolish king.
Q3. Why did the guru leave the Kingdom of Fools without the disciple?
Answer: The guru left the Kingdom of Fools without the disciple because he recognised the danger of staying in a place ruled by fools. He tried to persuade the disciple to leave with him, warning that the kingdom was unpredictable and untrustworthy. However, the disciple refused to leave, preferring to stay and enjoy the cheap food. Since the disciple would not listen, the guru had no choice but to leave alone.
Q4. How did the disciple spend his days in the Kingdom of Fools?
Answer: The disciple adapted to the customs of the kingdom and slept during the day. At night he ate huge quantities of cheap food — bananas and other items — since everything cost just one duddu. He ate so much and lived so comfortably that he grew very fat over time. He enjoyed his life of material ease, completely ignoring his guru’s warning about the dangers of the foolish kingdom.
Q5. What crime did the thief commit, and what happened to him?
Answer: The thief broke into a merchant’s house at night to steal from it. While he was attempting to break through the wall, the old and poorly constructed wall collapsed on top of him, killing him. His death started the entire chain of events in the king’s court, as the thief’s brother went to complain to the king and demand justice.
Q6. Why was the execution stake significant in the story?
Answer: The execution stake was significant because it became the absurd basis for determining who would be punished. Instead of identifying the truly guilty party, the king’s only concern after a while was finding someone who physically fit the large execution stake. One by one, the accused were found too thin or the wrong size. The disciple, having grown fat from overeating, was chosen simply because his body fit the stake. This highlights the completely irrational and unjust “justice” system of the foolish kingdom.
Q7. How did the guru know that the disciple was in danger?
Answer: The guru knew the disciple was in danger through his divine and spiritual powers. He is described as having special insight or knowledge beyond the ordinary. Even though he had left the kingdom, he was able to sense that his disciple was in mortal danger and rushed back in time to save him. This portrays the guru as a wise and spiritually gifted person who looks after his disciple despite the disciple’s earlier stubbornness.
Q8. What happened to the kingdom after the guru and disciple became king and minister?
Answer: After the guru and disciple became king and minister (being recognised as the reincarnations of the previous rulers), the guru brought wisdom and good governance to the kingdom. He reversed all the foolish rules: people were allowed to sleep at night and work during the day as normal, and fair and appropriate pricing was restored in the market. The kingdom was transformed from a place of foolishness and injustice into a just and wisely governed land.
Q9. What does the phrase “Kingdom of Fools” suggest about the story’s theme?
Answer: The phrase “Kingdom of Fools” directly signals the story’s central theme — the dangers and absurdity of governance and society ruled by foolishness rather than wisdom. It suggests that when those in power lack good judgment, rational thinking, and a sense of justice, ordinary people suffer unjustly. The phrase also sets the tone as a folk tale or fable, suggesting a moral lesson: wisdom is far more valuable than material comfort, and clever thinking can overcome even the most dangerous foolishness.
Q10. What is the moral of the story “In the Kingdom of Fools”?
Answer: The story teaches several important morals. First, wisdom is more valuable than material comfort — the disciple nearly lost his life because he chose cheap food over his guru’s wise advice. Second, you cannot trust fools, especially when they hold power, because their decisions are unpredictable and unjust. Third, greed is foolishness — the king and minister killed themselves out of greed, wanting to be reborn as rulers. Finally, true wisdom and quick thinking can overcome even the greatest dangers, as shown by the guru’s clever plan to save his disciple.
Long Answer Questions
Q1. Describe the events that led to the disciple being sentenced to death. What does this chain of events tell us about justice in the Kingdom of Fools?
Answer: The events leading to the disciple’s sentencing begin with a thief breaking into a merchant’s house. The poorly built wall collapses and kills the thief. The thief’s brother demands justice from the king. The king, being foolish, blames the merchant who owns the house. The merchant blames the bricklayer who built the weak wall. The bricklayer blames the dancing girl whose anklets distracted him. The dancing girl blames the goldsmith who delayed her jewellery. The goldsmith blames a rich old merchant for overloading him with orders. At each step, the king accepts the blame-shifting without question.
However, when the king orders execution, none of the accused fit the large stake — they are all too thin. The king then orders his men to find someone fat enough. They remember the disciple, who has grown very fat from his eating in the kingdom. He is arrested and brought to the stake, having no connection whatsoever to the original crime.
This chain of events is a powerful satire on unjust governance. It shows that in the Kingdom of Fools, “justice” is not about truth or guilt but about satisfying the king’s arbitrary demands. The innocent are punished while the guilty escape. True justice requires investigating facts, applying rational thought, and protecting the innocent — none of which happens here. The story uses humour and exaggeration to criticise poor governance and the suffering it causes to ordinary people.
Q2. How does the character of the guru contrast with that of the disciple? What does this contrast teach us?
Answer: The guru and disciple represent two contrasting approaches to life — wisdom versus impulsiveness, long-term thinking versus short-term gratification.
The guru is wise, perceptive, and disciplined. From the moment he enters the Kingdom of Fools, he recognises the danger beneath the apparent benefits. He is not tempted by cheap food or easy living. He thinks about consequences and understands that a place governed by fools is fundamentally unsafe, regardless of temporary comforts. When the danger comes, he uses his intelligence and understanding of human weakness (the king’s greed) to devise a clever plan that saves both of them.
The disciple, by contrast, is naive and short-sighted. He is drawn entirely by immediate material benefit — cheap food and easy living. He ignores sound advice from a wiser person because he cannot see beyond his present comfort. He adapts to the foolish customs of the kingdom (sleeping by day, eating at night) without questioning whether this is good for him. He only realises his error when he is facing death.
The contrast teaches us that wisdom is far more valuable than temporary comfort. It also shows that we should listen carefully to guidance from those who are experienced and wise, rather than being ruled by our immediate desires. The disciple’s transformation — from a stubborn young man ignoring advice to a frightened person calling desperately for his guru — is a lesson in humility and the cost of ignoring wisdom.
Q3. “In the Kingdom of Fools” is a folk tale with a clear message. Discuss the themes of the story.
Answer: “In the Kingdom of Fools” is rich with themes that are relevant across cultures and time.
Theme 1 — Wisdom vs. Foolishness: The central conflict of the story is between wisdom and foolishness. The guru represents wisdom, the king and minister represent foolishness, and the disciple begins somewhere in between, learning his lesson through suffering. The story clearly shows that wisdom triumphs in the end.
Theme 2 — The Dangers of Greed: Greed is shown to be destructive and self-defeating. The disciple’s greed for cheap food nearly costs him his life. The king and minister’s greed for power leads them to literally kill themselves. Greed blinds people to danger and leads them to make foolish choices.
Theme 3 — Unjust Governance: The story satirises poor leadership and unjust legal systems. The king’s court is a parody of justice — the real criminals go free while innocent people are condemned based on absurd reasoning. This is a universal concern: throughout history, ordinary people have suffered under rulers who prioritise power, convenience, or personal gain over true justice.
Theme 4 — Cleverness and Survival: The story also celebrates resourcefulness. The guru’s clever plan — pretending that dying first on the stake is a great honour — saves both lives by turning the king’s own foolishness against him. This reflects a folk tale tradition that often rewards the clever trickster.
Theme 5 — Consequences of Ignoring Advice: The disciple’s story is a lesson in the consequences of ignoring wise counsel. His stubbornness and short-sightedness lead him into a life-threatening situation that could have been easily avoided.
Q4. How does the ending of the story bring about a just conclusion? Do you think the guru makes the right decision to become king?
Answer: The ending of the story is both satisfying and instructive. After the foolish king and minister die at the stake believing they will be reborn as rulers, the kingdom is without leadership. Following the tradition of the land, the people search for souls reborn from the old king and minister. They find the guru and disciple and recognise them as the reincarnations. The guru accepts the kingship.
Once in power, the guru immediately reverses the foolish decrees. He restores normal sleeping and working hours and brings back fair pricing in the market. The kingdom is transformed from a place of absurdity and injustice into a just and well-governed land. This is a deeply satisfying conclusion because it shows wisdom replacing foolishness in leadership — the natural order restored.
As for whether the guru makes the right decision to become king — yes, he does. A person of wisdom in a position of power can do enormous good for the people. The guru’s first acts as king show that he is not interested in power for its own sake, but in using it to help the people live better lives. Unlike the foolish king, he uses his authority to restore justice and common sense. The story suggests that wise people have a duty to lead and govern justly, rather than leaving power in the hands of fools.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
Q1. “In the Kingdom of Fools” is written by:
a) R.K. Narayan b) A.K. Ramanujan c) Rabindranath Tagore d) Premchand
Answer: b) A.K. Ramanujan
Q2. What was the cost of everything in the Kingdom of Fools?
a) Two duddus b) Five duddus c) One duddu d) Free of cost
Answer: c) One duddu
Q3. Why did the disciple decide to stay in the kingdom?
a) He liked the people there b) He wanted to study the customs c) He was attracted by the cheap food d) He was ordered to stay by the king
Answer: c) He was attracted by the cheap food
Q4. Who complained to the king about the thief’s death?
a) The merchant b) The dancing girl c) The bricklayer d) The thief’s brother
Answer: d) The thief’s brother
Q5. Why was the disciple eventually chosen for execution?
a) He had committed a crime b) He was found guilty in court c) He had grown fat and fit the execution stake d) He had broken the king’s rule
Answer: c) He had grown fat and fit the execution stake
Q6. What clever trick did the guru use to save himself and his disciple?
a) He bribed the king’s guards b) He told the king that dying first on the stake would make one reborn as king c) He cast a magic spell on the king d) He threatened the king with war
Answer: b) He told the king that dying first on the stake would make one reborn as king
Q7. What happened to the king and minister at the end of the story?
a) They escaped from the kingdom b) They forgave the guru and disciple c) They died at the stake in place of the guru and disciple d) They were overthrown by the people
Answer: c) They died at the stake in place of the guru and disciple
Q8. What did the guru do when he became king of the kingdom?
a) He kept all the foolish rules in place b) He left the kingdom immediately c) He restored normal hours and fair prices in the kingdom d) He punished all the citizens for following the old rules
Answer: c) He restored normal hours and fair prices in the kingdom
Q9. The bricklayer blamed the dancing girl because:
a) She had stolen bricks from his site b) She had pushed the wall down c) Her jingling anklets had distracted him while he worked, leading to poor construction d) She had hired him to build the wall
Answer: c) Her jingling anklets had distracted him while he worked, leading to poor construction
Q10. Which textbook is “In the Kingdom of Fools” part of?
a) Beehive b) Honeydew c) Moments d) First Flight
Answer: c) Moments