READ AND FIND OUT 

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Q1. Who does ‘T’ refer to in this story?

Answer: ‘I’ refers to the narrator, a fifteen-year-old boy named Hari Singh, who is a thief.

Q2. What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?

Answer: He is “a fairly successful hand” at stealing and robbing people. He is an experienced thief, despite being only fifteen years old.

Q3. What does he get from Anil in return for his work?

Answer: In return for his work, Hari Singh gets food and a place to sleep. Anil also teaches him to cook, to write his name, and to write whole sentences and add numbers.

READ AND FIND OUT 

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Q1. How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?

Answer: The thief thinks Anil’s face, when he discovers the theft, would show only a touch of sadness. He believes this sadness would be “not for the loss of money, but for the loss of trust.”

Q2. What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?

Answer: He says that he has made a study of men’s faces when they had lost their goods. He claims that a greedy man shows fear, a rich man shows anger, and a poor man shows acceptance.

Q3. Does Anil realise that he has been robbed?

Answer: Yes, Anil does realize he has been robbed. When he gives Hari Singh the fifty-rupee note, he sees that it is still wet from the rain. However, he does not say anything and, in his kindness, forgives the boy and gives him a chance to reform.

Think about it

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Q1. What are Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an education? Do they change over time? (Hint: Compare, for example, the thought: “I knew that once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve” with these later thoughts: “Whole sentences, I knew, could one day bring me more than a few hundred rupees. It was a simple matter to steal and sometimes just as simple to be caught. But to be a really big man, a clever and respected man, was something else.”) What makes him return to Anil?

Answer: Hari Singh’s reactions to education change over time. Initially, he sees it as a means to achieve limitless success and become a clever, respected man, which is a big goal. Later, he thinks about how writing whole sentences could earn him more than a few hundred rupees, but he also realizes that becoming “a really big man” is something else entirely. He returns to Anil because he has a conscience and is moved by Anil’s kindness and trust. He realizes that money is not as valuable as the chance to learn and become a better person, and he wants to return to learn to read and write.

Q2. Why does not Anil hand the thief over to the police? Do you think most people would have done so? In what ways is Anil different from such employers?

Answer: Anil does not hand the thief over to the police because he is a kind and understanding person. He likely saw the thief’s potential to change and chose to give him a chance at a new life rather than punishing him. Most people, especially after being robbed, would have handed the thief over to the police. Anil is different from such employers because he is not driven by anger or greed. He values trust and compassion more than money. He is forgiving and wants to teach the thief, not punish him.

Talk about it

Q1. Do you think people like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction, or are there such people in real life?

Answer: People like Anil and Hari Singh are not found only in fiction. Many individuals in the real world are kind and trusting, just as many young people, due to difficult circumstances, fall into a life of crime. The story of a compassionate person helping a troubled youth to reform is a timeless theme that can be seen in real life as well. The story’s strength lies in its realism and its portrayal of human nature.

Q2. Do you think it a significant detail in the story that Anil is a struggling writer? Does this explain his behaviour in any way?

Answer: Yes, it is a significant detail that Anil is a struggling writer. It explains his easy-going nature and his seemingly erratic financial situation. He makes money “by fits and starts,” borrowing one week and lending the next. This also explains why he is not overly concerned with the loss of money. As a writer, he values knowledge and trust more than money, which is why he is so willing to teach Hari Singh and forgive him for the theft.

Q3. Have you met anyone like Hari Singh? Can you think and imagine the circumstances that can turn a fifteen-year-old boy into a thief?

Answer: This is a personal question and the answer will vary depending on the student’s experience.

Q4. Where is the story set? (You can get clues from the names of the persons and places mentioned in it.) Which language or languages are spoken in these places? Do you think the characters in the story spoke to each other in English?

Answer: The story is set in India. The name of the narrator, Hari Singh, and the place, the Jumna Sweet Shop, suggest this. The train mentioned is the Lucknow Express, which is a well-known train in India. The language spoken in these places would be Hindi or Urdu. It is highly unlikely that the characters spoke to each other in English. The original story may have been in a different language, and the conversation was translated for the English reader.