THE THIEF’S STORY

THE THIEF’S STORY

By

Ruskin Bond

1. What does the thief get from Anil in return for his work?

Ans. He does not get any wages from Anil in return for his work. He gets only meals. He usually makes a profit of about a rupee a day in buying the day's supplies.

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

Ans. Anil is a trusting person. He has trusted the thief completely. But the thief has robbed him. He feels that the discovery of theft will make Anil a little sad. It will not be for the loss of money, but for the loss of trust.

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

Ans. The thief says that the different types of people show different reactions when they are robbed. The greedy ones show fear. The rich people show anger. And the poor ones accept their loss calmly. Those who trusts others completely like Anil show only a touch of sadness not for the loss of money but for the loss of trust.

4. Does Anil realise that he has been robbed?

Ans. Yes, Anil does realise that he has been robbed. When he sees his bundle of notes, he finds it wet. He knows that it was raining at night. And someone had taken out the bundle in the rain.

5. 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?

Ans. Anil does not hand the thief over to the police because he has put the money back at its original place. It shows that he has realised his fault. He wants to make amends for his ways. He must have felt guilty with himself. Anil wants to give him one more chance and therefore forgives him.

No, in today's world most people would not have done so. Although it must be done but such sort of patience and compassion are rarely found now-a-days in this human world.

6. Hari Singh was both a thief and a human being. Explain.

Ans. Hari Singh was both a thief and a human being. At first he stole Anil’s money and ran away. But as he was about to board a train, his conscience pricked him and did not allow him to do so. Then he came back and put the money from where he had stolen it. Thus in the end he proved himself to be a real human being.

7. What conditions did Anil put forward before appointing Hari Singh as a servant ?

Ans. Anil had no regular income. So he told the thief that he could not pay him regularly. He also told him the he could feed him if he cooked for both of them. Thus Hari Singh agreed to work for him for food.

8. How did Hari Singh make money though he was not paid by Anil ?

Ans. Hari Singh did all the shopping for Anil. He saved money from the things he purchased as Anil never asked him to give the accounts. But Anil was very much aware of this.

9. Hari Singh did not catch the train deliberately while he could catch it easily? Why?

Ans. Hari Singh did not catch the train deliberately because his inner conscience held him back. He thought that Anil would feel sad. He thought that that sadness would come on his face not for loss of money but for the loss of trust he had reposed in him. Moreover, he did not want to lose the chance of learning.

10. How did Anil come to know that Hari Singh had run away with his money? How did he react to it?

Ans. Anil found the money kept under the mattress wet in the morning. It had rained the night Hari Singh had escaped. So he must have known that Hari Sing had run away with his money the previous night. However he did not scold him for this act. He told him that he would pay him regularly.

                                                or

Perhaps Anil might have woken up at night and discovered that Hari was not present in the house. Moreover, he found the wet notes under his mattress. All this made him think that Hari Singh had run away with the money. However he did not scold him for this act. He told him that he would pay him regularly.

11. Why does Anil not hand the thief over to police?

Ans. Anil was a large hearted person. He forgave Hari Singh as he wanted to reform him. He knew that Hari Singh was sorry for his act. So, he did not think it right to hand him over to police. So he does not hand him over to the police.

12. Why was Hari Singh grateful to Anil ?

Ans. Hari Singh was grateful to Anil because Anil taught him to read and write whole sentences. He also taught him to add numbers. Hari Singh thought that, soon, he would become an educated man and would be able to achieve anything in life.

13. Why did Hari Singh take a new name every month?

Ans. Hari Singh was a young and experienced thief. He would take a new name every month. He did so only keep himself ahead of the police and his former employers.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

[Answer in about 100 words each]

1. Write a character-sketch of the thief boy.

Ans. The thief was a fifteen years old boy. He was an experienced and fairly successful thief even in his youth. He was quiet cunning and shrewd.

He had an understanding that a little flattery could help in making friends. He tried to get close to Anil through this flattery. he was a clever thief. He took a new name every month to escape police and his former employers. He had a great knowledge of human behaviour. He knew that simple looking persons could he robbed easily. He was perfect in telling lies. He wanted to become a big man in life. So he came back to Anil after he ran away with his money. He knew that he could realise his ambition only when he is educated. Thus, we see that thought he committed a theft in the beginning but later he proved himself as a true human being.

2. Draw a character-sketch of Anil.

Or

Who was Anil ? How did he treat Hari Singh and how did it influence Hari's life?

Ans. Anil was a struggling young writer. He was 25 years old. He was an easy-going, kind, simple and a selfless person. He was a tall and lean fellow. Once, a small boy met him. The boy wanted to rob him. He found him fit for his purpose. The boy told him that he wanted to do a job for him. He said that he could cook the food. Anil gave him a job. The food cooked by the boy was very terrible. He told the boy to run away but later he taught him to cook the food and to learn reading and writing.

According to Hari Singh, Anil knew that he saved about one rupee daily. But he never objected to it. Anil had no regular income. He wrote articles for magazines. One day he earned 600 rupees and put this money under the mattress. In the night the thief boy stole the money and ran out in the rain. Later his conscience brought him back. He put the money back under the mattress. Anil discovered all this. But he was so large-hearted that he never grudged this. Instead he promised to pay him regularly. All this shows how large hearted he was.

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Read LessonThe Thief's Story Part - 01    Part - 01

Read Lesson   Part- 02