Page 8
Question 1.
Who does ‘I’ refer to in this
story?
Answer:
I refers to Hari Singh, the narrator of the story who is a 15 year old
experienced thief.
Question 2.
What is he “a fairly
successful hand” at?
Answer:
He is a fairly successful hand at stealing. He is an experienced thief. He
is so clean and swift in his work that he robs people without being caught.
Question 3.
What does he get from Anil in
return for his work?
Answer:
In return of Hari Singh’s work, Anil gives him food and a place to live in.
Page 10
Question 4.
How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
Answer:
According to Hari, Anil would
be sad not because of the loss of money but because of the loss of trust he
had in Hari.
Question 5.
What does he say about the
different reactions of people when they are robbed?
Answer:
Hari’s experience at theft had
made him aware of differences in reactions of peofJle when they’re robbed.
According to him, a greedy man shows fear; the rich, anger and a poor man,
acceptance.
Question 6.
Does Anil realise that he has
been robbed?
Answer:
Yes, Anil realised that he had been robbed, as he gave a fifty rupee note to
Hari which was still damp due to the night’s rain.
Think About It
(Page 13)
Question 1.
What are Hari Singh’s reactions at the prospect of receiving an education?
Do they change overtime? {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 was very happy and
grateful when he learned to write his name. He was very excited when Anil
promised to teach him to write whole sentences as well. He knew that being an
educated man will add to his abilities and he could achieve anything. But when
he left Anil’s house, he realised that stealing was simply a crime to indulge
himself but being educated was an entirely different thing. He knew the
respect, reputation and possibilities that would come to him once he was
educated. And so his urge to receive education compelled him to return to
Anil.
Question 2.
Why does Anil not 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:
Unlike others, Anil does not
handover Hari to the police on theft charges. He knew about the theft but he
did not thrash him nor even mentioned it in front of Hari. He was glad that
Hari had realised his mistake and the importance of education in life.
Anil wanted Hari to become a literate man and lead a respectful life.
He is different from other such employers because he is very understanding.
Hari’s return gave him the hope of a change in him.
Talk About It
(Page 13)
Question 1.
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 found only in fiction. Though exceptions might be there, these people are
rarely found. Anil was a kind and considerate person who was concerned, about
Hari’s education and future. And Hari was a thief whose heart changes after
realising the importance of education for his future. People like these are
imaginary in today’s world.
Question 2.
Do you think it is a
significant detail i story that Anil is a struggling writer? this explain his
behaviour in any way
Answer:
Yes, it is a significant detail that Anil is a struggling writer. His
lifestyle was simple and used to spend according to his pocket at all time His
struggle sometimes gave him a lot of income while at other times he used to
worry about the next payment. Hari’s observation about the discontinuation in
his work justifies his behave regarding money.
Question 3.
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:
No, I haven’t met anyone like Hari Singh but the existence of such people is
certain. A fifteen year old boy can be forced by circumstances to become a
thief. It may be the need to feed the stomach, to satisfy illegal addiction,
to maintain health, to fulfil luxurious demands etc
Question 4.
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 somewhere in
Uttar Pradesh near Lucknow. We can say so because the story mentions that
there is a railway station for Express train to Lucknow. The presence of sweet
shops and bazaars also indicate it to be a decent-sized town. No, the
characters in the story do not speak to each other in English but probably in
Hindi.