THE LOST CHILD

MULK RAJ ANAND

PART 1
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mulk Raj Anand (12 December 1905 – 28 September 2004) was
an Indian writer in English, notable for his depiction of the lives of
the poor in the Indian society.

He became known for his novel Untouchable (1935), followed by

other works such as Coolie (1936) and Two Leaves and a Bud
(1937).

Anand is admired for his novels and short stories, which have
acquired the status of classics of modern Indian English literature.

He is also noted for being among the first writers to incorporate

Punjabi and Hindi idioms into English, and was a recipient of the
civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan.
 READING FROM THE TEXT
IT was the festival of spring. From the wintry shades of narrow lanes and alleys
emerged a gaily clad humanity. Some walked, some rode on horses, others sat, being
carried in bamboo and bullock carts. One little boy ran between his father’s legs,
brimming over with life and laughter.

“Come, child, come,” called his parents, as he lagged behind, fascinated by the
toys in the shops that lined the way. He hurried towards his parents, his feet
obedient to their call, his eyes still lingering on the receding toys. As he came
to where they had stopped to wait for him, he could not suppress the desire of his
heart, even though he well knew the old, cold stare of refusal in their eyes.
“I want that toy,” he pleaded.

His father looked at him red-eyed, in his familiar tyrant’s way. His mother,
melted by the free spirit of the day was tender and, giving him her finger to
hold, said, “Look, child, what is before you!” It was a flowering mustard-field,
pale like melting gold as it swept across miles and miles of even land.
 READING FROM THE TEXT
A group of dragon-flies were bustling about on their gaudy purple wings,
intercepting the flight of a lone black bee or butterfly in search of sweetness
from the flowers. The child followed them in the air with his gaze, till one of
them would still its wings and rest, and he would try to catch it. But it would go
fluttering, flapping, up into the air, when he had almost caught it in his hands.
Then his mother gave a cautionary call: “Come, child, come, come on to the
footpath.”
He ran towards his parents gaily and walked abreast of them for a while, being,
however, soon left behind, attracted by the little insects and worms along the
footpath that were teeming out from their hiding places to enjoy the sunshine.

“Come, child, come!” his parents called from the shade of a grove where they had
seated themselves on the edge of a well. He ran towards them.

A shower of young flowers fell upon the child as he entered the grove, and,
forgetting his parents, he began to gather the raining petals in his hands. But
lo! he heard the cooing of doves and ran towards his parents, shouting, “The dove!
The dove!” The raining petals dropped from his forgotten hands.
 READING FROM THE TEXT
“Come, child, come!” they called to the child, who had now gone running in wild
capers round the banyan tree, and gathering him up they took the narrow, winding
footpath which led to the fair through the mustard fields.

As they neared the village the child could see many other footpaths full of
throngs, converging to the whirlpool of the fair, and felt at once repelled and
fascinated by the confusion of the world he was entering.

A sweetmeat seller hawked, “gulab-jaman, rasagulla, burfi, jalebi,” at the corner

of the entrance and a crowd pressed round his counter at the foot of an
architecture of many coloured sweets, decorated with leaves of silver and gold.
The child stared open eyed and his mouth watered for the burfi that was his
favourite sweet. “I want that burfi,” he slowly murmured. But he half knew as he
begged that his plea would not be heeded because his parents would say he was
greedy. So without waiting for an answer he moved on.
 READING FROM THE TEXT
A flower-seller hawked, “A garland of gulmohur, a garland of gulmohur!” The child
seemed irresistibly drawn. He went towards the basket where the flowers lay heaped
and half murmured, “I want that garland.” But he well knew his parents would
refuse to buy him those flowers because they would say that they were cheap. So,
without waiting for an answer, he moved on.

A man stood holding a pole with yellow, red, green and purple balloons flying from
it. The child was simply carried away by the rainbow glory of their silken colours
and he was filled with an overwhelming desire to possess them all. But he well
knew his parents would never buy him the balloons because they would say he was
too old to play with such toys. So he walked on farther.

A snake-charmer stood playing a flute to a snake which coiled itself in a basket,

its head raised in a graceful bend like the neck of a swan, while the music stole
into its invisible ears like the gentle rippling of an invisible waterfall. The
child went towards the snake-charmer. But, knowing his parents had forbidden him
to hear such coarse music as the snake-charmer played, he proceeded farther.
 READING FROM THE TEXT
There was a roundabout in full swing. Men, women and children, carried away in a
whirling motion, shrieked and cried with dizzy laughter. The child watched them
intently and then he made a bold request: “I want to go on the roundabout, please,
Father, Mother.”

There was no reply. He turned to look at his parents. They were not there, ahead
of him. He turned to look on either side. They were not there. He looked behind.
There was no sign of them.

A full, deep cry rose within his dry throat and with a sudden jerk of his body he
ran from where he stood, crying in real fear, “Mother, Father.” Tears rolled down
from his eyes, hot and fierce; his flushed face was convulsed with fear.
Panic-stricken, he ran to one side first, then to the other, hither and thither in
all directions, knowing not where to go. “Mother, Father,” he wailed. His yellow
turban came untied and his clothes became muddy.
 READING FROM THE TEXT
Having run to and fro in a rage of running for a while, he stood defeated, his
cries suppressed into sobs. At little distances on the green grass he could see,
through his filmy eyes, men and women talking. He tried to look intently among the
patches of bright yellow clothes, but there was no sign of his father and mother
among these people, who seemed to laugh and talk just for the sake of laughing and
talking.

He ran quickly again, this time to a shrine to which people seemed to be crowding.
Every little inch of space here was congested with men, but he ran through
people’s legs, his little sob lingering: “Mother, Father!” Near the entrance to
the temple, however, the crowd became very thick: men jostled each other, heavy
men, with flashing, murderous eyes and hefty shoulders. The poor child struggled
to thrust a way between their feet but, knocked to and fro by their brutal
movements, he might have been trampled underfoot, had he not shrieked at the
highest pitch of his voice, “Father, Mother!” A man in the surging crowd heard his
cry and, stooping with great difficulty, lifted him up in his arms.
 READING FROM THE TEXT
“How did you get here, child? Whose baby are you?” the man asked as he steered
clear of the mass. The child wept more bitterly than ever now and only cried, “I
want my mother, I want my father!”

The man tried to soothe him by taking him to the roundabout. “Will you have a ride
on the horse?” he gently asked as he approached the ring. The child’s throat tore
into a thousand shrill sobs and he only shouted, “I want my mother, I want my
father!”

The man headed towards the place where the snake-charmer still played on the flute
to the swaying cobra. “Listen to that nice music, child!” he pleaded. But the
child shut his ears with his fingers and shouted his double-pitched strain: “I
want my mother, I want my father!” The man took him near the balloons, thinking
the bright colours of the balloons would distract the child’s attention and
quieten him. “Would you like a rainbowcoloured balloon?” he persuasively asked.
The child turned his eyes from the flying balloons and just sobbed, “I want my
mother, I want my father!”
 READING FROM THE TEXT
The man, still trying to make the child happy, bore him to the gate where the
flower-seller sat. “Look! Can you smell those nice flowers, child! Would you like
a garland to put round your neck?”

The child turned his nose away from the basket and reiterated his sob, “I want my
mother, I want my father!” Thinking to humour his disconsolate charge by a gift of
sweets, the man took him to the counter of the sweet shop. “What sweets would you
like, child?” he asked. The child turned his face from the sweet shop and only
sobbed, “I want my mother, I want my father!”

MULK RAJ ANAND

THINK ABOUT IT
1. What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he
lag behind?

2. In the fair he wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on
without waiting for an answer?

3. When does he realise that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and
insecurity been described?

4. Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted
earlier?

5. What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?
SETTING

● The story is set at a village fair.

● The fair is being held to celebrate spring.
● It is full of all the things which would please a young
child - exciting rides, colourful balloons, sweet sellers
and flower sellers.
● The fair is crowded - full of all kinds of sounds and
smells.
● The child finds himself distracted by all the different
things offered by the fair. His attention wanders from
one thing to another.
MAIN CHARACTERS
● A young boy
The boy is enjoying the experience of being at a
village fair.
● The boy’s parents
His mother and father have brought him to the fair.
They keep trying to get him to pay attention to
them as he often gets distracted by things around
him.
● A stranger
When the boy is separated from his parents, a kind
stranger finds him and tries to help.
SUMMARY

The story is about the thrilling as well as frightful experiences of a small

child who accompanies his parents to a village fair on the occasion of
spring festival.
It vividly depicts Indian rural village with all its charm, pomp and gaiety
especially during festive season. The child is taken by the parents to a fair
during spring season.
He is irresistibly drawn towards toys, flowers, balloons and the
sweetmeats; but his parents do not buy any of the things he desires.
SUMMARY (continued)

The child wants to play, climb trees; catch the dragonflies; but again, his
parents won’t let him do any of this.
Later, the child gets lost in the crowd and immediately panics. He begins
to run around the fair, shouting for his parents.
A stranger finds him in a crowded shrine and lends a helping hand.
The gentleman offers goodies and rides in order to console the lost child,
but the child will have none of them. All these things which appealed so
much to the child are no longer attractive. Instead, he only longs to meet
his parents.
IMPORTANT PASSAGES
There was a vast field full of bright yellow - coloured mustard flowers. They seemed like flowing streams of gold and
were widespread. A group of dragonflies, black bees and butterflies buzzed around, sucking the nectar from the
flowers. The child looked at them as they flew around. When one of them sat somewhere, he tried to catch them but
the tiny creatures would fly away the next instance. The mother called out to him as they started walking down the
footpath.

He ran towards his parents gaily and walked abreast of them for a while, being, however, soon left behind, attracted
by the little insects and worms along the footpath that were teeming out from their hiding places to enjoy the
sunshine.

(The Lost Child, Page 2)

The child is distracted by everything around him. His parents often have to stop and get his attention.

The description of the sights, sounds and smells is very vivid. One understands how a young child can’t help but
be distracted when surrounded by such a scene.
IMPORTANT PASSAGES
“I want that burfi,” he slowly murmured. But he half knew as he begged that his plea would not be heeded because his parents
would say he was greedy. So without waiting for an answer he moved on.
“I want that garland.” But he well knew his parents would refuse to buy him those flowers because they would say that they
were cheap. So, without waiting for an answer, he moved on.
The child was simply carried away by the rainbow glory of their silken colours and he was filled with an overwhelming desire to
possess them all. But he well knew his parents would never buy him the balloons because they would say he was too old to
play with such toys. So he walked on farther.
The child went towards the snake-charmer. But, knowing his parents had forbidden him to hear such coarse music as the
snake-charmer played, he proceeded farther.
(The Lost Child, Page 3)

These excerpts represent the various desires of the child. As he walks around, the child is distracted by
everything around him. However, he also clearly knows that his parents would refuse to buy him the things he
wants, so he moves on without asking.

It is because he’s lost in his own musings that he becomes separated from his parents.
IMPORTANT PASSAGES
The man tried to soothe him by taking him to the roundabout. “Will you have a ride on the horse?” he gently asked as he
approached the ring. The child’s throat tore into a thousand shrill sobs and he only shouted, “I want my mother, I want my
father!”
(The Lost Child, Page 4)

The man headed towards the place where the snake-charmer still played on the flute to the swaying cobra. “Listen to that nice
music, child!” he pleaded. But the child shut his ears with his fingers and shouted his double-pitched strain: “I want my mother,
I want my father!”
“Would you like a rainbow-coloured balloon?” he persuasively asked. The child turned his eyes from the flying balloons and just
sobbed, “I want my mother, I want my father!” The man, still trying to make the child happy, bore him to the gate where the
flower-seller sat. “Look! Can you smell those nice flowers, child! Would you like a garland to put round your neck?”
(The Lost Child, Page 5)

...the man took him to the counter of the sweet shop. “What sweets would you like, child?” he asked. The child turned his
face from the sweet shop and only sobbed, “I want my mother, I want my father!” (The Lost Child, Page 6)

These excerpts represent the stranger trying to comfort the child by offering him various things at the fair.
Incidentally, these are the same things the child wanted earlier. However, at the moment all he wants to do is be
reunited with his parents. All other things have become irrelevant to him.
GLOSSARY
● Alley- a narrow passageway between or behind buildings
● Gaily- in a cheerful or light- hearted way.
● Brimming- overflowing
● Suppress- subdue
● Gaudy- extravagantly bright or showy
● Cautionary - serving as a warning
● Abreast - alongside in a row
● Capers - skip/dance
● Throngs - a large group of people
● Convulsed - to shake or agitate violently
● Jostle - to push
IMPORTANT POINTS

● Children often get attracted by little things around them and press their parents to
buy those things.
● Children might feel disappointed when their parents don’t fulfill their desires.
● However, in a situation like the one which the young boy finds himself in, one
quickly realizes that all the material things cannot take the place of family.
● Upon being separated from his parents, he immediately loses interest in everything
that attracted his attention before. He just wants his parents.
● The stranger is willing to buy the child all the things his heart desired earlier, but the
child remains inconsolable. He just wants his parents.
GENRE

● The story appears to be didactic in nature.

● It has a moral - a lesson to teach its readers.
● It tells us that materialistic things might be attractive
in the moment, however, ultimately, there is nothing more
important than family.
● The child learns this lesson when he is separated from
his parents and all the interesting things at the fair
lose their charm. He just wants to be reunited with his
parents.