PODAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Subject: English Std: X Topic: The Thief’s Story

Summary
The story involves a young boy, fifteen years of age who was
successful as a thief. His modus operandi was to choose a target,
work as his employee and then rob him and escape. He took a new
name every month to escape the police and his employers.
He chooses Anil, a struggling writer to be his next target. He offered
to be a cook but he didn’t know how to. Anil taught him cooking and
reading and writing. He steals from Anil and runs away. He realizes
that he has lot to lose and much to gain on being in Anil’s employee,
hence returns, a redeemed person.
Vocabulary:
Word Meaning
hand (here) person
flattery excessive and insincere praise
misjudged form a wrong opinion or conclusion about
hung around to stay near a place or person, often for no particular
reason
fits and something that often stops and then starts again
starts
deserted a place without anyone around
undetected not noticed or discovered
spirits rose felt happier

Comprehension Questions
1. Why did Hari Singh approach Anil at the wrestling match?
Hari Singh approached Anil at the wrestling match because
he looked easy going, kind and simple enough for his
purpose. He hadn’t had much luck lately and thought he
might be able to get Anil’s confidence.
2. Why did Hari Singh tell a lie about cooking?
Hari Singh knew that Anil would hire him only if he could cook.
However, Hari did not know how to cook. Still, as he wanted
to somehow rob Anil, he told the lie to gain entry into Anil’s
house.

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 When Hari Singh cooked the meal at night, it was so terrible
that Anil gave it to a stray dog and told him to be off. But
later Anil said that he would teach him to cook.
3. Why did Anil hire Hari Singh?
Anil hired Hari Singh because Hari Singh himself expressed
his desire to work for him. When Anil told him that he could
not pay him, Hari Singh asked him if he could feed him. Anil
replied that if he knew how to cook, then he may work for
him.
4. What did Anil and Hari agree upon to be the mode
of payment?
When Anil stated his inability to pay Hari, Anil questioned
Hari if he could feed Hari. Hari realised that he had
misjudged his target and moulded the situation for his
benefit. Anil then agreed to feed him if he knew how to cook.
5. Did Hari like working for Anil? Give reasons to support
your answer.
Yes, Hari liked working for Anil. He was happy to carry on the
chores for him and was grateful for the education he was
receiving. He used to make profit of about a rupee a day as
well, which was a decent amount besides being fed.
6. How did Hari make his money?
Anil made money by fits and starts. He would borrow one
week and lend the next. He kept worrying about his next
cheque, but as soon as it arrived he would go out and
celebrate. He apparently wrote for magazines.
7. Why did Hari Singh feel bad after stealing the money?
Anil had trusted Hari Singh completely and also taught
him how to cook. Anil also started teaching him how to read
and write. Thus, when Hari stole money from Anil, conscience
pricked him as he had broken Anil’s trust.
8. How did Hari Singh realize that Anil knew about his theft?
Anil gave him a fifty rupee note in the morning, which was
still damp from the night’s rain. Anil told him that he would
be paid regularly and would start teaching him, how to
write full sentences. Neither his lips nor his eyes showed
anything. This made Hari Singh realize that Anil knew
everything.
9. What are the different reactions of the people when they are robbed?

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According to Hari Singh, different people react differently upon
being robbed. The greedy man displays fear, the rich man
shows anger, and the poor man shows acceptance.
However, a trusting man like Anil would be sad due to the
loss of trust.

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:

1. Why was Hari Singh grateful to Anil?
Hari Singh was a fifteen-year-old seasoned thief. He was
homeless, friendless and also illiterate. He used to change
his name and place after robbing. He met Anil, a writer of
magazine at a wrestling match. He requested to hire him a
servant. Anil kept him as his cook. But he did not prepare
good food. Anil then taught him how to cook. He even
taught him reading and writing. One day he sold his book
to a publisher and brought home a bundle of notes. He put it
under his mattress. At night Hari Singh stole the money and
went to the station. But his conscience pricked him. He
could not betray such a trusting person, who was trying to
make him a respectable and educated gentleman. Hari Singh
returned to Anil. He kept the money under the mattress. Anil
knew what Hari Singh had done. But he did not say anything.
He changed Hari Singh with his trust, compassion and
willingness to accept.
2. Anil plays a major role in the transformation of Hari Singh. Comment
on the statement.
Anil was a struggling writer who befriended Hari Singh. Hari
Singh was an experienced,15-year-old thief. He found Anil an
easy target to steal. Anil agreed to let Hari stay withhim and
cook for him stay with him. He also began to teach him how
to read and write.
Gradually, Anil develops trust in Hari Singh. But Hari Singh
was waiting for the right opportunity to do what he was best
at. After stealing money, he tried to go away forever but
some inner voice stopped him from doing so. He returned
to Anil because he realized that he wanted to live a life of
respect. Anil did not show that he knew about Hari’s
misadventure. Thus, Anil by his goodness, changed Hari
Singh and brought him onthe right path. The story shows
that trust and spirit to forgive someone can bring big
changes in someone’s life.
3. What went through Hari Singh’s mind as he sat in the shelter of
the clock tower?

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 Hari Singh felt that out of the six hundred rupees Anil had
brought home,

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 he would have given him two or three rupees to go to the
cinema but he had all the money. He also realized that he
wouldn’t be able to cook Anil’s meals, run to the bazaar or
learn to write whole sentences. He had forgotten about all
these in his excitement of the theft. Learning to read and
write would bring him more than a few hundred rupees. It
was a simple matter to steal and simple to be caught. He
realized that to be a really big, clear and respected man was
something else. He made a decision to go back to Anil if only
to read and write.

Textual Questions
Read and Find Out
1. Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
‘I’ refers to the thief.
2. What is the ‘a fairly successful hand’ at?
He was ‘a fairly successful hand’ at stealing and robbing people.
3. What does he get from Anil in return for his work?
When Hari asked Anil if he could work for him, Anil said
that he could not pay him. Finally, the agreement was that if
he would cook, then Anil would feed him. However, Anil
soon found out that he did not know how to cook.
Therefore, he taught him how to cook and later, how to write
his name. He promised he would teach him how to write
whole sentences and how to add numbers. Apart from this,
when Hari went out to buy the day’s supplies, he would
make a profit of a rupee a day.
4. How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
The thief thought that on discovering the theft, Anil’s
face would show a touch of sadness. The sadness would
not be for the loss of money, but for the loss of trust.
5. What does he say about the different reactions of people
when they are robbed?
In his short career as a thief, he had made a study of men’s
faces when they lost their goods. He said that the greedy
men showed fear; the rich men showed anger and the poor
men showed acceptance
6. Does Anil realize that he has been robbed?
Yes, Anil had realized that he had been robbed. He knew this
probably because all the notes were wet and damp from the
rain. However, he did not say anything to the thief and
behaved normally.

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 Think about It
1. What are Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an
education? Do they change over time? What makes his return to
Anil?
Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an
education change over time. When he started living with
Anil he wanted to be literate so that he could become a
more cunning cheat. Later on, there is a change in his
heart. He wants to earn respect in life. Probably he is
influenced by the calm in Anil’s life. Although both of them
depend on irregular sources of income, Anil seems to be
more satisfied. Hari Singh develops a desire to be part of
the civilized society.
2. 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?
Anil does not hand the thief over to the police because
he had put the stolen moneyback at its place. It shows
that he realized 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, such sort of patience and
compassion are rarely found nowadays in this human
world.

Talk about It
1. Do you think people like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction,
or are there such people in real life?
No, I don’t think that people like Anil and Hari Singh are
found only in fiction. There are such people in real life also.
Although such people are rare in today’s society. If one is
caught stealing, people will first punish him severely. Then
he will be handed over to the police. It should be realized
that a human being is bound to commit error. One chance to
reform oneself must be given. This is the only way to bring
anyone on right path. Punishing severely is not the only
solution. Strictness can make them absolute criminals.
2. Do you think it a significant detail in the story that Anil is a
struggling writer? Does this explain his behaviour in any way?
Hari Singh’s observation about Anil getting irregular income
and Anil’s

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 statement about his sale of a book to a publisher indicates
that he is a struggling writer. He lives life according to the
money he gets at a given time. When he gets the money,
he enjoys eating out with his friends. When he has less
money, then he admits his inability to paying salary to Hari
Singh.
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?
Student specific response.
The fifteenth year is a very dangerous phase of life as it is
the teenage year. A deep scaron mind or a deep sense of
greed can make a criminal out of ordinary boys and girls.
4. Where is the story set? Which language or languages are spoken in
these places? Do you think the characters in the story spoke to each
other in English?
The story is set in Uttar Pradesh somewhere near
Lucknow. The town has an important railway station as
express trains have a halt there. There is a decent market
and the clock tower. The mention of hotel near railway
station indicates that it is an important centre where
people come from far off places for business related
activities.
The languages spoken are Urdu, Hindi and Awadhi. The
characters must have spoken toeach other in the local
language.
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