Ch-2

The Thief’s Story

 Ruskin Bond

Summary:
The story is about two different people. One is a thief of 15 years of age and the
other is a man of approximately 25 years, watching a wrestling match. The name
of the person watching the match is Anil. The thief approaches Anil and starts
talking to him because he feels that he had not robbed anyone in the past few days
and thought that it would be easy to rob a simple person like Anil. Anil asks the
thief his name. The thief introduces himself as Hari Singh. This is not his real
name as he changes his name every month to escape his ex-employers or police.
Hari called him again and asked him if he could work for Anil. Anil said that he
won't be able to pay him but could feed him if he knew how to cook. Hari lied that
he knew how to cook. Anil took Hari to his room which was above a sweet shop.
Hari cooked a meal which was really bad because Anil did not eat it. Anil asked
Hari to leave but he tried to please Anil. Anil agreed to teach Hari how to cook,
write full sentences and add numbers. Hari was grateful as he knew that there
would be no limit to robbing people once he learnt how to read and write.

The narrator used to like working for Anil as he used to make him tea in the
morning and then go out to buy the groceries for the day. He also used to steal 1
rupee from the money that was given to him to buy the groceries every day. Anil
knew that he used to steal but did not mind.

Anil used to make money by writing articles and irregular work. There was no
regular source of income. Whenever he used to get money, he would go out with
his friends to celebrate.

One day, Anil came in with a bundle of notes and told Hari that he had sold a book
to a publisher. At night he kept the money safely under the mattress of his bed.
Hari realized that he had been working for Anil for more than a month and had not
stolen anything apart from the 1 rupee that he kept everyday from the grocery
money. Hari had many chances to steal as he had the key to the room as well. But
he was surprised with the amount of trust Anil had on him as he had never seen
such a person in his life. This trust was preventing him from robbing He stole
Anil’s money and justified himself that if he didn't steal money from Anil then also
he would waste it on his friends and also, Anil didn't pay him for the work that he
did.
Hari then woke up at night and steals the money and decides to leave the city by
Lucknow Express that departed at 10:30 pm. When he reached the station, the train
had slowly started moving from the platform. He could have easily caught the train,
but he hesitated and he himself did not know the reason for it. He counted the
money and it was 600 rupees in 50 rupee notes. He could live a lavish life for 2 - 3
weeks with so much money. After the train had left, Hari was all alone at the train
station. He was left with no place to sleep at night. The only person he knew was
Anil and he had looted him as well. He sat on a bench in a park and as it started to
rain, he sat down under the clock tower. Then he realized that the notes had got
wet. He realized that learning how to read and write would help him to get a much
more respectable and honest job which would pay him much more than these few
hundred rupees. Then he decided to go back to Anil’s house.

He reached the room and placed the money back. Next morning, he woke up a bit
late and Anil had already made his tea. Anil gave a 50 rupee note to Hari as he had
got paid for some work and he would be paid regularly. Hari took the note in his
hand and realized that the note was still wet from the rain last night. Hari realized
that Anil had come to know about his misdeed but there was no sadness, anger or
guilt in his mind. The narrator smiled in a beautiful way and it was genuine
happiness as he knew that he had saved himself from the wrong road.

Theme:
‘The Thief’s Story’ tells us how love and kindness can change a thief or a criminal.
This story tells how a thief was changed into a good man. Apart from this, the
story covers the theme of aspirations, trust, betrayal, friendship, guilt and honesty.
The story also highlights the importance of learning and education and the
consequences of its deficit.

Word-meaning: From the book

NCERT QAs:
READ AND FIND OUT
1. Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Ans: In this story, ‘I’ refers to the thief.
2. What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?
Ans: He was “a fairly successful hand” at stealing and robbing people.
3. What does he get from Anil in return for his work?
Ans: 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 in
a day.

4. How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
Ans: 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?
Ans: 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 realise that he has been robbed?

Ans: Yes, Anil had realised 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.

THINK ABOUT IT
1. 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 his return to Anil?

Ans: Hari Singh comes to Anil’s house as a servant. Anil offers to educate him. He
is overjoyed, but his reactions to the prospect of receiving an education undergo a
change with the passage of time. In the beginning, he thinks that if he wrote like an
educated man, he could achieve limitless success (or money). Later, there are some
changes in this perception. He feels that if he wrote whole sentences, they could
bring him more than a few hundred rupees. Then money loses attraction for him
with reference to education. What he wants from education is to become a big,
clever and respected man. This makes him return to Anil because only Anil could
teach him as he wants.

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?
Ans: The next morning, Anil does not find the money missing. But he might have
noticed that the notes were damp. It would have been clear to him that Hari Singh
had tried to steal the money. But he does not show any emotion. Hari Singh studies
his face. There is no sign of his having detected the theft. However, it is possible
that he detected the truth. But he does not hand over Hari Singh to the police. He is
a large-hearted person. Perhaps, Hari Singh’s coming back changed his mind. But
most people do not behave like Anil. In Anil’s position, they could have handed
over such persons to the police after beating them by themselves. Anil is different
because he decides to reform the thief through kindness and sympathy.

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?
Ans: It is true that people are becoming materialistic and hard-hearted. But it is
also true that people like Anil and Hari Singh are still found in real life also. But
their number is very small.

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?
Ans: It is a significant detail in the story that Anil is a struggling writer. He leads a
hand to mouth existence. He earns money by fits and starts. So, he knows what it
means to be without money. He can understand Hari Singh’s position. That is why,
he takes him as a servant although he has no money to pay him a salary. He has a
large heart. So although he may have detected the theft of his money, he does not
report to the police.

3. Have you met anyone like Hari Singh? (You think and imagine the
circumstances that can turn a fifteen-year-old boy into a thief?)
Ans: Yes, I have met a boy like Hari Singh. He used to commit petty crimes. I
studied his life and came to the conclusion that the circumstances to make one a
thief is poverty. It is the biggest factor. One is prepared to do anything to
extinguish the fire burning in his belly. This can turn a young boy into a thief.

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?
Ans: It appears that the story is set in Delhi. A number of clues point to this fact.
These are: ‘The Jumna Sweet Shop’, ‘railway station’, ‘The Lucknow Express was
just moving out’. Hindi, English and other Indian languages are spoken in it. I do
not think the characters in the story spoke to each other in English. However, they
might have used some English words like ‘time’, ‘train’, ‘clock tower’, etc.
Extra Questions
RTC:
“You look a bit of a wrestler yourself”. I said. A little flattery helps in making
friends.
(a) Who was the speaker? Who was he trying to flatter?
Ans.: The thief, that is, Hari Singh, was the speaker. He was trying to flatter Anil.

(b) Why did the speaker want to be friends with the listener?
Ans.: Hari Singh wanted to deceive Anil and wanted to rob him. So, he tried to be
friends with Anil.

(c) Find the antonym of ‘criticism’ in the extract.

Ans.: Flattery

(d) What is the opposite of ‘friends’?

Ans.: Enemies

Well, it’s time I did some real work, I told myself; I’m out of practice.
[CBSE 2013]
(a) What ‘real work’ is the speaker talking about?
Ans.: The ‘real work’ the speaker is talking about robbing and committing theft.
He is a thief and it is expected to be his real work.

(b) Why does the speaker say ‘I’m out of practice’?

Ans.: The speaker says that he is out of practice as he had not committed any theft
recently and he feels that he is out of practice of robbing people.

(c) Give a synonym of ‘practice’.

Ans.: Rehearse

(d) What part of speech is the word ‘real’ in the extract?

Ans.: ‘Real’ is adjective.

3. When the train had gone, I found myself standing alone on the deserted
platform. I had no idea where to spend the night. I had no friends.
[CBSE 2014]
(a) Why was the speaker standing alone on the platform?
Ans.: The speaker was standing alone on the platform as the train he had to board
left and since he robbed Anil’s money, he was in utter disgust and guilt and
was trying to come back to the terms of an honest living.

(b) Why did he not have any friends?

Ans.: He did not have any friends because he was a thief by profession and he
thought that friends were more trouble than help. Also, he kept on changing his
name and identity and hence he found it appropriate to not have any friends so that
he may maintain secrecy.

(c) Which word in the extract is an antonym of the word ‘crowded’?

Ans.: The antonym of the word is ‘deserted’.
(d) What does ‘deserted’ mean?
Ans.: Alone, empty, without human or any living creature.

SAQ
1. Why did Hari Singh not make many friends?
Ans.: Hari Singh did not have many friends as he believed that friends were
more trouble than help in the profession of a thief. Moreover, he did
not want to make anyone curious. He used ot hide his identity to
cheat his ex-employers and acquaintances.

2. Why did Hari Singh decide to come back to Anil?

Ans.: Hari Singh decided to come back to Anil because he felt that when
Anil would come to know about the theft, he would feel sad, not for
the loss of money but for the loss of trust. He did not want to lose his
trust.

3. Why did Hari Singh choose Anil to be his next victim?

Ans.: Hari Singh was an experienced thief. He found Anil, an easy-going,
kind and simple man, the correct person for his purpose. He found
him an easy target to win confidence.

4. Why did Hari Singh not go to his friend’s house or a hotel just after he
missed the train?
Ans.: Hari Singh did not have any friend and he did not want to make
anyone curious about staying at one of the small hotels near the
station. He did not have any choice and hence he went back to Anil.
Also, he had guilt that he cheated the man who trusted him the most
and showed him the way to lead a dignified life.

5. Why did Anil decide to pay Hari Singh regularly?

Ans.: Anil handed Hari Singh, a fifty-rupee note as payment for his services.
He went on to that since he had started making money, he would pay
Hari regularly. However, I knew about Hari and did not want him to
be tempted again for the want of money.
 6. Why did Hari Singh feel bad after stealing the money?
Ans.: 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, his conscience pricked him as he
had broken Anil’s trust.

7. Why did Hari Singh tell a lie about cooking?

Ans.: 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.

8. Describe Hari Singh, the young and successful thief.

Ans.: Hari Singh was a fifteen-year-old boy who had already gained much
expertise in the field of thievery. He knew how to find prospective
victims, and used his intelligence to get close to them. Even when he
was being taught how to read and write, his first thought was how he
could use it to his benefit while committing theft.

9. What are the different reactions of the people when they are robbed?
Ans.: According to Hari Singh, different people reacted 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.

LAQ
1. Hari Singh did not confess that he robbed Anil. Did he lack the courage to
do so or he really wanted to maintain his relationship with Anil at any cost?
Explain.
Ans.: Hari Singh was a teenager of 15. He was good at stealing. He chose
Anil to be his next target as he was a struggling author and a simple
person. Hari Singh started living with Anil who in turn, started
teaching him how to read and write. Hari Singh, one day got the
opportunity to steal Anil’s money. He left out with the money to go
away forever but his inner voice stopped him. He returned back and
kept the money in place. Next morning, he started with his routine
work and didn’t tell anything about the incident to Anil. He was a
teenager and lacked the courage to face Anil with his truth. He did not
want to lose Anil’s trust. He wanted to maintain the relationship with
Anil, wanted to get an education and become a respected man. He
understood that only Anil could change the course of his life and his
one mistake could cost him dearly. So, he hid the incident from Anil
so that it should not affect his relationship with him.
2. Hari Singh believed that it was difficult to rob a man like Anil. Do you
think that he really appreciated kind people? Why do you think he found it
difficult to cheat a man like Anil? Discuss.
Ans.: Hari did appreciate kind people as is evident from the story. In the
descriptions that he gives about various people, Anil stands apart.
Perhaps, it was the first time that anyone had done so much for Hari.
Later, as he was running away after robbing Anil, his conscience kept
pricking him. He was unable to betray the trust of the kind Anil. It
was perhaps also because Hari was not a hardened criminal. He had
probably become a thief due to circumstance, not by choice. His
innate goodness and natural capacity to distinguish between right and
wrong stopped him from doing further wrong. It was a matter of trust
that Anil reposed in Hari Singh that he never wanted it to be shaken.

3. Write a character sketch of Hari Singh.

Ans.: The thief was a fifteen-year-old boy. But in this story, he has been
presented as a well experienced and skillful thief. He had a great
knowledge of human behaviour. He knew that simple looking persons
could be robbed easily. He had an understanding that a little flattery
could help in making friends with them. He was clever enough to
change his name to keep himself away from the police and his former
employers. He was perfect in telling lies. He had a desire to become a
big man in life. He robbed Anil of his six-hundred rupees. But in one
corner of his heart, there was a sense of trust and goodness. He
thought that he should not betray Anil. He had the ambition of
becoming a big man and he knew that he could realise his ambition
only when he is educated. Thus, he was an interesting character.

4. Draw a character sketch of Anil.

Ans.: Anil was a young man of twenty-five years. He was a tall and lean
fellow. He looked easy-going and kind. 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
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. Anil earned money by fits
and starts. He wrote articles for magazines. One day, he earned 600
rupees. In the night, the thief boy stole the money and ran out in the
rain. Later, his heart changed and he decided to put the money back
under the mattress. Anil discovered all this. But he was so large-
 hearted that he said nothing to the boy. Instead, he promised to pay
him regularly.
5. ‘The Thief’s Story’ is an in-depth study of the human mind. Discuss.
Ans.: The human mind is a very complex thing. It is a mixture of opposite
opinions. Sometimes, a man fails to understand his own mind. In this
story, the same thing has been presented by Ruskin Bond through the
character of a thief boy named Hari Singh. The boy starts working for
Anil. His primary aim was to rob him. Anil’s carelessness wins his
heart. But the boy’s bad mind provokes him to rob Anil of his money.
One day, he robs his six-hundred rupees and runs away to the station.
But his good mind stops him boarding the train. He decides to come
back to Anil and return his money. So, this story is an in-depth study
of the human mind.

6. ‘You look a bit of a wrestler yourself’, I said. A little flattery helps in

making friends. Hari Singh believed that a little flattery can help in making
friends. Did he lack love and empathy? Was his attitude towards friendship
acceptable or not? Discuss.
Ans.: Hari Singh was an experienced thief. He knew how to win others’
trust. He saw Anil who was watching a wrestling match, he was a slim,
lean man of 25. He found him an easy target to rob. He started talking
to him by saying that he looked like a wrestler. Then he told Anil that
he wanted to work for him. When Anil told him that he could not pay
him, so he, in order to win his confidence asked Anil if he could feed
him. This kind of attitude is not acceptable to win over true friends.
True friends show love, empathy and true care for their friends.

7. Why did Hari Singh decide to return the stolen money? What light does it
show on his character?
Ans.: After stealing the money, when Hari Singh reached the station, he
could not board the Lucknow Express, though he could easily get on it.
He stood alone on the deserted platform and thought about Anil who
he knew would feel only sad for the loss of trust, when he would
discover the theft. He felt that he should go back to Anil only to read
and write. So, he decided to return to Anil, feeling very nervous. The
thief was very grateful to Anil and quite liked working for him. Since
Anil was the most trusting man he had met, Anil’s confidence had
awakened his conscience. He wanted to become a good man. Anil
could only make him a good man. So he decided to come back to Anil
and return the money that he had stolen.