-Ruskin Bond
Text:
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Summary:
"The Thief's Story" by Ruskin Bond is a small tale which certainly explains how trust is very important in every relationship one keeps.The story is narrated by a thief who tells how he robbed his master but returned to him because for the first time he felt guilty.
Hari Singh was a teenager.Though he was just 15,he was very experienced in robbing people.He approached Anil while he was watching a wrestling match.Anil was tall and lean and looked easy-going and simple from Hari Singh's eyes.
He tried flattering him.Anil asked him his name and he told he was Hari Singh.However,it was a fake name as he changed his name every month in order to keep himself ahead of his previous employers and police.
After a bit of conversation,Hari Singh told Anil that he wanted to work for him.Anil told him that he cannot pay him.This made Hari Singh a bit disappointed but again he asked that if Anil could feed him.Anil asked if he could cook and to this Hari Singh replied in affirmation.Anil said that if he can cook,he can feed him.
That night,Anil took Hari Singh to his quaters over the Jumna Sweet Shop and told him that he could sleep on the balcony.The meal Hari Singh cooked that night however was terrible as Anil gave it to a stray dog.Anil told him to be just off but later on patted him on his head and told him that he will teach him how to cook.He also taught him to write his own name and even promised to teach him to write full sentences also.All this was slowly opening new horizons for Hari Singh.He soon realised that once he could write whole sentences,he can achieve limitless success.
His working experience with Anil was quite pleasant too.He would make tea in the morning and then buy the supplies for the day.He would make a rupee from buying these supplies.
He then described that Anil made money by fits and starts.He would borrow one week and lend the next.He made a living by writing for magazines.This seemed a queer way to make money to Hari Singh.
One evening,Hari Singh came home with a bundle of notes.He told Hari Singh that he just sold a book to a publisher.Hari Singh saw him tuck the money under the mattress.
Hari Singh convinced himself that he is not paid by Anil and most probably he will waste the money on his friends.He was certain that he would have to rob Anil.
Anil was fast asleep and Hari Singh made a plan to rob and get away from him.He considered that if he could take the money and run away,he could catch a train to Lucknow.He slipped out of his blanket and crept upto the bed.
His hand slid under the mattress and he drew them out stealthily.At this point,Anil turned in his sleep towards Hari Singh.He was startled and was quickly crawled out of the room.
When he was on the road,he began to run.He slowed down to a walk and counted the money.It was 600 rupees.He dashed to the station and directly went to the platform.
The train was just moving out and he could have easily caught it.But,something held him back and he could not board the train.He hesitated and lost the chance to get away.
As he was standing on the platform alone,he realised something very deep.From his experience as a thief,he knew that Anil would feel very sad after discovering the theft.And the sadness would be because Hari Singh had played with his trust.
He went back to the bazaar and sat down in the shelter of the clock tower.He felt for the notes and they were damp.His thoughts again went back to Anil.He thought how could n't cook his meals,run to the bazaar or learn to write whole sentences anymore.
A very significant realisation dawned upon him that learning full sentences could bring him more money one day than stealing.He was almost compelled to return back to Anil.
He hurried back to the room feeling very nervous.He quietly opened the door and crept into the head of the bed.As he found the edge of the mattress and slipped the notes back into their original place.
Next morning,Anil had already made the tea and gave him a fifty-rupee note.He said that he had made some money yesterday and Hari Singh would be paid regularly now.
Hari Singh found the note was still damp.Hari Singh now knew that Anil had found about the theft but he kept quiet.
Hari Singh smiled in his most appealing way and this time the smile came by itself.
Difficult Words:
1)Flattery: Excessive and Insincere praise.
2)Well-Oiled:(Here)Healthy.
3)Grunting:Make a low inarticulate sound.
4)Misjudged:Form a wrong opinion or conclusion about something.
5)Patted:Touch quickly and gently with the flat of the hand.
6)Appealing:Attractive and interesting.
7)Fits & Starts:Irregularly.
8)Unlined:(Here)Wrinkle and Scar free.
9)Oil-Rich Arab:(Here)Very rich.
10)Maidan:Field meant to play on.
About Author:
Ruskin Bond(19 May 1934----)is an Indian author of British descent. His first novel, The Room on the Roof, received the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1957. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, his novel in English.
NCERT Questions:
A)Think About It.
1)Hari Singh's attitude towards education is quite applaudable as he is well-aware of the benefits of education instead of being a theif.His views on education does n't change as we progress in the text.
Hari Singh returns to Anil in order not to destroy the trust Anil had vested in him.He knew Anil would become sad when he would realise that Hari Singh was a fraud.All this would make Hari Singh look bad in Anil's eyes.
2)Although Anil knew that Hari Singh had robbed his money,he didn't hand him over to the cops.This was because Anil didn't want to spill the beans and make Hari Singh guilty when he had actually returned which is very rare.Anil was also aware that if Hari Singh was sent to prison,he would never be able to leave his practice of robbery.
Most people,however,wouldn't have done so.Anil is way different from others as he wishes to reform Hari Singh by forgiving or educating him.
B)Talk About It.
1)Yes,there are many people in our society who are like Anil and Hari Singh.These characters are not too good to be real because there are many people in our society who still aspire to reform others or respect other's trust in them.
2)Yes,we do think that there have been many significant details in the story which states that Anil is a struggling writer.Hari Singh has mentioned how Anil made money by fits and starts.And,sometimes he borrowed and sometimes he lent also explains his behaviour.
3)Yes,there are many Hari Singhs around us.They are thieves but not by choice but by circumstances.
We can definitely visualize that harsh conditions must have forced Hari Singh to become a thief.He must have found no solace from anyone and would had to choose this path,even if he knew it was not the right one.
4)I think the story is set in the Nothern plains of India considering the fact that there are mentions of Lucknow and Jumna in the text.
•Mostly,Hindi is spoken in those places with a regional dialect in the speech.No,we don't think English is spoken in those parts of India.
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