THE THIEF’S STORY

I WAS still a thief when I met Anil. And though only 15, I was an experienced and fairly successful hand. Anil was watching a wrestling match when I approached him.

When I met Anil, my profession was of a thief. At that time my age was 15. But I was an experienced and a successful thief. When I first spoke to Anil, he was watching a wrestling match.

He was about 25 — a tall, lean fellow — and he looked easy-going, kind and simple enough for my purpose. I hadn’t had much luck of late and thought I might be able to get into the young man’s confidence.

Age of Anil was about 25. He was a tall and thin person. He appeared to be relaxed, simple and kind person. So I thought it would be easy to rob him. In recent past, I have not been lucky. [Meaning that I could not steal anything] I thought I would be able to win confidence of this young person.

“You look a bit of a wrestler yourself,” I said. A little flattery helps in making friends. “So do you,” he replied, which put me off for a moment because at that time I was rather thin.

I said to Anil that he looked like a wrestler. Praising someone helps in making a friend. Anil replied that I also looked like a wrestler. His answer surprised me because at that time I was very thin.

“Well,” I said modestly, “I do wrestle a bit.” “What’s your name?” “Hari Singh,” I lied. I took a new name every month. That kept me ahead of the police and my former employers.

I humbly replied that I did wrestling only a bit. Anil asked my name. I said Hari Singh. I had spoken a lie. Every month I used to change my name. By this method police and my previous employers were not able to catch me.

After this introduction, Anil talked about the well-oiled wrestlers who were grunting, lifting and throwing each other about. I didn’t have much to say. Anil walked away. I followed casually.

After learning my name, Anil talked about wrestlers. They had applied lot of oil on their body. They were making noise, lifting and throwing each other. I did not say anything. Anil started walking away from there. I walked behind him.

“Hello again,” he said. I gave him my most appealing smile. “I want to work for you,” I said. “But I can’t pay you.”

Anil said hello to me. I gave him a most pleasant smile. I said that I wanted to work for him. Anil replied that he did not have money to give me salary.

I thought that over for a minute. Perhaps I had misjudged my man. I asked, “Can you feed me?” “Can you cook?” “I can cook,” I lied again.

I thought that perhaps my judgement about Anil was wrong. [Meaning I had thought that Anil was a rich person]. I asked Anil if he can give me food. Anil asked if I could cook. I told him a lie that I could cook.

“If you can cook, then may be I can feed you.” He took me to his room over the Jumna Sweet Shop and told me I could sleep on the balcony.

Anil told me that if I could cook, he would give me food. He took me to his room. His room was above Jumna Sweet shop. He told me that I could sleep in the balcony.

But the meal I cooked that night must have been terrible because Anil gave it to a stray dog and told me to be off. But I just hung around, smiling in my most appealing way, and he couldn’t help laughing.

That night I cooked food. The food must have been very bad because Anil gave it to dogs living in the street. He asked me to go away from his room. But I remained there. I again smiled in the most pleasant way. He started laughing.

Later, he patted me on the head and said never mind, he’d teach me to cook. He also taught me to write my name and said he would soon teach me to write whole sentences and to add numbers.

After that he touched my head and said not to get disappointed. He said he would teach me cooking. He taught me to write my name. He said that he would teach me to write full sentences and to do addition.

I was grateful. I knew that once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve. It was quite pleasant working for Anil.

I was thankful to Anil. I knew that after learning to write like an educated person, I would be able to achieve almost everything. I was happy to work for Anil.

I made the tea in the morning and then would take my time buying the day’s supplies, usually making a profit of about a rupee a day. I think he knew I made a little money this way but he did not seem to mind.

In the morning I made tea. Then I used to go to the market to buy things needed for that day. Normally I saved one rupee for me while purchasing things. Probably Anil knew about it. But he did not appear to object.

Anil made money by fits and starts. He would borrow one week, lend the next.

Anil earned money irregularly. One week he would borrow money and next week he would lend money. [Meaning during one week he had shortage of money and next week he had surplus money]

He kept worrying about his next cheque, but as soon as it arrived he would go out and celebrate. It seems he wrote for magazines — a queer way to make a living!

He was always worrying about his next income. But as soon as he earned some money, he would celebrate. Probably he used to write for magazines. A strange way of earning money.

One evening he came home with a small bundle of notes, saying he had just sold a book to a publisher. At night, I saw him tuck the money under the mattress.

One evening when he came home he told me that he had sold a book to a publisher. He had a small bundle of notes with him. He put this money under the mattress to hide.

I had been working for Anil for almost a month and, apart from cheating on the shopping, had not done anything in my line of work.

Now I had completed almost one month working for Anil. Other than cheating during shopping, I had not had any thing of my profession. [Recall that narrator is a thief]

I had every opportunity for doing so. Anil had given me a key to the door, and I could come and go as I pleased. He was the most trusting person I had ever met.

I had many chances to steal money. Anil had given me the key of the main door. I could come anytime and go anytime as per my wish. He had trusted me. Nobody else had ever trusted me so much.

And that is why it was so difficult to rob him. It’s easy to rob a greedy man, because he can afford to be robbed; but it’s difficult to rob a careless man — sometimes he doesn’t even notice he’s been robbed and that takes all the pleasure out of the work.

Because he trusted me, it was difficult to rob him. It is easy to rob a greedy person because he has lot of money with him. But it is difficult to rob a person who is not careful. Sometimes he will not come to know that he has been robbed. Therefore there is no pleasure in robbing a careless person.

Well, it’s time I did some real work, I told myself; I’m out of practice. And if I don’t take the money, he’ll only waste it on his friends. After all, he doesn’t even pay me.

I thought now it was the time to do some work. [Time to steal]. I thought I am out of practice of robbing. [I had not done any stealing since many days]. I thought if I did not rob Anil, he would waste his money on his friends. And he was not paying me any salary.

Anil was asleep. A beam of moonlight stepped over the balcony and fell on the bed. I sat up on the floor, considering the situation. If I took the money, I could catch the 10.30 Express to Lucknow.

Anil was sleeping. Moonlight was coming in the balcony and on the bed of Anil. Considering the moonlight, I sat on the floor. [I did not stand]. I thought if I steal money from Anil, I can take 10:30 PM express train for Lucknow.

Slipping out of the blanket, I crept up to the bed. Anil was sleeping peacefully. His face was clear and unlined; even I had more marks on my face, though mine were mostly scars.

I came out of my blanket and crawled up to the bed of Anil. Anil was sleeping. His face could be seen clearly in the moonlight. The face was looking young. I had more spots on my face. Most of these spots were scars.

My hand slid under the mattress, searching for the notes. When I found them, I drew them out without a sound. Anil sighed in his sleep and turned on his side, towards me. I was startled and quickly crawled out of the room.

I put my hand under the mattress to search for notes. I found them and pulled them out without making any noise. Anil made a sound in his sleep. Then he turned his side and now he face was towards me. I was surprised. I crawled out of the room.

When I was on the road, I began to run. I had the notes at my waist, held there by the string of my pyjamas. I slowed down to a walk and counted the notes: 600 rupees in fifties! I could live like an oil-rich Arab for a week or two.

When I reached road, I started running. I had put notes near the string of my pyjamas at my waist. After some time I slowed down and started walking. I counted notes. These were 600 rupees in notes of fifty. [12 notes of 50 rupees each]. I could live like a very rich person for about two weeks.

When I reached the station I did not stop at the ticket office (I had never bought a ticket in my life) but dashed straight to the platform. The Lucknow Express was just moving out.

I reached the railway station. I did not go the ticket office because I had never bought a ticket. [Narrator used to travel without buying ticket]. The Lucknow Express train had just started from the platform.

The train had still to pick up speed and I should have been able to jump into one of the carriages, but I hesitated — for some reason I can’t explain — and I lost the chance to get away.

The train was running slow. It had not gained speed. I could have easily jumped into any one of the coach. But I was not willing to get into the train. I do not know the reason. I missed the chance to run away.

When the train had gone, I found myself standing alone on the deserted platform. I had no idea where to spend the night.

The train had gone. I was standing alone on the empty platform. I did not know where to spend the night.

I had no friends, believing that friends were more trouble than help. And I did not want to make anyone curious by staying at one of the small hotels near the station.

Word Meaning Curious Eager to know-->

I did not have any friend. I believed that friends were more of a trouble than help. I did not want to stay in any one of the small hotels near the station. I did not want people to become eager to know about me.

The only person I knew really well was the man I had robbed. Leaving the station, I walked slowly through the bazaar.

I knew only one person. I had robbed that man. I left the station. I walked slowly in the streets of the bazaar.

In my short career as a thief, I had made a study of men’s faces when they had lost their goods. The greedy man showed fear; the rich man showed anger; the poor man showed acceptance.

When goods are stolen from people, different types of expression comes to their faces. I had understood this in my brief career as a thief. The greedy man had expression of fear. The rich man of anger. The poor man had the expression of accepting his misfortune.

But I knew that Anil’s face, when he discovered the theft, would show only a touch of sadness. Not for the loss of money, but for the loss of trust.

When Anil comes to know about the theft, his face would show expression of sadness. I was sure about it. The sadness will not be because of loss of money. He will be sad because I had lost his trust.

I found myself in the maidan and sat down on a bench. The night was chilly — it was early November — and a light drizzle added to my discomfort.

By this time I had reached an open ground. I sat down on a bench. The night was very cold. It was beginning of November. There was light rain which increased my trouble.

Soon it was raining quite heavily. My shirt and pyjamas stuck to my skin, and a cold wind blew the rain across my face

Very soon it started raining heavily. My shirt and pyjamas became wet. These were sticking to my skin. A cold wind started blowing. It blew the rain on my face.

I went back to the bazaar and sat down in the shelter of the clock tower. The clock showed midnight. I felt for the notes. They were damp from the rain.

I went back to bazaar. I sat in the clock tower. The time was midnight. [12 o’clock]. I touched notes to be sure that these were with me. These had become wet due to rain.

Anil’s money. In the morning he would probably have given me two or three rupees to go to the cinema, but now I had it all. I couldn’t cook his meals, run to the bazaar or learn to write whole sentences any more.

It was Anil’s money. In the morning he would have given me two or three rupees to go to cinema. But now I had all the money. I am out of his house. I cannot cook his food. I cannot go to bazaar to buy supplies. Now I cannot learn to write complete sentences.

I had forgotten about them in the excitement of the theft. Whole sentences, I knew, could one day bring me more than a few hundred rupees.

I forgot about these aspects during the eagerness to steal money. I was aware that one day I could earn more than a few hundred rupees through complete sentences. [Narrator means that education would bring more money]

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. I should go back to Anil, I told myself, if only to learn to read and write.

It was a very simple thing to steal in comparison to getting education. And sometimes it was equally simple to get caught. But to become a respectable and big person was different. I thought that I should go back to Anil to learn to read and write.

I hurried back to the room feeling very nervous, for it is much easier to steal something than to return it undetected.

I started going back quickly to the room. I was very nervous. Because it is easier to steal. But it is difficult to return back the stolen thing without getting noticed.

I opened the door quietly, then stood in the doorway, in clouded moonlight. Anil was still asleep. I crept to the head of the bed, and my hand came up with the notes.

I opened the door quietly. I stood in the doorway. There was moonlight and clouds in the sky. Anil was in deep sleep. I crawled to the head of the bed. [The side Anil had his head on the bed] I took out notes in my hand.

I felt his breath on my hand. I remained still for a minute. Then my hand found the edge of the mattress, and slipped under it with the notes.

I could feel breath of Anil on my hand. I did not move for a minute. Then my hand reached edge of the mattress. Then my hand went under the mattress to keep the money back.

I awoke late next morning to find that Anil had already made the tea. He stretched out his hand towards me. There was a fifty-rupee note between his fingers. My heart sank. I thought I had been discovered.

Next day I woke up late. I noticed that Anil had already made tea. He extended his hand towards me. In his hand he had a fifty-rupee note. I was suddenly afraid. I thought he had become aware of my fault.

“I made some money yesterday,” he explained. “Now you’ll be paid regularly.” My spirits rose. But when I took the note, I saw it was still wet from the night’s rain. “Today we’ll start writing sentences,” he said.

Anil told me that yesterday he had earned some money. Now he will pay my salary regularly. I was feeling very happy when I took the note from him. The note was wet because of rains of last night. He told me that today he would teach me to write sentences.

He knew. But neither his lips nor his eyes showed anything. I smiled at Anil in my most appealing way. And the smile came by itself, without any effort.

He knew what had happened last night. But he neither spoke nor expressed through his eyes. I smiled at Anil in most pleasant manner. This smile had automatically come on my face. I did not make efforts to smile.

Text Book Questions

Q1. 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.

Q2. 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.

Q3. 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.

Q4. How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
Answer. Anil is a trusting person trusts the thief completely. But the thief has robbed him. He feels that when Anil comes to know of the theft, he will become a little sad, not for the loss of money, but for the loss of trust.

Q5. What does the thief say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?
Answer. According to the thief, different type of people show different reactions when they are robbed. The greedy ones show fear. The rich people show anger. And the poor ones accept their loss calmly. Those who trust others completely like Anil show only a touch of sadness not for the loss of money but for the loss of trust.

Q6. Does Anil realise that he has been robbed?
Answer. Yes, Anil does realise that he has been robbed. When he sees his bundle of notes, he finds it wet. He knows that it was raining at night. And someone had taken out the bundle in the rain.

Q7. 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?
Answer. Anil does not hand the thief over to the police because he has known that he has realised his fault. He feels that the thief himself must have felt guilty with himself. Thus Anil forgives him.
I think most people in today's world would not have done so. In modern time, people do not have as much patience as Anil had.

Q8. 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.

Q9. 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.

Q10. 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.

Q11. 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.

Additional questions

1. What does the thief get from Anil in return for his work?
Ans. The thief does not get any wages from Anil in return for his work. He gets only meals. He usually makes a profit of about a rupee a day in buying the day's supplies.

2. Hari Singh was both a thief and a human being. Explain.
Ans. Hari Singh was both a thief and a human being. At first he stole Anil’s money and ran away. But as he was about to board a train, his conscience pricked him and did not allow him to do so. Then he came back and put the money from where he had stolen it. Thus in the end he proved himself to be a real human being.

3. What conditions did Anil put forward before appointing Hari Singh as a servant ?
Ans. Anil had no regular income. So he told the thief that he could not pay him regularly. He also told him the he could feed him if he cooked for both of them. Thus Hari Singh agreed to work for him for food.

4. How did Hari Singh make money though he was not paid by Anil ?
Ans. Anil did not pay the thief in cash for his work. But the thief saved some money from the things he purchased for the household. Anil never asked him to give the accounts.

5. Hari Singh did not catch the train deliberately while he could catch it easily? Why?
Ans. Hari Singh did not catch the train deliberately because his inner conscience held him back. He thought that Anil would feel sad. He thought that that sadness would come on his face not for loss of money but for the loss of trust he had reposed in him. Moreover, he did not want to lose the chance of learning.

6. How did Anil come to know that Hari Singh had run away with his money? How did he react to it?
Ans. Anil found the money kept under the mattress wet in the morning. It had rained the night Hari Singh had escaped. All this made him think that Hari Singh had run away with the money However he did not scold him for this act. He told him that he would pay him regularly.

7. Why does Anil not hand the thief over to police?
Ans. Anil was a large hearted person. He forgave Hari Singh as he wanted to reform him. He knew that Hari Singh was sorry for what he had done. So he did not think it right to hand him over to police and does not do so.

8. Why was Hari Singh grateful to Anil ?
Ans. Hari Singh was grateful to Anil because Anil taught him to read and write whole sentences. He also taught him to add numbers. Hari Singh thought that, soon, he would become an educated man and would be able to achieve anything in life.

9. Why did Hari Singh take a new name every month?
Ans. Hari Singh was a young and experienced thief. He would take a new name every month. He did so only keep himself ahead of the police and his former employers.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q.1. Give a character - sketch of Hari.
Or
What impression do you form of Hari Singh after reading the lesson ? (CBSE 2010)
Ans. Hari Singh had become an experienced, seasoned and successful thief at the age of fifteen. He stole from his employers and escaped every time. He changed his name occasionally to avoid being caught by the police or his previous employers. He started working for Anil, a writer. He made profit from the daily supplies.
He got many opportunities to rob Anil. However, he did not like to rob a careless fellow who would fail to notice his skill.
One day, he made off with Anil's money and reached the station. He did not board the slow - moving train intentionally. Hari Singh could show false smile on his face to exploit the situation. He was a man of noble conscience. He was a grateful person. He was not a betrayer. He was career - conscious.

Q.2 Who was Anil ? Give his character sketch. ( CBSE 2012 )
Or
How did Anil transform Hari Singh's character ? (CBSE 2007, 2009)
Ans. Anil was an easy - going and careless man. He spent whatever he earned by writing for magazines. He was a simple and kind-hearted person. He was trusting and generous. He agreed to feed Hari Singh when he said that he could cook. However, he did not turn him out of his house when he proved a hopeless cook. Rather he decided to teach him both to cook and to read and write. Though he knew that Hari Singh made money from daily purchases yet he did not mind it. Rather he trusted Hari Singh fully. He gave him every opportunity to mend or reform himself.
Anil was a noble-minded person. He chose not to expose Hari Singh's attempted theft. He turned a thief into a respectable person.