The Thief’s Story

In the story, ‘I’ refers to the narrator of the story Hari Singh, who was a fifteen-year-old thief.

He is “a fairly successful hand” at stealing and robbing people. By this, he meant that he was an experienced thief who was very swift and adept in his work while robbing people without getting caught.

When Hari approached Anil for work, Anil told him clearly that he could not pay him. So, he asked Hari to cook so that he could feed him and stay with him. When he found out that the young boy didn’t know how to cook, he taught him to cook and how to write his name. Anil also promised to teach him to write whole sentences and calculate numbers. Besides, Anil also gave money to Hari to buy daily supplies, and the latter would make a rupee profit a day from it.

Hari, the thief, thought that on discovering his theft, Anil would be filled with sadness, not because of the loss of money, but for losing the trust he had in him.

In his short career as a thief, Hari’s experience had made him aware of the different reactions of people when they were robbed. According to him:

• A greedy man showed fear.
• A rich man exhibited anger.
• A poor man showed acceptance.

Yes, Anil realised that he had been robbed by Hari. He probably came to know of it from the damp notes, which got wet due to rain the previous night. However, he didn’t express anything and gave a fifty rupee note to Hari and promised to pay him regularly.

Hari was grateful to Anil for teaching him to write his name. He was excited to learn because he knew that once he could write like an educated man, there would be no limit to what he could achieve. However, when he stole the money, he momentarily forgot about education. Later in the rain, he realised that stealing was a simple crime, but being a respected and clever man was something else. This urge to receive an education compelled him to return to Anil’s house.

Unlike others, Anil did not call the police. He was well aware of the theft from the damp notes but did not thrash him or hand him over. He was happy that Hari had realised his mistake and understood the importance of education.

In today’s world, most people would not react like Anil; they would likely hand the thief over to the police. Anil was different because he was compassionate and wanted to give Hari a chance to mend his ways and become a noble, literate man.

In the real world, people like Anil and Hari Singh rarely exist and are mostly found in fiction. However, exceptions happen. We know Anil is kind-hearted and concerned about Hari’s education. When Hari stole the money, his conscience pricked him, and he had a change of mind due to the importance of education. Finding such imaginary characters is rare possibility in today’s world.

Yes, it is a significant detail. His lifestyle was simple with irregular income. He borrowed one week and lent the next. He kept worrying about his next cheque. This explains why he didn’t pay Hari a regular salary but taught him instead. Also, because he knew what it was like to struggle, he was humble, never ill-treated Hari, and was considerate towards him.

(Sample Answer) No, I haven’t met anyone like Hari Singh, but such people exist. Often, a fifteen-year-old boy may be forced by unavoidable circumstances (like poverty, lack of family support) to become a robber. Mostly people commit crimes to feed themselves or their families, or sometimes to fulfill demands for a luxurious life.

The story is set near Lucknow, somewhere in Uttar Pradesh. We understand this from the mention of a railway station for an “express train to Lucknow”. The presence of sweet shops, mandis, and bazaars indicates a small, simple town setting. We can assume the characters were not speaking in English but probably in Hindi.