A Thief's Story by Ruskin Bond

Short Questions ( 2-Marks)  1. How did Hari Singh know that Anil had forgiven him?

ANS:     Hari Singh realised that Anil knew about the theft because he found some of the notes still wet. He gave him a fifty-rupee-note and did not mention anything about the theft. This made him feel that Anil had forgiven him.

2. Why, according to Hari Singh, is it easier to rob a greedy man than a careless person like Anil?

ANS:     Hari Singh has correlated theft with the sense of satisfaction, a thief gets pleasure when a person comes to know that he has been robbed. Hari Singh says that a greedy man can afford to be robbed too whereas a careless man at times may never come to know that he has lost something or he has been robbed. This carelessness, on the part of a person robbed, deprives a thief of the   pleasure which he gets out of theft.

3. What was the thief’s immediate reaction when he stole Anil’s money?

ANS:     Hari Singh stole six hundred rupees and crawled out of the room. When he was on the road, he started running. He kept the notes in his waist held there by the string of his pyjama. He felt as if he was an oil rich Arab for a week or two.

4. What made the thief come back to Anil?

ANS:     Hari Singh came back to Anil because Anil trusted him. He did not want to miss the chance of being educated. Education could certainly make him a better man. He was fed up with the life of a thief, i.e. stealing and being caught and beaten.

5. What was Anil’s job? What did he usually do with the money he earned?

ANS:     Anil was a writer. He used to write articles for magazines. He was a spendthrift and used to spend money on his friends. He did not bother to save money for his future.

6. Why did Hari not make friends?

ANS:     Hari Singh was a thief. He did not believe in making friends as they were more trouble than help. He did not stay at one place for a long time so he could not make friends.

7. Where and how did Anil meet Hari Singh?

ANS:     Anil met Hari Singh when he was watching a wrestling match. Hari Singh flattered him by saying that Anil looked like a wrestler himself.

8. Why did Hari Singh feel that writing books was a queer way to make a living?

ANS:     Hari Singh was not an educated person, so he could not understand what Anil wrote. He was surprised to know that people paid him for writing books.

9.Why did Anil forgive Hari Singh?

ANS:     Anil was a large-hearted man. He knew that Hari Singh was a thief. But he forgave him because he wanted to give him another chance.                                              Long Questions ( 8 marks)

1. “He was the most trusting person I had ever met,’ remarked Hari Singh. Hari Singh took undue advantage of Anil’s trust. Do you think trusting a servant blindly, like Anil, is wise or do we need to be careful?

ANS:     Hari Singh is justified in saying that Anil was the most trusting person he had ever met. But he took undue advantage of his trust. He was a thief and could not be expected to be honest with Anil. Anil had a blind faith in human nature. He employed him just out of sympathy and compassion for him. He trusted him and ignored his misdeed. He handed over all the financial transactions without verification. He was so sympathetic towards Hari Singh that he did not ask him to leave the job when he was unable to cook. He trusted a stranger and gave him every chance to improve. When Hari Singh stole money and came back, Anil knew his act but said nothing. He knew he was guilty but rather gave him a fifty rupee note. I think such a blind faith in a stranger is not prudent, one should be kind but not careless.

2. Hari Singh decided to return the stolen money to Anil. It shows that everyone has some inner conscience and cherished values which they do not put in practice. Do you agree? Was it the awakening of his conscience that made him return the money?

ANS:     Hari Singh’s conscience pricked him. He had a guilty conscience. He didn’t want to hurt him. Hari stole money because of his compulsive habit, but now he wanted to reform himself. He wanted to become a reputed member of the society. He vowed never to repeat the mistake again. It shows that everyone has inner conscience. We have cherished values which become dormant when we do not put them to practice or our circumstances don’t allow them to be put to practice. Yes, it was the awakening of Hari Singh’s conscience that made him return the stolen money.

3. Love is the basic human value that can transform evil into goodness. How did this value of Anilchanged Hari Singh?

ANS:     Love and sympathy are positive qualities. If we have love and sympathy for a person, that person will try to win our trust and confidence. He will curb his baser instincts and try to prove worthy of our confidence in him. It was the love of Anil that transformed Hari Singh. He treated him kindly, reposed his faith in him and Hari Singh became an honest man. Hari Singh was tempted once. He ran away with money. But when he recalled the faith, love, compassion and kindness of Anil, his heart changed. He decided to come back and return the stolen money. Anil knew that Hari Singh had stolen money. He could have handed him over to the police but he showed sympathy and kindness. This transformed Hari Singh. He gave up stealing and decided to become a good person.

4. If you had been Anil, what would you have done with Hari Singh? Do you think thieves can be transformed through love and compassion?

ANS:     I would have also forgiven Hari Singh. Hari Singh was no doubt a thief, but by coming back and returning the money, he had proved that he wanted to lead a respectable life. He was trying to change his habits. Secondly, even his master was really guilty of inviting his temptation by being careless. Therefore, the question of punishing him did not arise. A man should always be given a chance to improve. That is why there are rehabilitation centres in prisons too. Nobody wants to become a criminal. Everyone is a victim of circumstances. In my opinion if one is given a chance and good environment, one can be transformed. Love, sympathy and right opportunity can transform the thieves too. Everyone wants to lead a life full of respect and dignity.

5. Do you think people like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction, or, are there such people in real life? Do you think presence of such people can free the society from day-to-day crime?

ANS:     People like Anil and Hari Singh are the real characters. There are hundreds of thieves like Hari Singh who master the art of stealing from a very young age and win the trust and confidence of their employers. Then they rob them of their wealth and leave cities one after the other. In the same way, people like Anil are also real who are very generous and have faith even in the strangers. I agree that if there are people like Anil who have a positive approach to life, there will be less crime in our society. He transformed a thief by his love, sympathy and compassion for him. If he had handed him over to the police, Hari Singh would have become a hardcore criminal and a threat to society. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< End >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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