NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 2 The Thief’s Story by Ruskin Bond

Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 2 The Thief’s Story by Ruskin Bond.

The Thief’s Story by Ruskin Bond

About the Author

Ruskin Bond (born on 19 May 1934) is an Indian author of British descent. He lives with his adopted family in Landour, Mussoorie, India. (Landour, a small cantonment town contiguous with Mussoorie, is about 35 km from the city of Dehradun in the northern state of Uttarakhand in India. The Indian Council for Child Education has recognised his role in the growth of children’s literature in India. He was awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1957, the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992 for his collection of short stories Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014.

Summary of the lesson

The story is about two different people- Hari Singh (the narrator of the story), a man of only 15 years old and Anil (a writer), a man of approximately 25 years old. A tall, lean fellow Anil earned his living by writing books or articles for various magazines. He was a kind, large-hearted and simple man. Once, when Anil was watching a wrestling match, a young boy named Hari Singh approached (came near) him and expressed his desire to serve (work for) him. He said that he would cook for him. Anil believed him and gave him the job. Hari Singh was an experienced and fairly successful hand (an expert thief) and used to change his name every month to escape the police and his ex-employers. (he used to change his name and place to avoid the police and his old employers.) Hari Singh made the tea in the morning for Anil and then would take his time buying the day’s supplies (groceries). He used to make money while buying supplies for Anil. Hari Sing thinks Anil knew he made a little money that way but he did not seem to mind.

One day, he got a chance to steal Anil’s money, from under the mattress. He ran away to go to another place by train. But at the park, his inner voice (inner soul) made him restless. He did not want to cheat a large-hearted and simple man like Anil, who had trusted and promised him to teach to write whole sentences and to add numbers.  He also wanted Anil to teach him to write simple sentences. 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 those few hundred rupees, the amount (Rs. 600) that he had stolen from Anil. He immediately decided to go back to Anil’s house and place the money as it was. He reached the room and placed the money back.

Next morning, Hari Singh woke up a bit late and Anil had already made his tea. Anil gave him fifty rupees as he had got paid for some work and told him that he would pay him regularly. Hari Singh’s spirits rose (he felt happier). But when he took the note, he saw it was still wet from the last night’s rain. He realized that Anil had come to know about his misdeed but there was no sadness, anger or guilt in his mind. Hari Singh smiled at Anil in his most appealing way (smiled in a beautiful way/attractive way) and the smile came by itself, without any effort. (It was genuine happiness as Hari Singh knew that he had saved himself from the wrong path of life. Anil forgave him as he wanted to give him another chance to improve.

Explanation Part-1

[I was still a thief when I met Anil. And though only 15, I was an experienced and fairly successful hand. I was still a thief when I met Anil. And though only 15, I was an experienced and fairly successful hand.]

Explanation: The story begins from the point where the two main characters of the story Hari Singh & Anil meet. The narrator of this story is Hari Singh, the thief. The thief says that he was still a thief when he met Anil. Although (in spite of the fact that) he was only  15 years old at that time, he was pretty good at stealing/ an expert in stealing.

Anil was watching a wrestling match when the thief approached him. Anil was a tall, lean and an easy – going man of 25. The thief had not committed any theft in the past few days as he did not get a chance/ he did not have much luck in the past- whatever he tried to do turned out to be unsuccessful. He thought that Anil would be a good man to steal things from. So he thought about getting comfortable with him.

[“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.

“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.]

Explanation: Then the thief Hari Singh commented on Anil that he looks like a wrestler himself. “A little flattery helps in making friends”- here Hari Singh thinks that a little flattery helps in making friends. Everybody loves to hear their own praise. If somebody flatters them by singing their praises, they take instantly to that person. That is why, Hari Singh decided to flatter Anil into believing he looked like a wrestler. He said “A little flattery helps in making friends” to win Anil’s confidence by flattering him. To this, Anil replied that even the thief also looked like a wrestler which put him off or offended him as he was very thin at that time. The thief modestly/ without boasting; in a humble way replied that he did wrestle a bit sometimes. Anil asked his name and the narrator lied that his name was Hari Singh. The narrator used to change his name every month to escape the police and his ex-employers.

[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.

“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.”]

Explanation: After this introduction both Hari Singh and Anil started talking about the well- oiled wrestlers who were grunting, lifting and throwing each other about. The narrator did not have much to say as he did not know much about wrestling. As Anil was walking away or leaving, the narrator again approached him and giving him the most appealing smile said that he wanted to work for him. At this Anil told him that he won’t be able to pay him for his work.

[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.

“If you can cook, then may be I can feed you.”]

Explanation: When Anil told Hari Singh that he won’t be able to pay him for his work, Hari Singh thought over for a minute as he had not expected such reply from Anil. He thought to himself that he had misjudged Anil as he had thought that Anil had a lot of money. The narrator, Hari Singh then asked if he could feed him to which Anil instantly asked if he could cook. Hari Singh lied again/ uttered untruth knowingly and said ‘yes’, he could cook. Anil replied that if Hari could cook, then he could feed him.

[He took me to his room over the Jumna Sweet Shop and told me I could sleep on 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.]

Explanation: Both of them went to Anil’s room which was above the Jumna sweet shop. Anil also told Hari Singh that he could sleep in the balcony. The narrator said that the meal that he cooked that night must have been terrible as Anil had to give it away to a stray dog and he told Hari Singh to be off/ to go and sleep but Hari decided to stay for a while. Hari’s smile was so appealing/his smile was so attractive that Anil could not stop laughing looking at him.

[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. I was grateful. I knew that once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve.]

Explanation: After some time, Anil patted on Hari’s head and told him that he would teach him to cook. He also taught him how to write his name and told him that he would soon teach him to write whole sentences and add numbers. Hari was grateful for what Anil had planned as he knew that there would be no limit to what he could achieve once he knew how to write like an educated man.

[It was quite pleasant working 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.]

Explanation: Hari Singh enjoyed working for Anil. He used to make tea for Anil in the morning and then used to go out to buy day’s supplies/groceries-items of food  for the day. He would also make a profit of about a rupee a day/ He would also keep 1 rupee in his pocket everyday from the money that Anil used to give him for buying the day’s supplies. Anil knew that Hari Singh took a rupee everyday but he did not seem to mind/ He was fine/ok with it.

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

Explanation: Anil did not have any regular income as he used to earn money by doing different activities. He did not have any fixed job. The narrator says that Anil used to be worried about his paychecks all the time but as soon as he would receive a cheque, he would go out with friends and celebrate. The narrator thinks that he used to write for magazines. The narrator also thinks it to be a strange way to make 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.]

Explanation: One evening, Anil came home with some bundle of notes and told Hari that he had just sold a book to a publisher. Before going to bed, Anil put the money under his mattress and Hari Singh saw him putting the money there.

[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. 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.]

Explanation: Hari Singh thought that he had been working for Anil for almost a month and he had not cheated him apart from the 1 rupee that he used to take out daily. The narrator also thinks that he had every chance to steal as Anil had given him the key to his room as well and he could come and go whenever he wished to do so. Hari Singh says-Anil was the most trusting person he had ever met. No one had trusted upon him in his life.

[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.]

Explanation: This was the only thing that was stopping Hari from stealing as Hari Singh thought that it is easy to rob a greedy man because he can afford to be robbed/ he has the capability or the money to get robbed as he knows about what he has lost but for a careless man like Anil there was no use to steal as they sometimes don’t even come to know that they have been robbed. Also, Hari feels that when someone doesn’t come to know that he has been robbed, that takes all the pleasure out of the work/ then there is no fun left in robbing him.

[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.]

Explanation: Then Hari decided that he would start with some work. He had not robbed anyone for a long time. He also justified his act of stealing Anil’s money by telling himself that if he didn’t steal it then Anil would waste it on his friends. He also thought that he had a right over the money as Anil didn’t even pay him for the work he used to do.

Read And Find Out-1

Q:1 Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?

Ans: In this story, ‘I’ refers to the thief.

Q:2 What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?

Ans: He was “a fairly successful hand” at stealing and robbing people.

Q:3 What does he get from Anil in return for his work?

Ans: He gets food from Anil in return for his work.

Read And Find Out-2

Q:1 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 because of the loss of money, but for the loss of trust.

Q:2 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.

Q:3 Does Anil realize that he has been robbed?

Ans: Yes, Anil had realized 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

Q: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 him return to Anil?

Ans: When Anil offered to educate Hari Singh, he thought of it as a bright prospect for himself. He knew that once he could write such as an educated man, there would be no limit to what he could achieve in his field. For him, the motivation behind getting educated was robbing people. However, later, when he had stolen Anil’s money and then missed his train in which he would have escaped, he realized that he had completely forgotten about the whole sentences that Anil had promised to teach him to write. He thought about getting educated in a different light. He thought that it was a simple matter to steal and be caught, but to be a really big, clever and respected man was something else. He was inspired by the trusting and simple nature of Anil. This motivation to earn someone’s trust and be respectable made him return to Anil.

Q:8 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: Anil does not hand over the thief to the police because he realized that Hari had learnt his lesson and had changed for the better. Otherwise, he would never have come back and kept the money at the same place from where he had stolen it. Anil even knew how Hari Singh cheated him of a rupee every day while buying the day’s supplies. But he never said anything to him. This is such a case where most people would have handed him over to the police. Anil was different from such employers because he was a modest and trusting man. He had offered to teach Hari how to cook and also to educate him. When he found out that Hari had stolen the money, but had kept it back, he knew that it was Hari Singh’s inner sense that had made him do so. Hari could have easily run off with the money, but he did not. Anil also wanted to give him another chance and build him into a better person so, he does not hand the thief over to the police.

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