The Thief's Story by Ruskin Bond is about a fifteen-year-old boy who makes his living by stealing. He meets Anil, a young man of about twenty-five who writes for magazines and lives in a room above the Jumna Sweet Shop. Anil trusts the boy completely, gives him food, a place to sleep and lessons in reading, writing and arithmetic. The story follows the boy's inner conflict when he gets a chance to steal six hundred rupees from Anil. Students will learn how kindness and trust can change a person, why education matters, and how the thief finally chooses to return the money. The chapter also shows the difference between fear, anger, acceptance and sadness in people who are robbed. It is a simple but powerful story about honesty, second chances and the value of learning.
What you'll learn
1Describe the characters of Hari Singh and Anil with evidence from the story
2Explain how Anil's trust and kindness affect the thief's decisions
3Analyse why the thief returns the stolen money instead of running away
4Identify the different reactions of people when they are robbed
5Discuss the importance of education in the thief's life
6Explain the significance of the wet fifty-rupee note at the end
7Use new words such as flattery, modestly, appealing and unlined correctly
Chapter at a glance
01Meeting Hari Singh and Anil
02The Art of Pickpocketing and Trust
03Transformation Through Kindness and Education
04Redemption and the Power of Love
Detailed chapter notes
01
Meeting Hari Singh and Anil
The narrator is a fifteen-year-old boy who is already an experienced thief. He meets Anil at a wrestling match and introduces himself as Hari Singh, a name he has invented. He changes his name every month to stay ahead of the police and former employers. Anil is about twenty-five, tall, lean and easy-going. Hari Singh flatters him by saying he looks like a wrestler, and Anil replies with a compliment. Hari Singh asks for work, and Anil says he cannot pay him but can feed him if he can cook. Hari Singh lies that he can cook. Anil takes him to his room above the Jumna Sweet Shop and lets him sleep on the balcony.
Hari Singhfifteen years old, experienced thief, changes his name every month
Anilabout twenty-five, tall, lean, easy-going, kind and trusting
Anil cannot pay wages but offers food and a place to sleep
Hari Singh lies about his name and about being able to cook
02
The Art of Pickpocketing and Trust
Hari Singh calls himself a fairly successful hand at stealing. He has made a study of men's faces when they lose their goods. A greedy man shows fear, a rich man shows anger, and a poor man shows acceptance. But he knows Anil would show only sadness, not for the money but for the loss of trust. Anil is the most trusting person Hari Singh has ever met. He gives Hari Singh a key to the door and lets him come and go freely. Hari Singh makes a profit of about a rupee a day by cheating on the shopping, and Anil seems to know but does not mind. This trust makes it difficult for Hari Singh to rob him.
Anil would feel sadness at the loss of trust, not the loss of money
Anil gives Hari Singh a key and allows him to come and go freely
Hari Singh cheats on shopping by about a rupee a day
03
The Night of the Theft
One evening Anil comes home with a bundle of notes after selling a book to a publisher. He tucks the money under his mattress. Hari Singh has been working for almost a month and has not done anything in his line of work. He decides to steal the money. He thinks Anil will waste it on his friends and does not even pay him. At night, while Anil sleeps, Hari Singh slides his hand under the mattress and takes the notes. Anil sighs and turns towards him, so Hari Singh quickly crawls out. On the road he counts the notes: six hundred rupees in fifties. He could live like an oil-rich Arab for a week or two.
Anil sells a book and brings home money
Hari Singh steals 600 rupees in fifties from under the mattress
He justifies the theft by saying Anil wastes money on friends and does not pay him
He plans to catch the 10.30 Express to Lucknow
04
The Platform and the Change of Heart
At the station, Hari Singh does not buy a ticket and goes straight to the platform. The Lucknow Express is moving out, but he hesitates and loses the chance to get away. He stands alone on the deserted platform with no friends and no place to spend the night. He walks through the bazaar and sits on a bench in the maidan. It is early November, chilly and drizzling. He thinks about Anil's face and the sadness it would show. He remembers that Anil was teaching him to write whole sentences and add numbers. He realises that stealing is simple, but becoming a really big man, a clever and respected man, is something else. He decides to go back to Anil to learn to read and write.
Hari Singh hesitates and misses the Lucknow Express
He has no friends and no place to stay
He remembers Anil's lessons in writing and arithmetic
He decides to return for education, not just out of fear
05
Returning the Money
Hari Singh hurries back to the room, feeling nervous because it is easier to steal than to return something undetected. He opens the door quietly and stands in the doorway in clouded moonlight. Anil is still asleep. Hari Singh creeps to the head of the bed and slips the notes back under the mattress. He feels Anil's breath on his hand and remains still for a minute. Then he goes back to sleep. The next morning he wakes late to find Anil has already made the tea. Anil stretches out his hand with a fifty-rupee note between his fingers. Hari Singh's heart sinks, thinking he has been discovered.
Returning the money is more difficult than stealing it
Hari Singh puts the notes back under the mattress
Anil gives him a fifty-rupee note the next morning
The note is still wet from the rain
06
Redemption and the Power of Love
Anil explains that he made some money yesterday and will now pay Hari Singh regularly. When Hari Singh takes the note, he sees it is still wet from the night's rain. Anil says they will start writing sentences that day. Hari Singh realises that Anil knows about the theft, but neither his lips nor his eyes show anything. Anil does not hand him over to the police or scold him. Instead, he continues to trust and teach him. Hari Singh smiles at Anil in his most appealing way, and the smile comes by itself, without any effort. This ending shows that kindness and trust can change a person more effectively than punishment.
Anil knows about the theft but does not show it
He gives Hari Singh a fifty-rupee note and promises regular pay
He continues to teach Hari Singh to write sentences
Hari Singh's smile is genuine, not forced
Want the complete chapter resources?Topic notes, quizzes and flashcards for The Thief's Story.
Q1. How does Hari Singh first meet Anil, and what does he do to gain Anil's trust?
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Hari Singh, a 15-year-old thief, met Anil at a wrestling match. He approached Anil and flattered him by saying he looked like a wrestler. He then lied about his name, calling himself 'Hari Singh' to avoid being traced by the police. He offered to work for Anil and lied that he could cook, which led Anil to take him in. Despite cooking a terrible meal, Hari's appealing smile made Anil laugh and keep him, eventually teaching him to cook and write.
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Q2. How does Hari Singh describe the art of stealing and the different reactions of people when they are robbed?
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Hari Singh says that it is easy to rob a greedy man because he can afford to be robbed, but difficult to rob a careless man because he may not even notice the theft, which takes away the pleasure of stealing. He also observes that when people are robbed, the greedy man shows fear, the rich man shows anger, and the poor man shows acceptance.
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Q3. How does Anil's kindness and trust transform Hari Singh?
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Anil's kindness and trust transform Hari Singh by making him realize the value of trust and education. Initially, Hari is a thief who only sees Anil as a target. However, Anil's trust, shown by giving him a key and teaching him to cook and write, makes Hari feel guilty about robbing him. This guilt leads Hari to return the money and choose to stay with Anil to learn to read and write, hoping to become a respected man.
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Q4. How does Hari Singh's decision to return the money reflect the theme of redemption in 'The Thief's Story'?
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Hari Singh's decision to return the money shows his redemption because he chooses honesty over theft. Initially, he steals Anil's money, but later he realizes that education and trust are more valuable than quick money. He returns the money and decides to stay with Anil to learn to read and write, indicating his desire to change and become a better person.
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Q5. What was Hari Singh's initial reaction to Anil's offer to teach him to write? Why did he feel grateful?
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Hari Singh was grateful when Anil offered to teach him to write his name and later whole sentences and arithmetic. He realized that education would open up limitless opportunities for him, as he thought, 'once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve.' This gratitude was significant because it planted the idea that education could lead to a better life than stealing.
Want more questions with answers?Get the full practice set for this chapter.
Hari Singh is a fifteen-year-old boy who is an experienced thief. He meets Anil at a wrestling match and lies about his name. He works for Anil, cheats on shopping, steals 600 rupees, but later returns the money because he wants to learn to read and write.
Why does Hari Singh return the stolen money to Anil?
Hari Singh returns the money because he realises that education can bring him more than a few hundred rupees. He wants to become a clever and respected man, and he knows Anil can teach him to read and write. He also feels that Anil would be sad at the loss of trust.
How does Anil react when he discovers the theft?
Anil does not show any anger or shock. He knows about the theft because the fifty-rupee note he gives Hari Singh is still wet from the rain. But neither his lips nor his eyes show anything. He continues to trust Hari Singh and says they will start writing sentences.
What are the different reactions of people when they are robbed?
According to Hari Singh, a greedy man shows fear, a rich man shows anger, and a poor man shows acceptance. Anil, he believes, would show only a touch of sadness, not for the loss of money but for the loss of trust.
What is the theme of The Thief's Story?
The main themes are the power of trust and kindness, the importance of education, and redemption. Anil's trust changes Hari Singh's heart. The story shows that love and education can reform a person more effectively than punishment.
Why does Hari Singh not board the Lucknow Express?
Hari Singh hesitates for a reason he cannot explain, and the train moves out. He then realises he has no friends and no place to go. He also thinks about Anil's lessons and decides to return to learn to read and write.
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