2. Ruskin Bond - Biography
• 19th May, 1934
• Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh
• Now lives in Landour, Mussoorie
Born
• The Room on the Roof
• The Night Train at Deoli
• Time Stops at Shamli
• Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra
• The Flight of Pigeons
• The Blue Umbrella
Famous
Novel
• 1999 : Padma Shri : Children’s Literature
• 1992 : Sahitya Akademi Award : Our
Trees Still Grow in Dehra
• 1957 : John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial
Prize : The Room on the Roof
Awards
3. About the Author
• Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of
British descent. He lives with his
adopted family in Landour, Mussoorie,
India.
• The Indian Council for Child Education
has recognized his role in the growth of
children's literature in India.
• He was awarded the Sahitya Academy
Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still Grow
in Dehra, his novel in English.
• He was awarded the Padma Shri in
1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014.
4. Style of Writing
He has stressed more on the local
elements of Himalayas in his writings.
His writing style is distinct in a way that
it tries to make reader understand the
landscape and character through
carefully mastered words. Replete with
unassuming humour and quiet wisdom,
his stories manifest a deep love for
nature and children.
5. In this story, the writer shows how the
reformation of a criminal is best achieved
through love and understanding rather than
punishment.
• A young boy makes friends with Anil. Anil trusts
him completely and employs him. Does the boy
betray his trust?
• The story is about a 15-year-old thief who
changes his name every month to stay ahead of
the police and old employers.
• This time he kept his name Hari Singh.
• The other person in the story is a 25-year-old
writer named Anil. The thief meets Anil and asks
him if he can work for him.
• The story unfolds on how the thief betrays Anil by
committing theft but retracts later on.
Introduction to the lesson
6. Theme of the Story
The story deals with basic human values and relationships. It is
easier for a thief to rob a greedy man. It is difficult even for a thief
to rob a careless and honest person. Hari Singh did steal Anil’s
money but he couldn’t run away with it. He had no friends because
he regarded them to be trouble than help. The only person he
really knew was the man he had robbed. Moreover, Anil was ready
to educate Hari Singh. The thief’s conscience pricked him. He
came back to Anil and crept to his bed. He slipped the money
under the mattress from where he had stolen it a few hours ago.
7. Vocabulary
►Trusts = relies on
►betray = deceive, dupe
►fairly = enough
►lean =weak and thin
►purpose = objective
►wrestler = to strive by grappling
►modestly = humbly
►lied = to tell a lie
►grunting = roaring
►casually = purposelessly
►Perhaps= probably
►Stray= wandering
►patted= stroked
8. Main Points of the Story
🞆Anil was a young writer. He was living his life very carelessly.
🞆He was writing for the magazines and earning the money to run
his life.
🞆One day Anil was watching the wrestling match.
🞆Hari best knew how to make unknown person a friend.
🞆He used an old formula to flatter the person. Hari stayed with Anil.
🞆Anil promised him that he would teach him how to write and add
numbers.
🞆He also taught him how to cook tasty food.
🞆Daily Hari Singh was going to buy daily needs and had profit of
one rupee daily.
🞆Anil knew it but he did not mind it. Both were living together
happily.
9. Main Points of the Story
🞆One month passed, Hari Singh did not perform his
business.
🞆One day he saw Anil had bought a bundle of notes.
🞆He saw him to put them under the mattress. As Hari
saw the bundle of notes, his evil spirit awakened in
his mind and he decided to rob Anil that night.
🞆After taking dinner Anil slept peacefully.
🞆Hari could not sleep, he woke up. He crept to the bed
and slipped his hand under the mattress.
10. 🞆He found the notes and ran away on the road.
🞆Hari Singh made up his mind that he would directly
go to the railway station and would catch the
Lucknow Express.
🞆He thought that Anil would not catch him if he ran
away from the city.
🞆Hari Singh reached the railway station, Lucknow
Express was about to go.
Main Points of the Story
11. 🞆Suddenly the good spirit called him. The inner voice
told him not to betray the faith of Anil.
🞆The train was moving but
🞆Hari did not dare to catch it. He was remembering
the innocent face of Anil. When Hari Singh thought
that what would Anil think about him.
🞆Anil would not worry about the money but he might
feel bad that a man had broken his faith.
Main Points of the Story
12. 🞆There was conflict in the mind of Hari Singh. He
did not want to lose faith of Anil. Because he
knew that Anil was a simple man.
🞆Moreover Anil was teaching him how to write and
add numbers which could change his life.
🞆He could become a respected person in the
society.
Main Points of the Story
13. 🞆He left the railway station.
🞆He came to the maidan and sat on the bench.
🞆Just then heavy rain started. It was the month of
November. Chill wind started blowing.
🞆He felt more uncomfortable as he had cheated an
innocent person.
🞆His shirt and pyjamas stuck to his body because it
were wet due to the rain.
Main Points of the Story
14. 🞆Then he went to the Clock Tower to save from the rain.
🞆He sat there under the tower.
🞆Suddenly he remembered his notes. He searched for it and found that
all the notes were wet.
🞆He reached home and stealthily went into the room where Anil was
sleeping.
🞆He crept again and secretly put back money under the mattress.
🞆The next day Anil woke up, prepared tea for Hari and himself. He
handed over fifty rupees note to Hari and told him that he would be
regularly paid now.
🞆Hari took the note and found that it was still wet.
🞆He understood that Anil knew about the last night episode.
Main Points of the Story
15. 1.Hari Singh: Hari Singh is a small-time thief. His real name is not
Hari Singh, he keeps on changing names to escape from police. His
Modus operandi is that he earns the trust of people and then robs
them and Ĉees. When he sees Anil, he thinks of robbing him and
hence approaches him and asks for work. Anil, being a simple person
lets his work and even starts teaching him how to cook. Had Singh
is delighted when Anil starts teaching him to write as he plans to rob
on a larger scale. Had steals a little money daily when he goes to buy
the daily groceries, and one day when he gets a chance he
steals money from Anil and runs away. But at the station, he has a
change of heart and comes back.
He is now happy and contented to live with Anil.
Characters
16. Characters
2. Anil: Anil is a kind, simple and easy-going young man.
He is tall and lean stature and has interest in sports like
wrestling. He is not very rich and cannot afford to employ
him as a cook. He has the patience and goodness to not
only teach Had to cook but also to read, write and add
numbers. Though he knows about Hari’s stealing of little
bits of money from the groceries, he ignores this fact.
17. Learning Outcomes and Message
• It depicts how education casts a
strong impact upon a thief and
brought transformation in him
who decides to live as an
educated, respectful and
trustworthy person.
• discuss the themes of friendship,
aspirations, betrayal, trust,
connection, and kindness. –
• explain and analyze the power of
moral values and love and how it
can change somebody's life. –
• relate to the importance of
human values in close
relationship
Ruskin Bond through ‘The
Thief’s Story’ very beautifully
brought out the age old saying
‘Education is that which
liberates’.
The prospect of getting
education changed a thief’s
mind and he decided to change
his ways.
It became impossible for him to
cheat a simple, kind and
trusting person like Anil.
18. QUICK RECAP
• Anil was 25 years old writer.
• He was struggling to write for earning
the money to run his life. One day
Anil meets Hari.
• Hari used his old formula to atter the
person. Anil impressed and promised
him that he would teach him how to
write, add numbers and how to cook
tasty food.
• One day Hari saw that Anil had
brought a bundle of notes. He saw
him keep them under the mattress.
• He decided to rob Anil that night..
19. QUICK RECAP
• Just then heavy rain was going on.
• Hari Singh had a change of heart. He
decided to return to Anil and keep the
money under the pillow.
• He reached the room and placed the
money back.
• The next morning, Anil o ered Hari
Singh Rs. 50 saying he had earned it. He
told him he would now be paid regularly..
• He realized that the note was still wet
from the rain last night. Hari got to know
that Anil had come to know about his
misdeed but there was no sadness, anger
or guilt in his mind.
20.
21. The Thief's Story By Ruskin Bond (Footprints
Without Feet - X)
VIDEO LINK
