2. Mulk Raj Anand was among the pioneers of
Indo-Anglian fiction amount with R.K. Narayan,
Raja Rao, and Ahmad Ali and was also one of the
first Indian writers in English who achieve the
International readership and popularity. His genre
of writing was realistic fiction and is acclaimed
for his literary works, which have earned the
position of modern Indian English literature
classics and are known around the world for
providing insight into the life of the oppressed
and portraying the true picture of poverty,
exploitation, and misery. He got huge praise for
his memorable protest
novel Untouchable (1935). After this, his other
two novels that depicted the story of Indian poor
society were published including Coolie (1936)
and Two Leaves and a Bud (1937).
3. Setting
The story is set in the spring
season in an Indian village. It
offers a look into a period of
time in history when changing
seasons were celebrated with
fairs.
4. The Lost child
• excited as he was
going to a fair with his
parents.
• fascinated by many
things.
• an obedient child as
he could see the
refusal for his
demands on his
parent’s face.
• wanted to enjoy the
roundabout. But as he
moved back, he found
his parents nowhere.
Child’s Mother
• a typical
loving mother
who tries to
soften the
disappointment
of the child
The unknown
man
• a kind hearted
man who
rescues the lost
child
• tried each and
everything to
console the
child.
Child’s father
• a strict
disciplinarian
• He is the
head of the
family
• seems to be
leading the
family,
expecting
them to
follow him
Characters
5. CHARACTERS
The Lost Child: The child was very excited as he was to a fair
with his parents. He was fascinated by many things like toys,
many sweets, a garland, etc. in the fair. He asked his parents to
buy something for him, but they refused him. He was an
obedient child as he could see the refusal for his demands on
his parent’s face. He wanted to enjoy the roundabout. But as he
moved back to request his parents for it, he found his parents
nowhere. His face was convulsed with fear and tears rolled
down from his eyes. A man from the crowd heard his cries and
tried to console him by offering different things which
previously he wanted to have. The fear is so predominant that
the child did not show any interest. He was so innocent that he
only wanted his parents.
6. Father : He appears to be a strict disciplinarian who does not
give into the demands of the child for toys and sweets. He is the
head of the family and both his wife and child do not question
his decisions. In fact he seems to be leading the family,
expecting them to follow him without dawdling.
Mother : The mother has been described as a typical loving
mother who tries to soften the disappointment of the child
by diverting his attention from the objects that he wants to
possess. She seems to be tom between her husband and her
child as she struggles to keep pace with her husband and at
the same time keep her child from straying. At some point her
attention seemed to have wavered, when her child gets
separated from her.
7. • Unknown Man: The unknown man was a very
kind and generous man. In the crowd, he was
the only one who came forward to help the
lost child. First, he lifted up the lost child in his
arms. He asked the child about him and his
parents and got to know that he had lost his
parents. He tried each and everything to
console the lost and sobbing child. He offered
every exciting things in the fair to the child
which earlier he wanted to buy. The unknown
man is the symbol of humanity who is ready to
help the lost child in all aspects.
8. Theme
The story is based on the theme of the close bond that children
share with their parents. The lost child forgets all about his desires
and yearns deeply for his parents when he fails to find them.
Everything else loses its significance and the only thing that
matters is his wish to be reunited with his parents.
Message
The story highlights the value of relationships over material
goods. The child realises the true value of his parents once he is
separated from them. It also sheds light on the universal fear of
children and parents of getting separated from one another and
the result of such a calamity as seen from the eyes of a little child.
9. SUMMARY
In “The Lost Child” , a child visits a spring fair with his
parents. The place was crowded with people and there were
different kinds of stalls set up in the fair. The child was
overjoyed when he saw the toys in the shops and pleaded to
his parents to buy him a toy. But his father gave him a stern
look upon hearing his request. Meanwhile, his mother asked
him to see the mustard field which looked like a field of
gold. A group of dragon-flies were fluttering their colourful
wings over the mustard flowers. The child tried catching one
of those colourful insects, but as his mother called him to
the footpath and he ran towards his parents gaily. He heard
the cooing of doves and picked up some petals in the grove.
But again as his parents called him, he made his way towards
them while he was running around the banyan tree.
10. • When the child reached the fair with his parents, he
saw a sweetmeat seller .His mouth watered seeing the
tasty sweets and he asked his father to buy him a
sweet. But no one paid heed to his request. As he
went ahead with his parents, he heard a flower-seller
,he saw the basket of flowers and wanted to buy a
garland. However, he knew his parents would not buy
him the flowers, so he moved on with them. Then, he
noticed a balloon-man selling rainbow colour
balloons. He wanted to buy those balloons but he
knew that his parents would refuse, considering he
was comparatively older to play with those colourful
balloons. Hence, he walked past the balloon-man with
his parents.
11. As he moved forward, the child noticed a snake-
charmer who was playing a flute to a snake coiled in a
basket. He went closer to the snake-charmer, but he
knew his parents wouldn’t approve of his listening to
such coarse music. So, he walked further and saw a
merry-go-round. He observed that many people were
enjoying the ride and called out to his parents that he
wanted to take a ride. But there was no reply from
them. When he turned around, he couldn’t find his
parents nearby. The child desperately looked out for
his parents, but they were nowhere to be found. He
understood that he was lost so he started sobbing.
12. The child gave out a loud deep cry and tears started rolling down his
eyes as he searched for his parents everywhere. He cried loudly and
ran to and fro, but he couldn’t find his parents anywhere. The place
was very crowded and he ran to the shrine if he could find them there.
Unfortunately, he was lost and as he was little, he went ahead crossing
many people who were huge in size there.
Suddenly, a man heard his cry and lifted him up in his arms. The child
was fortunate that he was picked up by an affectionate man. The kind
man asked him about his parents, but the child replied sobbingly not
knowing their whereabouts. The man tried to pacify the child and
asked him if he would like to take a ride on the merry-go-round. But
the child replied that he wanted his parents only. Soon, the man took
the child to the balloon-man, sweet shop and flower-seller and asked
if he would like to buy any of those, but the young boy refused. He
was adamant that he wanted nothing, but his parents. The child turned
his face away from all those things which he wanted to buy earlier and
he kept sobbing , ‘I want my mother, I want my father!’
13. MCQ
1. What did the lost child say when a man asked him, “Whose baby are
you ?”
(a) The child said, “I want my father, I want my mother.”
(b) The child said, “I want to go home.”
(c) The child said, “I live in a village.”
(d) The child said, “I am feeling hungry.
2. The child wanted to have balloons yet he walked on. Why?
(a) He knew his parents would never buy him the balloons.
(b) He knew his parents would say he was too old to play with such toys.
(c) Both A and B above.
(d) Neither A nor B.
14. 3. What did the father do when the child said, “I want that toy.”?
(a) He at once bought the toy for the child.
(b) He said, “Look, child, what is before you.
(c) He looked at the child red-eyed.
(d) He began to beat the child.
4.What is the theme of the story?
(a) Close bonding between parents and children
(b) village people are good
(c) we must go to village fairs
(d) None
5. How did the generous man try to calm down the child?
(a) showing him different toys
(b) taking him to rides
(c) talking to him and diverting his attention
(d) All
15. 1.(a) The child said, “I want my father, I want my mother.”
2. (b) He knew his parents would say he was too old to play with
such toys.
ANSWERS
3. (c) He looked at the child red-eyed.
4. (a) Close bonding between parents and children
5. (d) All
16. 1.What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair?
Why does he lag behind?
Textual Question Answers
The child sees a number of things which fascinate him on his
way to the fair
► Firstly, he saw toys at a shop.
► Then he saw a flowering mustard field.
► In the fields, the child also saw dragon flies, butterflies
fluttering their wings
► Then while walking on the footpath he was amazed by the
insects and worms
► When he entered the grove he saw doves which were
cooing.
17. ► The child also came across sweetmeat seller selling sweets
like burfi and gulabjamun and a little further he came across a
flower seller who was selling a garland of gulmohar
► Walking ahead, he saw a man selling rainbow colour
balloons
► He also saw a snake charmer who stood playing a flute to
a snake
► Finally, before losing track of his parents he saw a roundabout
swing.
The child keeps lagging behind his parents on the way and his
mother and father have to constantly call him so that he doesn’t
lag behind. This is because the child is fascinated by all the
things he sees on his way.
18. 2. In the fair, he wants many things. What are they? Why
does he move on without waiting for an answer?
In the fair, the little boy wants to buy many things. He wants
to buy toys, balloons, sweets, a garland of Gulmohar, watching
the snake charmer play flute to a snake and a ride in the
roundabout. But he moves on without waiting for an
answer because he knew that his request would be denied at
each step.
