The Thief's Story Notes Summary Questions Class 10 SSC
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This chapter is an engaging short story written by the renowned Indian author Ruskin Bond. It explores the transformative power of trust, kindness, and education in changing a young, experienced thief named Hari Singh.
About the author
Ruskin Bond (born 1934) is an Indian author of British descent who lives in Landour, Mussoorie. He has been recognized for his contribution to children's literature in India, receiving the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992, the Padmashri in 1999, and the Padmabhushan in 2014.
Summary
The story introduces a fifteen-year-old experienced thief named Hari Singh who meets a writer about twenty-five years old named Anil while watching a wrestling match. Seeking a new victim, Hari flatters Anil and expresses his desire to work for him. Although Anil cannot pay him a salary, he agrees to feed Hari if he knows how to cook.
Hari lies about his cooking skills, and the meal he prepares on the first night is so terrible that Anil gives it to a stray dog and tells him to leave. However, Hari stays back with his appealing smile, and Anil good-naturedly decides to teach him how to cook, write his name, form whole sentences, and add numbers. Hari realizes that education could help him achieve limitless success.
Working for Anil is pleasant, and Hari makes a daily profit of about a rupee while buying supplies, which Anil quietly overlooks. Anil earns money irregularly by writing for magazines and borrows or lends money depending on his financial state. One evening, Anil brings home a small bundle of notes from selling a book to a publisher and tucks it under his mattress.
Seeing the money awakens Hari's thieving instincts, and despite Anil's immense trust and kindness, Hari steals the money at night intending to catch the Lucknow Express. However, at the railway station, he hesitates to board the moving train for an unexplained reason and finds himself standing alone on the deserted platform in the chilly November night.
As Hari wanders through the bazaar, he reflects on how different types of people react to loss—greedy men show fear, rich men show anger, and poor men show acceptance. He realizes that Anil would feel sadness not for the lost money, but for the lost trust. Overcome by the desire to become a respected, educated man rather than a petty thief, Hari decides to return.
Hari quietly sneaks back into the room and slips the damp notes back under the mattress. The next morning, Anil wakes up late, has already made tea, and hands Hari a fifty-rupee note, explaining that he has started earning regularly and will pay him. Although the note is still wet from the rain and Anil clearly knows about the theft, his lips and eyes reveal nothing, drawing a genuine, effortless smile from Hari.
Mind map
The Thief's Story
- The Meeting
- Hari meets Anil at a wrestling match
- Hari lies about his name and cooking skills
- Life with Anil
- Anil teaches Hari to cook, write, and add numbers
- Hari makes a small profit on daily shopping
- The Theft
- Anil brings home a bundle of cash
- Hari steals six hundred rupees at night
- The Turning Point
- Hari hesitates at the railway station
- Realizes the value of education over theft
- The Return
- Hari puts the money back under the mattress
- Anil forgives him silently and offers payment
Sequence of Events
- Hari Singh meets Anil at a wrestling match and asks for a job.
- Anil agrees to feed Hari in exchange for cooking and teaches him to read and write.
- Anil brings home a small bundle of cash from selling a book and hides it under the mattress.
- Hari steals the money at night and rushes to the railway station to catch the Lucknow Express.
- Hari hesitates to board the train and wanders alone in the rain, thinking about Anil's trust.
- Overcome by guilt and the desire to learn, Hari returns and slips the money back under the mattress.
- The next morning, Anil gives Hari a wet fifty-rupee note, silently showing that he knows everything.
Characters
| Character | Traits |
|---|---|
| Hari Singh | A fifteen-year-old experienced thief, intelligent, adaptable, initially dishonest but capable of deep reflection, gratitude, and moral transformation. |
| Anil | A writer who is about twenty-five, tall and lean, easy-going, kind, simple, extremely trusting, patient, and forgiving. |
Themes and message
Power of Trust and Kindness
Anil's unconditional trust and gentle guidance do what police threats and punishment could never do—they reform a hardened young criminal.
Value of Education
Education acts as a catalyst for Hari's transformation, helping him realize that becoming an educated, respected man is far superior to petty thievery.
Key points to remember
- Hari Singh took a new name every month to stay ahead of the police and his former employers.
- Anil earns money by fits and starts by writing articles and stories for magazines.
- Hari steals 600 rupees in fifty-rupee denominations from under Anil's mattress.
- Hari realizes that learning to read and write whole sentences could one day earn him much more than a few hundred stolen rupees.
- Anil shows silent forgiveness by giving Hari a wet fifty-rupee note the next morning without exposing him.
Word meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Flattery | Insincere praise (चापलूसी / स्तुति) |
| Modestly | Without boasting, in a humble way (विनम्रपणे) |
| Grunting | Making low guttural sounds (घश्यातून निघणारे आवाज / गुरगुरणे) |
| Appealing | Attractive, attention-getting (आकर्षक) |
| By fits and starts | In short irregular intervals (अनियमितपणे) |
| Unlined | Showing no sign of worry or anxiety (चिंतामुक्त चेहरा) |
| Heart sank | Felt depressed or hopeless (मन खिन्न होणे / निराशा वाटणे) |
| Spirits rose | Became very hopeful and cheerful (उत्साह वाढणे) |
Important questions and answers
Q1. Why did the narrator change his name every month?
The narrator changed his name every month to stay ahead of the police and his former employers.
Q2. What favours did Anil do for the narrator?
Anil taught Hari how to cook, write his name, write whole sentences, and add numbers. He also showed great trust in him.
Q3. Why did Hari hesitate to board the train?
Hari hesitated to board the train because for some inexplicable reason, he lost the chance to get away and felt a sudden reluctance to leave Anil.
Q4. Why did Hari feel nervous when he returned to the room?
Hari felt nervous because it is much easier to steal something than to return it undetected.
Q5. Why did Anil employ Hari as a cook, although he could not afford to pay him?
Anil employed Hari because Hari offered to work for him, and when Anil asked if he could cook, Hari lied and said yes. Even though Anil could not pay him, he agreed to feed him in exchange for cooking.
Q6. Why didn't Anil hand over Hari to the police? What effect would it have had on Hari?
Anil did not hand Hari over to the police because he wanted to reform him through trust, education, and kindness rather than punishment. Handing him over to the police would have hardened Hari into a permanent criminal.
Q7. Explain why the smile on Hari's face at the end came by itself without any effort.
The smile came naturally because Hari felt genuine relief, gratitude, and happiness seeing that Anil had forgiven him silently and accepted him back.
Q8. Insert the appropriate word or phrase in the sentence: 'The crime went ___ for 11 years.'
The crime went undetected for 11 years.
Exam tips
- Memorize the character traits of both Hari Singh and Anil for character sketch questions.
- Focus on the psychological shift in Hari Singh from a petty thief to an aspiring educated person.
- Practice framing Wh-questions and vocabulary exercises given in the English Workshop.
FAQs
Who is the author of 'The Thief's Story'?
The chapter is written by the famous Indian author Ruskin Bond.
What is the moral of 'The Thief's Story'?
The story teaches that love, trust, kindness, and education can reform even a criminal and change a person's life.
How much money did Hari steal from Anil?
Hari stole six hundred rupees in fifty-rupee notes from under Anil's mattress.
These notes were prepared with AI help from the Balbharati English Kumarbharati textbook (2026-27) and fact-checked against it.
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