AMBER INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL,
DHOKALI, THANE (W)
2020-21
SUB:ENGLISH (Moments)
STD: IX
1. The Lost Child
- Mulk Raj Anand
About the author
Mulk Raj Anand – was an Indian writer in English. He was notable for his depiction
of the lives of the suppressed and deprived sections in the traditional Indian
society.
Date of Birth: 12 December 1905
Date of Death: 28 September 2004
Anand was one of the pioneers of Indo-Anglian fiction. He, together with R. K.
Narayan and Raja Rao, was one of the Trio of Indian English Novelists. Anand’s
novels and short stories are noted for their perceptive insight into the lives of the
oppressed classes.
He received Padma Bhushan.
His famous works include:
Novels: Untouchable; Coolie; Two leaves and a Bud; The Village; Across the Black
Waters; The Sword and the Sickle; The Big Heart; The Lost Child; The Private life
of an Indian Prince; The Road
Autobiographies: Seven Summers; Morning Face; Conversations in Bloomsbury;
Pilpali Sahab.
Summary
“The Lost Child” is a short story written by Mulk Raj Anand, an eminent
Indian English writer. Anand is one of the famous Trio of Indian English
Novelists. This story depicts children’s psychology. The story is set in
a rural village with all its charm, pomp and gaiety during the spring
festival season.
A small child goes to a fare along with his parents, during a spring
season. The child is filled with joy and happiness on seeing the fun,
pomp, and gaiety around him. There were many stalls selling a variety
of things such as toys, sweetmeats, flowers, balloons, etc. There were
snake charmers and merry-go-round and many other attractions.
Attracted by the colourful items in the stalls, the child stops at every
stall to enjoy watching them. But as the parents find the child lagging
behind, they keep shouting at him and ask him to move fast along with
them. He has to keep moving lest he is lost in the crowd. The child
pesters his parents to buy the toys, sweetmeats, flowers, balloons, etc.
but in vain. The child also knows that his parents would refuse his
request and strictly say ‘No’ to his request.
At the merry-go-round, the child stops. He is determined to request his
parents for a round. But he finds his parents nowhere near. The child
is overpowered by the fear and starts crying frantically. He searches
for his parents by running here and there. But, he could not find them
anywhere. He only utters the words ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ in a loud and
frantic voice.
The child reaches a temple and searches for his parents there. He is
almost trampled in the rush of the people there. Then, a stranger saves
him from the crowd. He tries to pacify the child by taking the child to
the stalls and offering the toys, sweets, flowers, and colourful balloons.
But the child does not show any interest in them and cries in a loud
voice
that
he
wants
only
his
mother
and
father.
Interestingly, all the things which had appealed so much to the child
are no longer attractive. The story ends at this point without telling
whether the child got his parents back or not. Thus, the story portrays
child psychology very effectively.
SOLVED QUESTIONS AND THE QUESTIONS TO BE
SOLVED
I.
Answer the following questions in 30-40 words
1:How did the child react when there was no sign of his parents ?
Answer:
The child was very innocent. He gets confused and panic-stricken on not
seeing his parents. He felt lonely without his parents amidst so much of crowd.
The man who tries to console the child also does not achieve any success as the
boy only needs his parents and no monetary benefit.
2:How did the man who found the little boy in the fair, try to soothe him ?
Answer:
The man who found the little boy in the fair tried every possible way to soothe
him. He took him to a roundabout swing then offered a horse ride, tried to
make him listen to the snake charmer’s song and offered him a balloon, as he
thought that this would distract his mind, but in vain. He offered him flowers
and sweets, but the child kept crying. The child could not be distracted by any
of the things at the fair as he longed to be with his parents.
3:Compare the attitude of the child before and after his separation from his
parents.
Answer:
Before separation the child was very happy and excited at the fair. He was
fascinated with all the things that were displayed at the stalls. He wanted to
have all the things like his favourite toys, sweets, flowers, etc. He also wanted
to go for a ride. But after separation the boy just wanted to be with his
parents. He was not interested in any of those things which he kept longing to
have from the stalls. In the absence of his parents these things did not give
him any satisfaction.
4: Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted
earlier?
Answer:
The lost child loses interest in the things that he wanted earlier because now
he is sad as he has lost his parents. Before getting anything of his choice like
sweets, flowers, balloons, joy rides and music, he wants to reunite with his
mother and father.
QUESTION TO BE SOLVED
5: What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?
II.
Answer the following questions in 100-150 words
1: In the fair the child wanted many things. What were they? Why did he
move on without waiting for an answer?
Answer:
The child wanted many things at the fair.
1.His eyes first set on the shop of a sweetmeat seller. His mouth watered for
the burfi, which was his favourite sweet. He knew his plea would not be
heeded because his parents would call him greedy. Therefore, he moved on.
2.He then saw a flower-seller. He was irresistibly drawn towards the flowers
and wanted a garland. However, he knew his parents would refuse saying that
they were cheap. Hence, he moved further ahead.
3.He was then carried away by the colours of the different balloons and had
an overwhelming desire to possess them. He moved ahead without asking his
parents as he knew they would say that he was too old to play with such toys.
4.He next went towards a snake charmer. However, knowing that his parents
had forbidden him from hearing such coarse music as the snake charmer
played, he carried on.The boy moved on without waiting for an answer
because he knew that his request would be denied at each step.
2: When does he realize that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and
insecurity been described?
Answer:
After getting fascinated by a number of things, he finally sets his eyes on a
roundabout swing. He intently watched the men, women and children who
were enjoying the ride. He finally made a bold request and asked his parents
to let him ride the swing. When he heard no reply, he turned around to look
for his parents. It was then that he realized that he was lost. A full, deep cry
rose within his dry throat and he suddenly ran from where he stood. He cried
in real fear and called out to his parents. Tears rolled down from his eyes. His
flushed face was convulsed with fear. As he was panic-stricken, he ran in all
directions searching for his parents. Later, his cries were suppressed into
sobs. He kept looking for his parents and calling out to them.
QUESTION TO BE SOLVED
3: What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag
behind?