It was the season of spring. The people of the village came out of their houses, in colourful attire and walked towards the fair. A child along with his parents was going to the fair and was very excited and happy. He was attracted to the stalls of toys and sweets. Though his father got angry, his mother pacified him and diverted his attention toward other things. The child moved forward but once again lagged because his eyes were caught by one thing or the other, every now and then. As they moved forward, the child wanted the various things on the stalls. His mouth watered seeing sweets decorated with gold and silver leaves. He wanted his favourite burfi but knowing that his parents would refuse on the ground that he was greedy, he walked ahead. Then he saw the beautiful garlands of Gulmohar but didn’t ask for them, then he saw balloons, but he knew very well that his parents would deny it because he was too old to play with balloons, so he walked away. Then he saw a snake charmer and a roundabout swing. As he stopped to ask his parents for permission to enjoy the swing, to his astonishment, there was no reply. Neither his father nor his mother was there. Now the child realized that he was lost. He ran here and there but could not find them. The place was overcrowded. He got terrified but suddenly a kind-hearted man took him up in his arms and consoled the bitterly weeping child. He asked if he would like to have a joyride, but the child sobbed “I want my father, I want my mother.” The man offered him sweets, balloons, and garland but the child kept sobbing “I want my father, I want my mother.”

1. Page 1 of 6
Chapter: The Lost Child
by Mulk Raj Anand
• Any experience (Personal or Known) about getting lost in a fair or huge crowd;
finding out what can be the best way to stay safe/find your family
Notebook Work (USE ONLY BLUE INK PEN, Do not use Black Ink Pen to Write
Questions.)
1. About the Author
2. Summary – in Notebook
3. Vocabulary (5 Adjectives and 5 Adverbs from the story – Make a List in Notebook)
4. Do the Questions given in‘Red’in the notebook.
5. Hands-on Activity (In Notebook)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mulk Raj Anand was born in 1905 in Peshawar in present-day Pakistan. A pioneer of Indian
writing in English, he gained an international following early in his life. His novels Coolie and
Untouchable set an entire generation of educated Indians thinking about India's social evils that
were perpetuated in the name of religion and tradition. The genius of
his writing is evident through the versatility of his writing. He has
written stories that children love to read.
An incredibly prolific writer, Mulk Raj Anand's creative career
spanning a period of more than seventy-five years has been
inextricably intertwined with the search for a just, equitable, and
forward-looking India
Mulk Raj Anand received the International Peace Prize from World
Peace Council. Sahitya Akademi Award, "Padma Bhushan" and
Leverhulme Fellowship are some of the awards and accolades during
his long literary career. The Library of Congress has more than one
hundred and fifty publications by and on him in its collection.
(Search of the meanings of the ‘new/difficult’ words mentioned in the Author Introduction.)

2. Page 2 of 6
SUMMARY (only for Reading – not for Notebook)
It was the season of spring. The people of the village came out of their houses, in colourful attire
and walked towards the fair. A child along with his parents was going to the fair and was very
excited and happy. He was attracted to the stalls of toys and sweets. Though his father got angry,
his mother pacified him and diverted his attention toward other things. The child moved forward
but once again lagged because his eyes were caught by one thing or the other, every now and
then.
As they moved forward, the child wanted the various things on the stalls. His mouth watered
seeing sweets decorated with gold and silver leaves.
He wanted his favourite burfi but knowing that his parents would refuse on the ground that he
was greedy, he walked ahead. Then he saw the beautiful garlands of Gulmohar but didn’t ask for
them, then he saw balloons, but he knew very well that his parents would deny it because he was
too old to play with balloons, so he walked away.
Then he saw a snake charmer and a roundabout swing. As he stopped to ask his parents for
permission to enjoy the swing, to his astonishment, there was no reply. Neither his father nor his
mother was there. Now the child realized that he was lost. He ran here and there but could not
find them. The place was overcrowded. He got terrified but suddenly a kind-hearted man took
him up in his arms and consoled the bitterly weeping child. He asked if he would like to have a
joyride, but the child sobbed “I want my father, I want my mother.” The man offered him sweets,
balloons, and garland but the child kept sobbing “I want my father, I want my mother.”
QUESTIONS (For NOTEBOOK)
1. What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind?
A. On his way to the fair, the child sees the following things-
1. He saw toys that were displayed in the shops lined up on the way.
2. He saw the vast mustard field which seemed like melting gold.
3. There were brightly coloured dragonflies, butterflies, and black bees who flapped their wings
and sat on the flowers to suck nectar from them.

3. Page 3 of 6
4. He also saw little insects and worms along the footpath that were crawling out of the holes in
the footpath to get sunshine.
5. The child saw a dove bird in the grove.
6. Also, he saw crowds of people walking towards the fair.
The child often lagged behind because he would watch the different happenings around him. He
would get attracted to these things and would stop in his way. Then, his parents would walk
ahead and he would be left behind.
2. In the fair he wants many things. What are they?
A. In the fair, the boy wanted the following things-
1. He wanted to buy a burfi from the sweetmeat seller.
2. He wanted a garland of flowers from the flower seller.
3. Next, he saw a balloon seller and wanted a balloon.
4. When he saw the snake - charmer he was attracted to the music of the flute and wanted to
listen to it.
5. He wanted to take a ride on the roundabout swing.
3. Why does he move on without waiting for an answer?
The child moved ahead from all the stalls without waiting for a reply because he knew that his
parents would not heed his demands. He knew their replies in each case would be as follows -
1. For the burfi, they would say that he was a greedy child.
2. The garland of flowers would not be bought because it was considered cheap.
3. They would not buy him a balloon because he was grown up to play with it.
4. The child’s parents had warned him from listening to such unpleasant music as was played by
the snake - charmers.

4. Page 4 of 6
4. When does he realise that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and insecurity been
described?
A. When the child raised his demand for a ride on the roundabout, his parents did not reply. He
moved his head up to look for them. It was then that he discovered that he had lost his way. His
anxiety and insecurity have been described in the following ways-
1. The child saw hefty men with murderous eyes and got scared of them.
2. He ran here and there looking for his parents.
3. His turban untied.
4. His clothes became dirty.
5. He was screaming at the top of his voice.
5. Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?
A. 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.
6. What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?
A. The ending of the story is not given. I think that in the end, the boy finds his parents standing
at the fair reception. Thus, the child finds his parents and they reunite once again.
7. What was his father’s reaction to his demands?
Answer: The child was very happy at the fair. He wanted to have a toy. His father perhaps could
not afford it. He looked at him rudely and with anger. The child said nothing and kept on
moving.
8. What kind of a lady was his mother?
Answer: His mother was a very kind lady. Her attitude was very tender. Whenever the child
wanted to buy something, she tried to divert his attention to something else. She did not scold
him.
9. Describe the path of the fair.
Answer: There was a walking distance from the village to the fair. The path went through the
lanes and then there was a narrow, winding footpath through the mustard fields.

5. Page 5 of 6
10. Why was the child forbidden to hear the music?
Answer: The child was fascinated by the flute music of the snake-charmer. He wanted to stop
there and enjoy the music. His parents did not allow him to hear that. They considered the flute
music cheap and coarse. So he was forbidden to hear that.
Hands-on Activity: (For Notebook)
Put the Sentence in Proper Order to make a Summary of the story:
• A kind person picks up the child and tries to console him.
• He offers him balloons and all the other things, which he wanted earlier.
• The child asks his parents for all these things.
• But, now the child wants only his mother and father. Parents have no desire to purchase
these things for the child. They simply say no to him.
• Suddenly the child gets separated from his parents.
• The child is being taken to the fair by his parents.
• He keeps crying and says, “I want my father, I want my mother”.
• The child starts crying and asking for his father and mother.
• The crowd is large. So the parents are holding the hand of their child to keep him safe.
Extra Knowledge (Self-Learning Task): Not for Notebook Writing
Research about Sudha Murthy, R K Narayan, Roopa Pai, and J K Rowling –
Famous writers of Children’s Literature

6. Page 6 of 6
Value of the Lesson:
Empathy towards fellow humans,
understanding the attachment with parents,
and discipline among children to keep
themselves safe!