Footprints Without Feet: The Thief's Story

Author: Ruskin Bond
Class: 10 (MP Board - English General)
Genre: Short Story (Crime, Trust, and Transformation)

Hari Singh: A 15-year-old experienced thief who changes his name every month to escape police and former employers. He is clever, observant, but eventually undergoes a moral transformation.
Anil: A 25-year-old writer who is tall, lean, trusting, and easy-going. He struggles to make a steady income and writes for magazines.

The Meeting: Hari Singh meets Anil at a wrestling match and flatters him to win his trust.
The Employment: Hari asks for work. Anil says he cannot pay him, but agrees to let him cook if he knows how to cook. (Hari's first meal was terrible; Anil gave it to a stray dog and told him to buzz off).
Learning and Growing: Anil teaches Hari to cook, write his name, and promises to teach him to write whole sentences and add numbers. Hari enjoys working for Anil and makes a profit of a rupee a day from buying daily supplies.
The Theft: Anil brings home a small bundle of notes after selling a book to a publisher. Hari sees him tuck the money under the mattress. That night, tempted by the cash, Hari steals the money (about 600 rupees) and runs toward the railway station to catch the Lucknow Express.
The Dilemma & Transformation: Hari misses the train intentionally. He wanders out into the cold, drizzling night, realizing he has no place to go, no friends, and only Anil who could have educated him.
The Return: Hari returns to the room and silently slips the damp notes back under the mattress.
The Climax/Ending: The next morning, Anil wakes up late and makes tea. He gives Hari a fifty-rupee note (which is still wet from the rain) and says, "Today we'll start writing sentences." Hari smiles genuinely, knowing his crime was discovered, but Anil chose forgiveness over punishment.

Human Values and Relationships: Trust and kindness can change a criminal better than punishment.
Education and Transformation: Education opens up new horizons and helps a person earn an honest living ("It was a big step, he said, I should soon be able to write like an educated man").
The Dual Nature of Human Beings: Even a hardened thief has a conscience and a desire for a respectable life.

Flattery (खुशामद): Excessive and insincere praise.
Modest (मामूली / विनम्र): Unassuming or moderate in the estimation of one's abilities.
Undetected (बिना पकड़े गए): Not noticed or discovered.
Hesitated (हिचकिचाया): Pause before saying or doing something.
Appeal (आकर्षण / अपील): Make a serious or urgent request.
Conscience (अंतरात्मा): A person's moral sense of right and wrong.

Q1: Why did Hari Singh change his name every month?
Answer: Hari Singh changed his name every month to stay ahead of the police and his former employers, from whom he usually stole.
Q2: Why did Anil hire Hari Singh?
Answer: Anil hired Hari because Hari asked for work, and when Anil said he couldn't pay him, Hari asked if he could feed him. When Hari lied that he knew how to cook, Anil let him stay.
Q3: How did Hari make a profit for himself?
Answer: Hari made a profit of about one rupee a day by keeping the money meant for buying daily groceries.
Q4: Why could Hari not catch the train?
Answer: When the train started, Hari hesitated and failed to board it. He felt a strange guilt because he realized that Anil trusted him, and losing education (which Anil promised to teach) was worse than losing money.
Q5: How did Hari know that Anil had forgiven him?
Answer: The next morning, Anil gave Hari a fifty-rupee note that was still damp from the night's rain. Anil did not mention the theft, showing complete forgiveness and acceptance.

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