The Lost Child

Explanation

IT was the festival of spring. From the wintry shades of narrow lanes and alleys emerged a gaily clad
humanity. Some walked, some rode on horses, others sat, being carried in bamboo and bullock carts.
One little boy ran between his father’s legs,brimming over with life and laughter.
wintry shades of narrow lanes and alleys: in the winter season, the narrow lanes were full of shade.
Emerged: came out
Brimming over: to be full of something
The story is set in the spring season. As the winter season had just ended, all the people came out of
their houses. They were cheerful as the chilling cold weather had ended. People conveyed through
different modes - foot, horses, bamboo carts and bullock carts. A little child was accompanied by his
parents. He ran excitedly and often banged into his father’s legs. He was full of life, excitement and
laughter.
“Come, child, come,” called his parents, as he lagged behind, fascinated by the toys in the shops that
lined the way.

Lagged behind: was left behind

Fascinated by: attracted to

Lined the way: were set up along the way.

The child was attracted to the toys which were displayed at the various stalls. As he would be left
behind, his parents would call him to come with them.

He hurried towards his parents, his feet obedient to their call, his eyes still lingering on the receding
toys. As he came to where they had stopped to wait for him, he could not suppress the desire of his
heart, even though he well knew the old, cold stare of refusal in their eyes.

Lingering: lasting for a long time

Receding: left behind as he walked ahead

Suppress: put an end to

Cold: without any feelings, emotions

The child was obedient and would walk towards them on being called but his eyes would keep on
looking at the toys that he wanted. As he reached them, he couldn't control his desire to buy a toy. He
was familiar to the reaction that they would give. He knew that they would stare him indicating denial to
buy him the toy. The child knew the emotionless way in which they would stare at him.

“I want that toy,” he pleaded.

The child was unable to control his desire any longer. He said that he wanted to buy the toy.

His father looked at him red-eyed, in his familiar tyrant’s way.

Tyrant: a cruel and oppressive ruler

His mother, melted by the free spirit of the day was tender and, giving him her finger to hold, said,
“Look, child, what is before you!”

Melted: became tender and loving

The mother became emotional due to the cheerful mood. Lovingly, she gave her finger to the child to
hold and guided him to a place. She asked him to see what was in front of him.

It was a flowering mustard-field, pale like melting gold as it swept across miles and miles of even land. A
group of dragonflies were bustling about on their gaudy purple wings, intercepting the flight of a lone
black bee or butterfly in search of sweetness from the flowers. The child followed them in the air with
his gaze, till one of them would still its wings and rest, and he would try to catch it. But it would go
fluttering, flapping, up into the air, when he had almost caught it in his hands. Then his mother gave a
cautionary call: “Come, child, come, come on to the footpath.”

Pale: dull, colourless

Gaudy: extremely bright and showy

There was a vast field full of bright yellow - coloured mustard flowers. They seemed like flowing streams
of gold and were widespread. A group pf dragonflies, black bees and butterflies buzzed around, sucking
the nectar from the flowers. The child looked at them as they flew around. When one of the sat
somewhere, he tried to catch them but the tiny creatures would fly away the next instance. The mother
called out to him as they started walking down the footpath.

He ran towards his parents gaily and walked abreast of them for a while, being, however, soon left
behind, attracted by the little insects and worms along the footpath that were teeming out from their
hiding places to enjoy the sunshine.

Abreast: side by side and facing the same way

Teeming out: to pour or empty out

The child ran towards his parents. He walked next to them but after few steps, he stopped to see the
insects who were coming out of the soil. Once again the child was left behind.

“Come, child, come!” his parents called from the shade of a grove where they had seated themselves on
the edge of a well. He ran towards them.

Grove: a small wood or group of trees

The parents called him. They sat next to a well under the shady trees. The child once again ran and
joined his parents.

A shower of young flowers fell upon the child as he entered the grove, and, forgetting his parents, he
began to gather the raining petals in his hands. But lo! he heard the cooing of doves and ran towards his
parents, shouting, “The dove! The dove!” The raining petals dropped from his forgotten hands.

As the child entered the shady forested area, he was welcomed by a shower of flowers. He forgot his
parents and started collecting the petals that had fallen. Just then he heard the cooing of doves and was
excited to see them. He started chasing the birds and in the process, the petals fell from his hand. (This
shows that as the child got attracted towards the next thing, he forgot what he had been doing earlier).
“Come, child, come!” they called to the child, who had now gone running in wild capers round the
banyan tree, and gathering him up they took the narrow, winding footpath which led to the fair through
the mustard fields.

Capers: a playful skipping movement

The parents called the child who was running and playing around a banyan tree. They lifted him and
walked down a narrow, twisting lane through which they crossed the mustard fields and reached the
fair.

As they neared the village the child could see many other footpaths full of throngs, converging to the
whirlpool of the fair, and felt at once repelled and fascinated by the confusion of the world he was
entering.

Throngs: huge crowds

Converging: gathering

As they were about to reach the fair, the child saw huge crowds of people walking from all directions
towards the fair. The dense crowd scared him and he stepped back for a while but the next moment, he
got attracted to the mind - boggling crowd of humanity.

A sweetmeat seller hawked, “gulab-jaman, rasagulla, burfi, jalebi,” at the corner of the entrance and a
crowd pressed round his counter at the foot of an architecture of many coloured sweets, decorated with
leaves of silver and gold. The child stared open-eyed and his mouth watered for the burfi that was his
favourite sweet. “I want that burfi,” he slowly murmured. But he half knew as he begged that his plea
would not be heeded because hisparents would say he was greedy. So without waiting for an answer he
moved on.

Heeded: paid attention to

At the entrance of the fair, to one corner, a sweetmeat seller had set up a shop. He was selling various
sweets like gulab jamun, rasgulla, burfi and jalebi. The sweets were displayed at different heights and
were covered with foils of gold and silver. The boy's mouth watered when he sighted his favourite burfi.
He expressed his desire to get one in a low voice because he knew that his request would be refuted by
his parents. They would say that he was greedy for the burfi. As he did not expect that his demand
would be fulfilled, he walked further.

A flower-seller hawked, “A garland of gulmohur, a garland of gulmohur!” The child seemed irresistibly
drawn. He went towards the basket where the flowers lay heaped and half murmured, “I want that
garland.” But he well knew his parents would refuse to buy him those flowers because they would say
that they were cheap. So, without waiting for an answer, he moved on.

The next stall was that of a flower seller. He announced that he was selling garlands of gulmohur
flowers. The child wanted one of those. He walked towards the basket of lowers and again announced
his desire to have one in a low voice because he knew that his demand would not be fulfilled. They
would refuse to buy him the flowers as they would say that they were cheap. Again, the boy walked
ahead without expecting a reply from his parents.

A man stood holding a pole with yellow, red, green and purple balloons flying from it. The child was
simply carried away by the rainbow glory of their silken colours and he was filled with an overwhelming
desire to possess them all. But he well knew his parents would never buy him the balloons because they
would say he was too old to play with such toys. So he walked on further.

Overwhelming: a very strong emotion

A snake-charmer stood playing a flute to a snake which coiled itself in a basket, its head raised in a
graceful bend like the neck of a swan, while the music stole into its invisible ears like the gentle rippling
of an invisible waterfall. The child went towards the snake-charmer. But, knowing his parents had
forbidden him to hear such coarse music as the snake-charmer played, he proceeded farther.

Forbidden: not allowed

Coarse: unpleasant

Then he paused at a snake charmer who was playing a flute and the snake was twisting it’s neck to the
music. The snake had coiled itself in a basket and had raised its head out. It bent and moved its neck
gracefully like a swan. It seemed that the music of the flute was heard by the snake’s invisible ears and
created the effect of a waterfall on it because it swayed its neck in a similar way. The boy walked
towards the snake charmer but as his parents had warned him to remain away from the unpleasant
music played by such men, he walked further.

There was a roundabout in full swing. Men, women and children, carried away in a whirling motion,
shrieked and cried with dizzy laughter. The child watched them intently and then he made a bold
request: “I want to go on the roundabout, please, Father, Mother.”

Then he saw the roundabout swing. It was full of men, women and children who were enjoying the ride.
The boy watched the people on the roundabout and then with a lot of courage, expressed his desire to
go on the roundabout.

There was no reply. He turned to look at his parents. They were not there, ahead of him. He turned to
look on either side. They were not there. He looked behind. There was no sign of them.

When his parents did not reply, he turned towards them. He saw that they were nowhere around. He
looked around and behind but his parents were nowhere to be seen.

A full, deep cry rose within his dry throat and with a sudden jerk of his body he ran from where he
stood, crying in real fear, “Mother, Father.” Tears rolled down from his eyes, hot and fierce; his flushed
face was convulsed with fear. Panic-stricken, he ran to one side first, then to the other, hither and
thither in all directions, knowing not where to go. “Mother, Father,” he wailed. His yellow turban came
untied and his clothes became muddy.

Hither and thither: here and there

The boy cried loudly, jerked his body and ran here and there calling out for his parents. He was full of
fear and tears started rolling down his cheeks. As he wailed and ran around his turban opened and his
clothes became muddy.

Having run to and fro in a rage of running for a while, he stood defeated, his cries suppressed into sobs.
At little distances on the green grass he could see, through his filmy eyes, men and women talking. He
tried to look intently among the patches of bright yellow clothes, but there was no sign of his father and
mother among these people, who seemed to laugh and talk just for the sake of laughing and talking.

Intently: carefully
After some time he gave up. The loud cries turned into mild sobs. He saw some people standing and
talking and tried to find if his parents were among them. The laughter and talks of the people were
meaningless for the child. He was simply searching for his parents.

He ran quickly again, this time to a shrine to which people seemed to be crowding. Every little inch of
space here was congested with men, but he ran through people’s legs, his little sob lingering: “Mother,
Father!” Near the entrance to the temple, however, the crowd became very thick: men jostled each
other, heavy men, with flashing, murderous eyes and hefty shoulders. The poor child struggled to thrust
a way between their feet but, knocked to and fro by their brutal movements, he might have been
trampled underfoot, had he not shrieked at the highest pitch of his voice, “Father, Mother!” A man in
the surging crowd heard his cry and, stooping with great difficulty, lifted him up in his arms.

Congested: full of

Hefty: large and heavy

Thrust: push

Knocked: hit

Brutal: harsh, rough

Trampled: crushed

Surging: powerful

The boy ran towards a temple which was crowded with people. He ran through the legs of men, calling
out for his parents. The crowd was pushing each other as he neared the entrance of the temple. The boy
got scared of huge strong men who starred people with their murderous eyes and pushed them with
their strong and big shoulders. The boy could have been crushed under the feet of the men had his cries
not been heard by a man in the crowd. He lifted the child.

“How did you get here, child? Whose baby are you?” the man asked as he steered clear of the mass. The
child wept more bitterly than ever now and only cried, “I want my mother, I want my father!”

As the man got the child out of the crowd, he asked him how he had reached there and what were his
parents’ names. The boy cried even more and repeated that he wanted to go to his parents.

The man tried to soothe him by taking him to the roundabout. “Will you have a ride on the horse?” he
gently asked as he approached the ring. The child’s throat tore into a thousand shrill sobs and he only
shouted, “I want my mother, I want my father!”

Soothe: relax, comfort

The man tried to relax the child by taking him to the roundabout swing. He offered him a ride but the
child screamed and wept loudly that he wanted his parents.

The man headed towards the place where the snake-charmer still played on the flute to the swaying
cobra. “Listen to that nice music, child!” he pleaded. But the child shut his ears with his fingers and
shouted his double-pitched strain: “I want my mother, I want my father!” The man took him near the
balloons, thinking the bright colours of the balloons would distract the child’s attention and quieten him.
“Would you like a rainbow coloured balloon?” he persuasively asked. The child turned his eyes from the
flying balloons and just sobbed, “I want my mother, I want my father!”
Pleaded: requested

Double - pitched strain: usage of a lot of force

The man started walking back on the same route which the child had taken. So he took the child to the
snake charmer. He asked him to listen to the nice music being played by the snake - charmer. The child
shut his ears with his fingers and screamed loudly that he wanted his parents. The man took the child to
the bright coloured balloons, hoping that he might get cheered by seeing them. He offered a balloon to
the child but he turned away and wept for father,

The man, still trying to make the child happy, bore him to the gate where the flower-seller sat. “Look!
Can you smell those nice flowers, child! Would you like a garland to put round your neck?”

Bore: carried

The man tried to make the child happy and took him to the flower seller. He asked him to smell the
fragrance of the flowers and offered him a garland.

The child turned his nose away from the basket and reiterated his sob, “I want my mother, I want my
father!”

Reiterated: repeated

The child refused to smell the flowers that he wanted to buy earlier because now, his priority was to get
his parents.

Thinking to humour his disconsolate charge by a gift of sweets, the man took him to the counter of the
sweet shop. “What sweets would you like, child?” he asked. The child turned his face from the sweet
shop and only sobbed, “I want my mother, I want my father!”

Disconsolate: very unhappy and unable to be comforted

Charge: a person or thing entrusted to the care of someone

Finally, the man took him to the sweet meat seller and offered to buy sweets for him. Still, the child did
not want his favourite sweet but wanted his parents.

Question and Answers

A. On his way to the fair, the child sees the following things- He saw toys that were displayed in the
shops lined up on the way. He saw the vast mustard field which seemed like melting gold. There were
brightly coloured dragonflies, butterflies and black bees which flapped their wings and sat on the flowers
to suck nectar from them. He also saw little insects and worms along the footpath that were crawling
out of the holes in the footpath to get sunshine. The child saw a dove bird in the grove. Also, he saw
hordes 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? Why does he move on without waiting for an
answer?

A. In the fair, the boy wanted the following things- He wanted to buy a burfi from the sweetmeat seller.
He wanted a garland of flowers from the flower seller. Next, he saw a balloon seller and wanted a
balloon. When he saw the snake - charmer he was attracted to the music of the flute and wanted to
listen to it. He wanted to take a ride on the roundabout swing.

The child moved ahead from all the stalls without waiting for a reply because he knew that his parents
would not heed to his demands. He knew their replies in each case would be as follows - For the burfi,
they would say that he was a greedy child. The garland of flowers would not be bought because it was
considered cheap. They would not buy him a balloon because he was grown up to play with it. The
child’s parents had warned him from listening to such unpleasant music as was played by the snake -
charmers.

3. 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 round about, 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- The child saw hefty men with murderous eyes and
got scared of them. He ran here and there looking for his parents. His turban untied. His clothes became
dirty. He was screaming at the top of his voice.

4. 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.

5. 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.