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THEME

The story is based on the theme of close bond that children share with their parents. The lost child forgets all about his desires and yearns deeply for his parents when he fails to nd them. Everything else loses its signicance and the only thing that matters is his wish to be reunited with his parents.

MESSAGE

The story conveys the message that children love their parents unconditionally. The lost child thinks of his father as a strict person when he demands toys from him. He does not press his parents for sweets or garlands etc because he accepts that they will never grant him his wish. However, he gets scared when he realises that he is lost. He cries inconsolably for his parents and forgets all about his cravings for sweets, garlands, snake-charmer’s show, and even the ride on a roundabout. This message of the story makes the reader understand the worth of parents in the life of a child.

Summary of the lesson 

It was a day of spring-festival and all the villagers were going brightly dressed to a fair. A little boy and his parents were also among them. The kid was excited and thrilled to see the small toy shops on the way and the ies and bees in the elds. His parents kept calling him over and reminded him to walk beside them.

 At last they reached the fair and a large crowd of people left the boy confused. He was happy and bewildered at the same time. He saw a sweetmeat seller at the entrance and was tempted to have the b u r  displayed on the counter. He demanded the sweet half-heartedly because he knew that instead of buying it for him, his parents would term him greedy. So he moved on and soon came across a ower-seller. Fascinated by the g u l m o h u r garlands, he again made a faint demand for owers but knew well that his parents would not buy anything, for owers were cheap in their opinion. Moving on, he saw a balloon-seller. He was thrilled to see the brightly coloured balloons but knew that his parents would not buy one for him because they thought that he was too old to play with balloons. Next, a snake-charmer playing a ute drew his attention. The child moved towards him a little but withdrew his steps because he knew that his parents had forbidden him to hear such rough music. On moving ahead the child was charmed by a roundabout in full swing. Failing to resist his desire, he made a bold request to his parents to let him go on the roundabout.

 The child did not get any reply, so he turned to look at his parents. They were not to be seen anywhere near him. He got extremely scared and started crying. He ran here and there but could not nd them. He rushed in panic to a shrine which was crowded with people. He tried to make his way through the feet of this crowd but was knocked down and began crying loudly. A man heard his cries and rescued him from being trampled.

 Lifting the little boy in his arms, the kind man asked him how had he got there and whose baby he was. The scared child did not answer and kept crying and asking for his parents. The good man tried to soothe him and took him to the roundabout oering to get him a ride on the horse. But the child did not want anything else other than his mother and father. The man took the inconsolable child to the snake-charmer, the balloon-seller, and the ower-seller one by one. He oered to fulll all wishes that he had made just a little while ago, but the child turned down all the oers. He just wanted his parents and nothing else.

1. What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind? 

Answer: The child sees a number of things which fascinate him on his way to the fair 

• Firstly, he saw toys at a shop. 
• Then he saw a flowering mustard field. 
•  In the fields, the child also saw dragon flies, butterflies fluttering their wings.
•  Then while walking on the footpath he was amazed by the insects and worms.
• When he entered the grove he saw doves which were cooing .
• As he neared the village with his parents, he saw huge crowds of people going to the fair. 
•  The child also came across sweetmeat seller selling sweets like burfi and gulabjamun and a little further he came across a flower seller who was selling a garland of gulmohar.
•  Walking ahead, he saw a man selling rainbow colour balloons.
• He also saw a snake charmer who stood playing a flute to a snake.
• Finally, before losing track of his parents he saw a roundabout swing.                                                                                                                                                                                                 The child keeps lagging behind his parents on the way and his mother and father have to constantly call him so that he doesn’t lag behind. This is because the child is fascinated by all the things he sees on his way. At times, he stops to be able to buy toys and at other times he stops to admire the beauty of the nature – collecting flowers, catching butterflies. 

2. In the fair he wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting for an Answer? 

Answer: The child many things in fair. They are 

•  Toys and Balloons 
• Sweets from the sweetmeat seller 
•  Garland of gulmohar
• Watching the snake charmer play flute to a snake 
• A ride in the roundabout 

The boy moved on without waiting for an Answer because he knew that his request would be denied at each step. 

 

3. When does he realize that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and insecurity been described? 

Answer: He realizes that he has lost his way when on reaching the roundabout; he stopped to observe it moving in full swing, with men, women and children enjoying themselves on it. Watching them intently he turned to his parents to ask for permission to go on the rounds but there was no reply from them. He turned to look for them but they were not there. He looked all around but there was no sign of them. A full, deep cry rose within his dry throat and with a sudden jerk of his body he ran from where he stood, crying out in real fear “Mother, Father.” Tears rolled down from his eyes, his flushed face was convulsed with fear. Panic-stricken, he ran from one side to the other, in all directions, knowing not where to go. His yellow turban came untied and his clothes became muddy. 

 

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 had wanted earlier because he was panic stricken on being separated from his parents. All he wanted was to be united with them. All the things that attracted him in the fair no longer appeal to him and now the only thing that matters is finding his parents. 

 

5. What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents? 

Answer:  In the end the parents, who continuously kept checking to see that he was with them right from the beginning of their journey may have suddenly realized that he was missing and come looking for the lost child. The kind and understanding man who tried to console the little boy by offering him various things at the fair may have also asked him for some description of his parents and helped him to be reunited with them.