CBSE Class 10 · English · board exam 2027
Chapter 2: The Thief's Story — notes
The chapter’s 6 parts in the book’s order — the first idea of each and the points Medha Ma’am writes on the board — and the summary at the end. The full lesson and a check question for each part are in the app.
1. Hari Singh meets Anil
Okay, so let's meet the narrator of this story.
- • Narrator: Hari Singh, 15 years old
- • Already an 'experienced and fairly successful hand' at thieving
- • Meets Anil, about 25, tall, lean, easy-going
- • Uses flattery to befriend him
- • Lies about his name and about cooking
- • Changes name every month to dodge police
2. Life with Anil
Okay, so let's see what happens once Anil takes Hari Singh in.
- • Hari Singh sleeps on Anil's balcony
- • Cooks badly; Anil still keeps him on
- • Anil teaches him to write his name
- • Promises: whole sentences, adding numbers
- • Hari Singh skims about a rupee a day from shopping
- • Anil earns 'by fits and starts' writing for magazines
3. The decision to steal
Okay, so let's see what happens one evening.
- • Anil sells a book; brings home notes
- • Tucks money under mattress
- • Hari Singh had a key; Anil trusted him fully
- • Easy to rob greedy man; hard to rob careless man
- • Hari Singh decides: 'time I did some real work'
- • Steals the notes at night while Anil sleeps
4. Running, and missing the train
Okay, so, Hari Singh has just taken 600 rupees, all in fifties.
- • Hari Singh steals 600 rupees in fifties
- • Runs for the 10.30 Lucknow Express
- • Hesitates, misses the train
- • Alone on the platform: no friends, nowhere to go
- • Reactions to theft: greedy=fear, rich=anger, poor=acceptance
- • Anil's face would show only sadness, for loss of trust
5. Returning the money
Okay, so picture Hari Singh, sitting by the clock tower, damp and cold, at midnight.
- • Hari Singh reflects by the clock tower, midnight
- • Realises: writing sentences worth more than money
- • Stealing is simple; being clever & respected is not
- • Decides to return to Anil to learn to read and write
- • Creeps back, slips notes under the mattress
- • 'Easier to steal than to return it undetected'
6. Anil's quiet forgiveness
Okay, so let's look at what happens the next morning.
- • Morning: Anil gives Hari Singh a fifty-rupee note
- • Says: 'Now you'll be paid regularly'
- • Note is still wet from the night's rain
- • Hari Singh realises: Anil knows about the theft
- • Anil shows nothing; says 'we'll start writing sentences'
- • Hari Singh's smile comes 'without any effort'
Summary
Okay, so let's go over the story once more. Hari Singh tells it himself — he's a 15-year-old thief. He meets Anil, a kind and trusting writer, and starts working for him. He learns to cook, and he slowly starts learning to write too. Now, Anil gets some money from selling a book. That night, while Anil sleeps, Hari Singh steals 600 rupees from under his mattress. He tells himself it's hard to rob a careless man, but he also feels he deserves the money. He rushes to catch a train to Lucknow — but he hesitates, and misses it. He spends a cold, rainy night outside, thinking about how different men react when they're robbed. Slowly, he realises Anil won't feel the loss of the money — he'll only feel sad about losing trust. Sitting alone there, something changes in him. He understands that learning to write whole sentences matters more for his future than those stolen notes. So he creeps back quietly, and returns the money without anyone knowing. The next morning, Anil gives him a fifty-rupee note — still damp from the rain. He never says a word about the theft, but that damp note tells Hari Singh that Anil knows everything. Anil simply goes on teaching him to write. And this time, Hari Singh's smile comes to him without any effort at all. Now tell me — why do you think that smile felt different from before?
Ask Medha · Medha Ma’am — CBSE Class 10 English, Chapter 2. Written from the textbook, checked twice.
Questions parents and students ask
- How do I get the "The Thief's Story" notes as a PDF?
- Press "Save as PDF" — the phone’s print sheet opens; choose "Save as PDF" there. The PDF holds the notes only.
- Where are these notes written from?
- From the chapter’s own textbook text, part by part, in the book’s own terms; a second, independent model then checked every part against the book. The full lesson, a check question for each part and the practice are in the Ask Medha app.
The same preparation, with Medha Ma’am — on your phone
Every question of every chapter with its model answer, practice questions in the board’s own shapes, 45 minutes of class a day, written answers marked, a test every Sunday and a WhatsApp report to parents.
Medha Ma’am is an AI teacher, not a live tutor. Every answer is checked twice; a person takes responsibility.