Supplementary Chapter 1 Class 9 NCERT: The Lost Child

About the Chapter and the Author

'The Lost Child' is written by Mulk Raj Anand, one of India's most celebrated English-language novelists, known for his sensitive portrayal of the poor and the marginalised (as also seen in his novel Untouchable). This story is the opening chapter of the supplementary reader 'Moments' prescribed for CBSE Class 9.

The story follows a nameless small child who goes to a village fair with his parents. On the way and at the fair, he is repeatedly attracted by things he sees — a toy shop, sweetmeats, a roundabout, a snake-charmer, a balloon-seller — but each time he wants his parents to buy it for him, they walk ahead without noticing. Absorbed in his desires, he gets separated from them in the crowd. Once lost, his desires vanish instantly, and all he wants is his parents. When a kind stranger offers him all the very things he wanted earlier — toys, sweets, a balloon, a ride on the roundabout — he refuses everything and cries only for his mother and father. The story ends with him still crying 'I want my mother, I want my father' as the man carries him through the crowd, searching.

Theme and Central Idea

Character Sketch

The Child

An innocent, curious boy who is easily attracted by colours, sounds, and objects at the fair. His innocence is shown by his instant, uncalculated attraction to everything he sees. After getting lost, his true priorities are revealed — his parents matter more than any toy or sweet, showing the depth of a child's emotional bond with family.

The Parents

Present but largely silent figures in the story; they walk ahead absorbed in the fair themselves, not noticing the child's repeated requests. Their lack of response unintentionally leads to the child's separation, though there is no malice — just the ordinary distraction of a crowded fair.

The Stranger (kind man)

A sympathetic man who finds the lost child crying and tries to console him by offering all the things the child had wanted earlier — toys, sweets, the roundabout ride, the balloon. His failure to console the child with material things highlights the story's central message.

How the Story Builds Suspense — Step by Step

1. Step 1: The journey to the fair — The child walks with his parents through fields, watching a grasshopper, a colourful bird, and a young calf — showing his natural curiosity even before reaching the fair.
2. Step 2: Temptation 1 — The sweet shop — He begs for burfi and jalebi, but his father hurries him along; his desire is unmet but not yet urgent.
3. Step 3: Temptation 2, 3, 4 — Toys, garlands, the roundabout — Each new attraction repeats the same pattern: desire, request, refusal or no response, and the child moving further from his parents' attention as the crowd grows thicker.
4. Step 4: The snake-charmer and the crowd — The child is momentarily distracted by a snake-charmer's music; when he turns to find his parents, they are gone — this is the turning point of the story.
5. Step 5: Panic and the search — The child runs frantically, calling for his parents, no longer interested in anything at the fair — his emotional state has completely reversed from desire to fear.
6. Step 6: The stranger's failed comfort — A kind man picks him up and offers, one by one, all the things the child wanted earlier. The child refuses every single one, crying only 'I want my mother, I want my father,' which delivers the story's emotional and thematic climax.

Common Mistakes Students Make

• Writing the summary as a list of fair attractions without connecting it to the theme of desire vs. security — examiners want thematic understanding, not just plot recall.
• Forgetting to mention that the child refuses ALL the offered items at the end — this refusal is the most important detail proving the theme.
• Calling the story a simple 'moral story about not wandering off' — the actual CBSE-expected theme is about the depth of a child's need for parental love over material pleasure.
• Misspelling the author's name — it is Mulk Raj Anand, not 'Mulkraj Anand' or 'Mulk Raj Anad'.
• Not using quotation-based evidence (e.g., 'I want my mother, I want my father') when asked for character analysis or theme-based answers.

Board Exam Tip

CBSE often asks value-based or HOTS questions like 'What according to you can be a possible reason that the lost child refuses the things he most wanted?' Always answer with the theme angle: material things give momentary joy, but emotional security from family is a deeper, non-negotiable need. Support your answer with the repeated refrain 'I want my mother, I want my father' as textual evidence — this earns full marks in value-based questions.

Practice Questions with Solutions

• Q: What are the things that the child wants at the fair? List them in order. A: Step 1: The child first wants burfi and jalebi at the sweet shop. Step 2: He then wants toys displayed at a shop. Step 3: Next, he wants garlands of gulmohur flowers. Step 4: He wants to ride the roundabout swings. Step 5: He is attracted by the snake-charmer's music (though he does not explicitly ask for this one, it distracts him). Final answer: In order — sweets, toys, garlands, a ride on the roundabout, and finally the balloon offered later by the stranger.
• Q: Why does the child lag behind his parents again and again? A: Step 1: At each attraction — the sweet shop, the toy shop, the garland seller, the roundabout — the child stops walking to look at or ask for the item. Step 2: His parents, absorbed in their own excitement about the fair, do not notice him stopping and keep walking ahead. Step 3: By the time the child looks up, he has to run to catch up, and this pattern repeats until the crowd near the snake-charmer finally separates them completely. Final answer: The child lags behind because he keeps getting distracted by tempting sights, while his parents walk on without waiting for him each time.
• Q: 'The child was lost.' What happens to his desires once he realises he is lost? A: Step 1: Before getting lost, the child wanted sweets, toys, garlands, and a ride on the roundabout. Step 2: The moment he realises he cannot see his parents, all these desires vanish instantly. Step 3: His only want becomes his parents — he runs through the crowd crying and searching for them. Final answer: All his material desires disappear completely; his sole want becomes reunion with his parents, showing that emotional security matters more than any object.
• Q: How does the stranger try to console the lost child, and why does he fail? A: Step 1: The stranger finds the crying child and lifts him up gently. Step 2: He offers the child, one by one, all the things he had wanted earlier at the fair — a ride on the roundabout, sweets, a balloon, and even offers to take him to see the snake-charmer. Step 3: The child rejects each offer and continues to cry only for his mother and father. Final answer: The stranger fails because no material object can substitute for the emotional need for parents; this is the central theme of the story — worldly pleasures cannot replace family love and security.
• Q: What message does Mulk Raj Anand convey through 'The Lost Child'? A: Step 1: Throughout the fair, the child is shown as easily tempted by colourful, exciting things. Step 2: Once lost, none of those temptations matter to him anymore. Step 3: His repeated cry 'I want my mother, I want my father' shows that emotional bonds and security are the deepest human needs. Final answer: The author conveys that material pleasures are temporary and superficial, while the love and security of family are the truest and most essential human needs, especially evident in moments of fear or loss.

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