Introduction

The author shows how much a child loves his parents in the story “The lost child.” It’s a story about a young boy on his way to the fair who gets distracted by things around him. He wants many things at the fair. He knows that his parents would say no, so he goes ahead with his plan. When he is away from his parents, none of these things make him want to go back.

Summary

It was the spring holiday. The spring fair was where everyone was going. The child and his parents were going to the fair. The child was excited and happy. He was interested in a lot of things around him, but toys were his favourite. The purple dragonflies, black bee, and butterfly flying around the mustard flowers also caught the child’s eye. He wanted to catch one, but his mother called him. Small bugs and worms on the path also caught his attention. In the grove, he also picked up the petals. He also heard some doves cooing, so he ran around the banyan tree.

The parents and child went through the mustard fields on their way to the fair. The child heard the sweet meat seller at the fair selling Gulab jamuns, Rasgulla, Burfi, jalebi, and other sweets.
The child was drawn to Burfi, which was his favourite candy, and he wanted some. But he knew that his parents would call him greedy if he asked for it. So, he didn’t wait for them to answer before moving on. Then, the child was drawn to the garlands that Gulmohar was wearing, and he wanted one too. But he knew that his parents would think it was too cheap and wouldn’t buy it, so he moved on. Also, the child saw a man selling balloons and wanted to buy all of the different coloured ones. He wanted to play with them, but he knew his parents would tell him he was too old, so he walked away.

The child saw a snake charmer as he walked. He was playing music for the snake on a flute. Then he remembered that his parents had told him not to listen to that kind of music. So, he went elsewhere. Then, he saw a circle. He asked his parents to take him around the roundabout. But there was no answer. The child turned around to look for his parents, but he couldn’t find them. He then realised that he was lost and no longer with his parents.
As soon as the child realised he was lost, he began to cry. He was scared and started calling for his parents. He looked in every direction to see if he could find them. He couldn’t see them, though. His clothes were dirty, and the yellow turban on his head was no longer tied. He ran quickly to a shrine where many people were gathering. Near the temple, there was a huge crowd of people. The child tried to find his parents in the crowd, but people kept pushing him back.

When the child cried out in the crowd, a man picked him up. He asked the child who his parents were and how he got to live with them. But all the child said was that he wanted his parents. He took the kid to the roundabout. He offered to take him somewhere, but the child kept crying for his parents. The man gave the child a lot of things to do to get his attention off of him. The man took him to where the snake-charmer was playing the flute and told the child to listen to the music. The man also brought him close to the balloons and gave him one. He also took him to the flower seller and gave the child a garland to wear around his neck. He then took the child to a candy store and gave him candy. But none of these things interested the child. He only wanted and cried for his parents.