What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why is he lagging behind?
On his way to the fair, the child saw a person selling toys, a flower seller, a sweetmeat seller, a balloon seller, snake charmer and many swings. He stopped at every stall to take a closer look at things. This made him lag behind.
In the fair, he wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting for an answer?
The child wanted to eat some sweets from the sweetmeat seller and a garland of flowers. A man who was standing with colourful balloons attracted the child and he wanted to have them all. He also wanted to hear the music of the snake charmer. He wanted to go on the roundabout and have some fun. From every place, he moves on without waiting for an answer from his parents because he knew that they would not accept his request.
When does he realize that he has lost his way? How has his anxiety and insecurity been described?
When the child saw a roundabout he got very excited and made a bold request to his parents that he wanted to go to the roundabout. He knew that his request would not be entertained, however, when he did not get any reply he turned back and found that his parents were nowhere to be seen. It was then that he realised that he had lost his way. The author has described the boy’s insecurity by stating that a deep cry went through his throat and his eyes and face were convulsed with fear.
Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?
(CBSE SA-I, 2011)
The child was excited about many things in the fair but knew that if he would ask for anything from his parents, their reply would be in the negative. He lost interest in everything that enticed him earlier when he realised that he was lost and his parents were nowhere to be seen. After realising that, his only interest was in finding them and not in any of the other things of the fair.
What do you think happens in the end? Does the child finds his parents?
Nothing can be said for certain about the end of the story. The writer has not closed the plot. However, towards the end of the story the writer introduced a man who asked the lost child about the reason of his fear. It can only be assumed that the man must have helped the child find his parents.
Discuss “How to ensure not to get lost”
The central theme of the story is on how a child loses his parents. It is not just a fictional plot. Such cases can be observed in the vicinity very often and can be avoided by being more careful and less negligent. Whenever visiting such fairs, parents must take care of the fact that they hold their child's hand because these places are very crowded and chances of getting lost are high. It is not wise to agree to all the demands of the child but it is important to understand that in fairs children get lured by the attractions and not every demand should be dismissed.
When I go out with my parents, they always hold my hand and keep looking at me to ensure that I am with them. They agree to some of my requests which is enough to keep me happy.