The Lost Child by Mulk Raj Anand

THE LOST CHILD

(By Mulk Raj Anand)

About the Author:

Mulk Raj Anand – was an Indian writer in English. He was notable for his depiction of the lives of the suppressed and deprived sections in the traditional Indian society.

Date of Birth: 12 December 1905 

Date of Death: 28 September 2004

Anand was one of the pioneers of Indo-Anglian fiction. He, together with R. K. Narayan and Raja Rao, was one of the Trio of Indian English Novelists. Anand’s novels and short stories are noted for their perceptive insight into the lives of the oppressed classes.

He received Padma Bhushan.  

His famous works include:

Novels: Untouchable; Coolie; Two leaves and a Bud; The Village; Across the Black Waters; The Sword and the Sickle; The Big Heart; The Lost Child; The Private life of an Indian Prince; The Road

Autobiographies: Seven Summers; Morning Face; Conversations in Bloomsbury; Pilpali Sahab.

Summary:

“The Lost Child” is a short story written by Mulk Raj Anand, an eminent Indian English writer. Anand is one of the famous Trio of Indian English Novelists. This story depicts children’s psychology. The story is set in a rural village with all its charm, pomp and gaiety during the spring festival season.

A small child goes to a fare along with his parents, during a spring season. The child is filled with joy and happiness on seeing the fun, pomp, and gaiety around him. There were many stalls selling a variety of things such as toys, sweetmeats, flowers, balloons, etc. There were snake charmers and merry-go-round and many other attractions.

Attracted by the colourful items in the stalls, the child stops at every stall to enjoy watching them. But as the parents find the child lagging behind, they keep shouting at him and ask him to move fast along with them. He has to keep moving lest he is lost in the crowd. The child pesters his parents to buy the toys, sweetmeats, flowers, balloons, etc. but in vain. The child also knows that his parents would refuse his request and strictly say ‘No’ to his request.

At the merry-go-round, the child stops. He is determined to request his parents for a round. But he finds his parents nowhere near. The child is overpowered by the fear and starts crying frantically. He searches for his parents by running here and there. But, he could not find them anywhere. He only utters the words ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ in a loud and frantic voice.  

The child reaches a temple and searches for his parents there. He is almost trampled in the rush of the people there. Then, a stranger saves him from the crowd. He tries to pacify the child by taking the child to the stalls and offering the toys, sweets, flowers, and colourful balloons. But the child does not show any interest in them and cries in a loud voice that he wants only his mother and father. 

Interestingly, all the things which had appealed so much to the child are no longer attractive. The story ends at this point without telling whether the child got his parents back or not. Thus, the story portrays child psychology very effectively. 

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NOOJILLA SRINIVAS

Lecturer in English,

Govt. Degree College,

Alamuru, EG Dist., Andhra Pradesh, India

M: 9440836041; Whatsapp: 7981862200