Page 43 - English Reader - 7

‘You mean he is an orphan?’

‘Yes Sahib, story-teller! Liar! That is what he is. And
you gave him a rupee every day for cleaning the car.’

‘Where could he be?’ I asked, now very concerned
about the boy.

If he was an orphan and told stories to keep up his
morale, he was braver than I thought him to be and
more lovable. I would really take him away.

The rival just waved his head negatively.

‘In the village?’ I persisted.
‘I don’t know! He is a dreamer. He must be somewhere around dreaming about the mother he told
you about.’

All my companion’s motherly instincts were aroused when I told her the truth told to me by the rival
of Devaki Nandan Pandey. And she insisted on our going to Sujata’s village to look for him.

Everyone knew him by description. But all the villagers said that he did not live in that village. He
sometimes came there to show visitors the hill where Sujata gave rice and milk to Gautama. The
rumour was that he slept somewhere near the Bodh Gaya temple tank.

We came back to the shrine and searched high and low for the boy.

At the end we felt so foolish asking people, who didn’t care whether he lived or died, that we gave
up and got into the car to go.

‘The dreamer—he dreams of becoming Gautama Buddha,’ said his rival as he did not get a tip from
us.

—Mulk Raj Anand

Word Meanings
1. urchins : poor and young children
2. rags : old and torn clothes, used especially for cleaning things
3. swabbed : mopped

4. scrutinised : looked at somebody carefully
5. glistened : sparkled
6. officious : too eager to help people

7. indigent : very poor
8. twinkled : shone
9. assent : agreement to or approval of something

10. wander : roam

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