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Lost Spring

The document discusses the lives of two children - Saheb-e-Alam, a rag picker from Bangladesh living in Seemapuri, and Mukesh, a bangle maker from Firozabad. Both children live in dire poverty without basic amenities, trapped in systems of child labor, exploitation, and oppression. Saheb loses his childhood freedom and joy to the burdens of working in a tea stall, while Mukesh works under inhuman conditions in the bangle factories, risking his health and eyesight. The title "Lost Spring" refers to how these children are robbed of their childhood dreams and potentials due to the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn them to lives of suffering.

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629 views5 pages

Lost Spring

The document discusses the lives of two children - Saheb-e-Alam, a rag picker from Bangladesh living in Seemapuri, and Mukesh, a bangle maker from Firozabad. Both children live in dire poverty without basic amenities, trapped in systems of child labor, exploitation, and oppression. Saheb loses his childhood freedom and joy to the burdens of working in a tea stall, while Mukesh works under inhuman conditions in the bangle factories, risking his health and eyesight. The title "Lost Spring" refers to how these children are robbed of their childhood dreams and potentials due to the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn them to lives of suffering.

Uploaded by

vandana61
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Q1 Lost Spring, is a sad commentary on the political system of our

country that condemns thousands of people to a life of abject


poverty. Comment.
Saheb, optimistic and enthusiasticprospect of finding gold in
garbagelikes going to school but no opportunityfreedom and joy
of childhood to burdens of job at tea-stall.
Mukesh, born at Firozabad (bangle maker)works under inhuman
conditiondark room, hot furnacescaught in web of poverty
vicious circle of sahukars, policemen, politicians, bureaucrats and
moneylendersresigned to fateunaware of child labour act
stifled initiation and hopelose eyesight before becoming adults
Q2 How is the line few airplanes fly over Firozabad symbolically
significant?

The author finds a spark of motivation in Mukesh who is quite


determined about realizing his dream of becoming a motor
mechanic

He is ready to walk to a garage far from his home

The author asks if he ever dreams of flying a plane- the


question embarrasses him and Mukesh replies in the negative

He is satisfied with the more tangible and attainable dream


related to the fast moving cars that he saw on the streets each
day

Airplanes symbolize something distant, just like a far-fetched


dream people of Firozabad were not exposed to grand dreams
like that.

Q3 The life of bangle makers of Firozabad was full of obstacles


which forced them to lead a life of poverty and deprivation. Discuss
with reference to Lost Spring

Value Points:
Bangle makers born in poverty, live in poverty, die in poverty.
For generations people have been engaged in this trade.
Work in inhuman conditions.
Although they work hard but the profit is meagre.
Their hovels have crumbling walls, wobbly doors and no windows.
They are overcrowded with humans and animals.
Social customs, traditions, stigma of caste and people in authority
combine so that
they remain poor and uneducated
Money lenders, middlemen, politicians and policemen are all
against them.
Unable to organize themselves into a co-operative due to lack of a
leader.
They have lost the ability to dream.
They can only talk but not act to improve their lot
Q4 The bangle-makers of Ferozabad make beautiful bangles and
make everyone happy but they live and die in squalor. Elaborate
Value points
utter poverty generation after generation
believe they are destined to work in bangle factories
-make beautiful bangles but live in dark
bright furnaces to do welding
-they lose their eyesight
-victims of vicious circle of middlemen
law enforcing authorities prey upon them
bleak future

Q5 Give a brief account of the life and activities of the people like
Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri.
Value points:
poor rag pickers / unschooled / barefoot / sometimes taking up odd
jobs like
working at tea stalls
garbage to them is gold, it is their daily bread
migrants (squatters) from Bangladesh, came to Delhi in 1973
their fields and homes swept away in storms
live in structures of mud with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of
sewage,
drainage or running water
have lived for more than 30 years without identity, without
permits but with ration cards
no intention of going back to their own country
wherever they find food, they pitch their tents
Q6 Lost Spring explains the grinding poverty and traditions that
condemn thousands of
people to a life of abject poverty. Do you agree? Why / Why not?
Yes duly supported by examples from text
both caught in the vicious cycle of poverty, apathy, affected by the
greed ofothers, injustice
lost childhood spring of life
Sahib-e-Alam
Name means lord of the universe,
migrated with his family from Dhaka in 1971
lives in Seemapuri
survives by rag picking
scrounging for gold
doesnt go to school
works barefooted.

Living Conditions :
Lack of basic amenities, structures of mud, tin and tarpaulin, no
sewage, no drainage, no water, loses freedom when he starts working at a
tea-stall.

Mukeshs story bangle making industry


caught in the web of middlemen, politicians, policemen, the
keepers of law, bureaucrats
lose all spirit and ability to dream

Q7. Explain the significance of title Lost Spring.


Ans: In this lesson, the author Anees Jung examines and analyses
the grinding poverty and tradition that condemn children to a life of
exploitation.
Saheb as a ragpicker whose parents have left behind a life of abject
poverty in Bangladesh. His family, like the many other families of
rag pickers lives in Seemapuri. They live in miserable condition. The
writer is pained to see Saheb, whose name means the ruler of the
Earth, lose the spark of childhood. She then proceeds to tell about
Mukesh who does want to be his own master. Hailing from
Firozabad, the centre of Indias bangle making and glass blowing
industry, he has always worked in the glass making factory. His
family does not know that it is illegal for children to work in such
close to furnaces with such high temperatures. They are exposed to
various health hazards like losing their eyesight as they work in
dark and dingy cells. The family of bangle maker of Firozabad are so
burdened that they have lost their ability to dream. The writers
observation is that these poor hopeless people are but pawn in the

games that are played by Sahukars, middlemen, the policemen, the


bureaucrats and the politicians.
The title is meaningful as they lost their spring (childhood). The
writer has beautifully essayed the story of stolen childhood with a
view to sensitizing us to the plight of these poor unfortunate
children.
Similarities between Saheb-e-Alam and Mukesh
have aspirations and desires like other children suffer from immen
se poverty and scarcity of food caught in the web of child labour
leading a life of exploitation undergo physical, mental and emotional suff
erings

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