Who was Saheb ? What was his full name ? What was the irony about his name ?
(Or)
Describe the irony in Saheb’s name.
Saheb was a poor ragpicker. His full name was Saheb-e-Alam. It means lord of the universe. But the poor boy had not even shoes to wear. Thus there was a deep irony in his name.
What had Saheb’s mother told him about their coming to the big city ?
Saheb’s mother had told him that their home used to be in the green fields of Dhaka. There were many storms. All homes and fields were swept away. So they left their country and came to the big city, looking for livelihood.
What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps ? Where has he come from and why ?
(Or)
What does Saheb look for in the garbage dumps ?
Saheb is a poor ragpicker. Every morning, he comes to probe the garbage heaps in the author’s neighbourhood. He looks for anything that can get him some coins. His family had migrated from Dhaka because of the violence and poverty there. Now they are living in the Seemapuri area of Delhi.
How did the writer come to recognise each of the ragpickers in her neighbourhood ?
The writer had formed an acquaintance with Saheb who was a ragpicker. The other ragpickers were Saheb’s friends. They came every morning and disappeared at noon. The writer used to watch them with interest. Over the months, she came to recognise each of them.
What explanations does the author give for the children not wearing footwear ?
The ragpickers were poor children. They always went about barefoot. They had become used to it. Even if they had shoes, they looked for excuses not to wear them. Some even said that going barefoot was a tradition among them.
How does the author describe the area of Seemapuri ?
Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi. Those who live here are Bangladeshis. They came here in 1971. They live in structures of mud. They have roofs of tin and tarpaulin. They are all ragpickers. They have no sewage, drainage or running water.
Where have the people living in Seemapuri come from ? Why don’t they want to go back ?
These people have come from Bangladesh. Their land is beautiful. It has rivers and green fields. But the homes and fields are often swept away by floods. They get no corn to feed themselves and their children. That is why they don’t want to go back.
What does Saheb look for in the garbage ?
Saheb is a poor ragpicker. Every morning, he comes to probe the garbage heaps in the author’s neighbourhood. He looks for anything that can get him some coins. His family has migrated from Dhaka because of the violence and poverty there. Now they are living in the Seemapuri area of Delhi.
What does garbage mean to the elders and the children in Seemapuri ?
(Or)
What did garbage mean to the children of Seemapuri and to their parents ?
Garbage to the elders is gold. It is their daily bread. It means a roof over their heads. But for the children, it is even more. For them, it is a thing wrapped in wonder. For the elders, it is a means of survival.
‘Garbage to them is gold.’ Why does the author say so about the ragpickers ?
Garbage to the ragpickers is gold. It is the only source of their income. It is their daily bread. It also means a roof over their heads. Thus it is the most valuable thing in their life.
Where did the writer see Saheb one winter morning ? What was he doing there ?
Saheb was standing by the gate of a club. He was watching two young men. The young men were dressed in white. They were playing tennis. Saheb told the writer that he liked the game.
What was Saheb wearing one winter morning ? Where did he get it ?
Saheb was wearing tennis shoes. Some rich boy had given these to him. They were discarded shoes. There was a hole in one of them. For Saheb, who walked barefoot, even these were a dream come true.
How did Saheb feel working at a tea stall ? What did he get there ?
(Or)
Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall ? Why / Why not ?(Or)
How was Saheb’s life at the tea-stall ?
Saheb did not feel happy there. He had lost his carefree look. He was paid 800 rupees and given all his meals. But he was no longer his own master. He belonged to the man who owned the tea shop.
What job did Saheb take up ? Was he happy ?
Saheb took up the job of a helper at a tea stall. However, he did not feel happy there. Now he had lost his carefree look. He was no longer his own master. He was now merely a child labourer who had to obey all the commands of the shop owner.
Who was Mukesh ? What was his aim in life ?
Mukesh belonged to a family of bangle makers in Firozabad. He did not like the life of a bangle maker. He wanted to be his own master. His dream was to become a motor mechanic.
What makes the city of Firozabad famous ?
Firozabad is famous for its bangles. Every other family here is engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. It makes bangles for all the women of the land.
What is the condition of children working in the glass furnaces of Firozabad ?
About 20,000 children work in the glass furnaces of Firozabad. They have to work in very hot temperatures. They work in dingy cells without air and light. They have to work all day. Thus they lose the brightness of their eyes.
What kind of a locality does Mukesh live in ?
It is a very dirty locality. The lanes are stinking. They are choked with garbage. The homes look like hovels. Their walls are crumbling. They have wobbly doors. There are no windows. Men and animals live in them together.
‘Little has moved with time, it seems, in Firozabad.’ State any one reason why the writer says this.
When the writer goes with Mukesh to his house, she sees that the cry of poverty still rings in every home in Firozabad, the city of bangles. The youngsters echo the lament of their elders who have been doing the mind-numbing toil of bangle-making since long. This is the reason that the writer says that little has moved with time, it seems, in Firozabad.
‘Listening to them, I see two distinct worlds ... .’ In the context of Mukesh, the bangle maker’s son, which two worlds is Anees Jung referring to ?
One world, which Anees Jung is here referring to, is the world of bangle makers. These people are caught in the web of poverty. They are burdened by the stigma of caste to which they belong. The other world is the vicious circle of the moneylenders, middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of the law, the bureaucrats and the politicians.
What does Mukesh’s grandmother say about her husband ?
She says that her husband belonged to a family of bangle makers. She calls it a God-given lineage. It could not be broken. Her husband went blind because of the dust from the polishing of bangles. She calls it his karma.
What does the writer say about the boys and girls working in dark hutments ?
These boys and girls work with their fathers and mothers. They have flickering oil lamps in front of them. They weld pieces of glass into bangles. Their eyes get more used to the dark than to the light outside. Many of them lose their eyesight before they become adults.
Who is Savita ? What is she doing ? What does the writer wonder about ?
Savita is a young girl. She is soldering pieces of glass. Her hands are moving mechanically. The writer wonders if she knows the sanctity of the bangles she is making. They symbolise an Indian woman’s marital status.
Why don’t the poor bangle makers organise themselves into a co-operative ?
There are cruel middlemen. They don’t let the bangle makers form any co-operative. They put the police after them. They are caught and beaten by the police. They are put into jail on false charges of illegal acts. The poor bangle makers have no leader to guide them.
What forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty ?
(Or)
Why does the author say that the bangle makers are caught in a vicious web ?
There are sahukars, middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats and politicians. All these form a vicious web. Poor bangle makers have been trapped in it for generations. Now they have come to accept it as something natural.
How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family ?
(Or)
Who is Mukesh ? What is his dream ?
(Or)
How is Mukesh different from the other bangle makers of Firozabad ?
(Or)
What makes Mukesh different from other boys of his age ?
Mukesh belongs to a family of bangle makers. These people think it a God-given lineage. But Mukesh wants to be his own master. He wants to become a motor mechanic. He wants to break away from the family tradition.
How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream ?
Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic. He can realise his dream through hard work and firm determination. He will go to a garage and learn. The garage is a long way from his home. But he says he will walk all that distance to realise his dream.
What does the writer mean when she says, ‘Saheb is no longer his own master’ ?
Saheb had started working at a tea stall. But he was not happy there. He had lost his old carefree look. He was paid reasonably well, but he was no longer his own master. He now belonged to the man who owned the tea stall.
Is it possible for Mukesh to realize his dream ? Justify your answer.
Yes, he can realise his dream. He wants to be a motor mechanic. He can realise his dream through hard work and firm determination. He has determined to go to a garage and learn the job. The garage is a long way from his home. But he says that he will walk all that distance to realise his ambition.
‘It is his Karma, his destiny.’ What is the attitude of Mukesh’s family towards their situation ?
Mukesh’s grandmother says that her husband belonged to a family of bangle makers. She calls it a God-given lineage. It could not be broken. Her husband went blind with the dust from the polishing of bangles. She calls it his karma.
Do you think Saheb was happy to work at the tea stall ? Answer giving reasons.
No, Saheb was not happy to work at the tea stall. He had lost his old carefree look. Though he was paid reasonably well, he was no longer his own master. Now he belonged to the man who owned the tea stall.
What does the title, ‘Lost Spring’, convey ?
Spring symbolises happiness. But the children living in slums have to work in miserable conditions. There is hardly any joy left in their lives. Thus through the title, ‘Lost Spring’, the writer wants to convey the dark and dreary life of the slum dwellers.
What does the reference to chappals in ‘Lost Spring’ tell us about the economic condition of the ragpickers ?
The reference to chappals indicates the extreme poverty of the ragpickers. They had no chappals to wear. They went about barefoot. They had become used to it. Even if they had chappals, they looked for excuses not to wear them.
What difficulties do the people living in Seemapuri face in their day-to-day life ?
Seemapuri is a slum area. About 10,000 ragpickers live here. They live in structures of mud. They have roofs of tin and tarpaulin. There is no sewage, drainage or running water. They have no identity or permits. To them, food is more important than anything else. They pitch their tents wherever they can find food.
How bad were the living conditions in which Mukesh and his family survived ?
Mukesh’s house was in a slum area. It was like a half-built-shack. His father was a poor bangle maker. Even after long years of hard labour, he had failed to renovate his house. He could not send his two sons to school. Mukesh’s grandfather had gone blind due to bangle polishing.
What explanation did the children offer the writer for not wearing footwear ? Did she agree to it ?
One of them said his mother had not taken down his footwear from the shelf. Other said that he had not any footwear. Some even said that going barefoot was a tradition among them. The author didn’t agree to their explanations. She says that it is perhaps an excuse for their children not to discuss time and again about their perpetual poverty.
For Saheb, how was work at the tea stall different from rag picking ?
For Saheb, work at tea stall was entirely different from ragpicking. When he was a ragpicker, he was his own master. But when he started working at a tea stall he was merely a child labourer who had to obey all the commands of the shop owner.
What does the writer want Saheb to do ? Why has she to feel embarrassed about it later ?
Saheb is a poor ragpicker. The writer sees him every morning probing the garbage heaps in her neighbourhood. She asks Saheb why he doesn’t go to school. At this Saheb says,
“There is no school in my neighbourhood. When they build one, I will go.”The writer says half-jokingly, “If I start a school, will you come ?” “Yes,” says Saheb, smiling broadly. A few days later, Saheb sees the writer. He comes running to her, and asks, “Is your school ready ?” The writer has to feel small. She had made a promise which she did not mean. Now she could only say, “It takes longer to build a school.” Promises like these are often made with the poor but they are never fulfilled.
Reproduce briefly the story related to the man from Udipi.
The writer once met a man from Udipi. The man said that as a young boy, he would go to school past an old temple. His father was a priest at that temple. The boy would stop briefly at the temple. He would pray for a pair of shoes. The boy finally got a pair of shoes. Now the boy prayed, “Let me never lose them.” The goddess granted his prayer.
The writer says that she visited the town thirty years later. The temple had a new priest now. The new priest’s son was wearing a grey uniform. He was also wearing socks and shoes. The writer remembered the prayer another boy had made. She saw that boys like the son of the priest now wore shoes. But many others like the ragpickers in her neighbourhood were still shoeless.
“Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically.” Explain.
(Or)
Give a brief account of the life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri.
(Or)
‘For the children it is wrapped in wonder; for the elders it is a means of survival.’ What kind of life do the ragpickers of Seemapuri lead ?
Seemapuri is a slum area. About 10,000 ragpickers live here. They live in structures of mud. They have roofs of tin and tarpaulin. There is no sewage, drainage or running water. Those who live here came from Bangladesh in 1971. They have no identity or permits. But they have ration cards. They have their names on voters’ lists. To them, food is more important than anything else. They pitch their tents wherever they can find food. For them, ragpicking means survival. Garbage to them is gold. It is their daily bread. It is a roof over their heads. For children it is even more. For them, it is a thing wrapped in wonder. When they find a silver coin in a heap of garbage, they don’t stop probing it. They have always a hope of finding more.
‘Lost Spring’ explains the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn thousands of people to live a life of abject poverty. Do you agree ? Why / Why not ?
(Or)
‘Garbage to them is gold.’ How do the ragpickers of Seemapuri survive ?
‘Lost Spring’ describes the pitiable condition of poor children who have to live in slums and work hard in very dirty conditions. They are never sent to school because their parents are too poor to pay for their education. In order to describe their lot, the writer first takes up the case of poor ragpickers who have settled in the Seemapuri area of Delhi. It is a slum area where about 10,000 ragpickers live in structures of mud. They have roofs of tin and tarpaulin. There is no sewage, drainage or running water. Those who live here came from Bangladesh in 1971. For them, ragpicking means survival. Garbage to them is gold. It is their daily bread. Then the writer takes up the case of the poor bangle makers who have been living for generations in the dingy town of Firozabad. These people have been exploited by all sections of society. Every other family here is engaged in making bangles. For generations, families here have been working around glass furnaces. They have to work in high temperatures. They have to work in dingy cells without air and light. About 20,000 children have to work in dark places all day long. Their eyes get more adjusted to the dark than to the light. Many of them lose their eyesight even before they become adults. The poor bangle makers lead a miserable life. They are exploited by middlemen, policemen, sahukars, bureaucrats and politicians.
What kind of life do children living in Seemapuri lead ?
‘Lost Spring’ describes the pitiable condition of poor children who have to live in slums and work hard in very dirty conditions. They are never sent to school because their parents are too poor to pay for their education. In order to describe their lot, the writer takes up the case of poor ragpickers who have settled in the Seemapuri area of Delhi. It is a slum area where about 10,000 ragpickers live in structures of mud. They have roofs of tin and tarpaulin. There is no sewage, drainage or running water. Those who live here came from Bangladesh in 1971. For them, ragpicking means survival. Garbage to them is gold. It is their daily bread.
Write a brief note on the town of Firozabad.
Firozabad is a dirty town. It is famous for its bangles. Every other family here is engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. For generations, families in Firozabad have been working around glass furnaces. They weld glass and make bangles for all the women in the land. But these people have always been very poor. They have to work in high temperatures. They have to work in dingy cells without air and light. About 20,000 children have to work in dark places all day long. Their eyes get more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. Many of them lose their eyesight even before they become adults. The poor bangle makers lead a miserable life. They are exploited by middlemen, policemen, sahukars, bureaucrats and politicians.
What did the writer see when Mukesh took him to his home ?
The writer saw that it was in a slum area. The lanes were stinking. They were choked with garbage. The homes looked hovels. Their walls were crumbling. The doors were wobbly. There were no windows. The homes were crowded with humans and animals living together. Mukesh’s home was like a half-built shack. In one part of it, a firewood stove had a large vessel on it. A frail young woman was cooking the evening meal. She was the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother. When Mukesh’s father came in, she brought her veil closer to her face. The old man was a poor bangle maker. Even after long years of hard labour, he had failed to renovate his house. He could not send his two sons to school. Mukesh’s grandmother was also there. Her husband had gone blind with dust from the polishing of glass bangles. She called it his karma.
What does the writer note about Savita and others in her home ?
The writer sees that Savita is a young girl. She is in a dull pink dress. An elderly woman is sitting beside her. She is probably Savita’s mother. Savita is soldering pieces of glass. Her hands are moving mechanically. She is making bangles but perhaps she does not know about their sanctity. They are the symbols of an Indian woman’s suhaag. Savita will come to know of it when she herself becomes a bride one day. Then her hands will be dyed red with henna. Red bangles will be rolled onto her wrists. The old woman became a bride many years ago. She still has her bangles on her wrist. But there is no light in her eyes. There is no joy in her voice. She says that she has not enjoyed even one full meal in all her life. Her husband is an old man. He has a flowing beard. He says that he knows nothing except bangles. However, he feels some consolation in saying that he has made a house for his family to live in.
The life of bangle makers of Firozabad is full of obstacles which force them to lead a life of poverty and deprivation. Discuss with reference to ‘Lost Spring’.
Every other family at Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. They have been doing this work for generations. But these people have always been very poor. They have to work in very high temperatures. They work in dingy cells without air and light. Many of them lose their eyesight even before they become adults. Even after working so hard, they remain poor. They are caught in the vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats and politicians. If the bangle makers try to organize themselves into a cooperative, the police catch and beat them. They are put into jail on false charges of illegal acts. The poor bangle makers have no leader to guide them. Thus their life is full of obstacles which force them to lead a life of poverty and deprivation.
The bangle makers of Firozabad make beautiful bangles and make everyone happy but they themselves live and die in squalor. Elaborate.
Firozabad is a dirty town. It is famous for its bangles. Every other family here is engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. For generations, families in Firozabad have been working around glass furnaces. They weld glass and make bangles for all the women in the land. But these people have always been very poor. They have to work in high temperatures. They have to work in dingy cells without air and light. About 20,000 children have to work in dark places all day long. Their eyes get more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. Many of them lose their eyesight even before they become adults. The poor bangle makers lead a miserable life. Though they make everyone happy with their beautiful bangles, they themselves live and die in the dirty slums of Firozabad.
Describe the difficulties that the bangle makers of Firozabad have to face in their lives.
The bangle makers of Firozabad have to face all that abject poverty, misery and helplessness can bring in one’s life. They have to work day and night in hot temperatures around the glass furnaces. They have to work in dingy cells without any air or light. Even little children have to do this soul-destroying job along with the elders of the family. Their eyes get more used to the dark than to the light outside. Many of them lose their eyesight even before they become adults. The houses they live in are more like hovels. They have crumbling walls, wobbly doors and no windows. The entire area is crowded with families of humans and animals living together in most dirty conditions. The stinking lanes remain choked with garbage. These poor people have no hope from any quarter. If ever they try to raise their voice, they are treated cruelly by the police. In fact, the difficulties faced by these people are horrifying.
Describe the circumstances which keep the workers in the bangles industry in poverty.
Poverty is like a bottomless well in which one can only fall deeper and deeper, and it is no different with the workers in the Firozabad bangle industry. Their abject poverty drives them deeper and deeper into the mire of misery from which they have no hope of ever being able to come out. If ever they try to raise their voice against the injustice they are subjected to, the police haul them up and beat them mercilessly. They are falsely booked for doing something illegal and then they are put into jail. Thus these poor people find no respite from anywhere and have to remain in the same state of poverty and misery from generation to generation. All their life and labour goes into keeping body and soul together.
How is Mukesh’s attitude towards his situation different from that of Saheb ? Why ?
Saheb is a ragpicker. Many years back, he came with his mother from Bangladesh and settled in the slums of Seemapuri. He spends all his day looking for rags and other things in heaps of garbage. He does have his own ambitions, but he knows there is no way he can realise them. He wants to go to school, but there is none he can go to. In order to have a fixed income, he gives up ragpicking and starts working at a tea stall. But now he feels one difference. Previously, the bag of rags belonged to him, but now the steel container he has to carry, belongs to the man who owns the shop. Mukesh belongs to a family of bangle makers in Firozabad. Generations of his family have been engaged in this trade, but still they live in conditions of abject poverty. To Mukesh, the life of a bangle maker is worse than that of a slave. He says he wants to be his own master. “I will be a motor mechanic,” he says. We can say that Mukesh is a little more confident and imaginative than Saheb.
Mukesh is not like the others. His ‘dreams loom like a mirage amidst the dust of streets that fill his town Firozabad’. Justify the statement in the light of contrast in the mindsets of Mukesh and the people of Firozabad.
Mukesh lived in Firozabad. Firozabad is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. The town is famous for its colourful glass bangles. These bangles are lovingly worn by the ‘suhagins’ of the whole country. The people have been making bangles for generations. The old, the young, the women, the children all work in the bangle industry. The people have become complacent. They cannot think of coming out of their so-called ‘ancestral work’. But Mukesh has a different mindset. He wants to break the tradition and come outside to breathe fresh air. His wish is to become a motor mechanic and thus be his own master. For this, he goes on foot to a great distance to learn his desired work. Since he has the determination, he will be able to fulfil his cherished wish.
What are the hazards of working in a glass bangle industry ?
The poor bangle makers lead a miserable life. These people have always been poor. They have to work in glass bangles industry to earn their living. They have to weld glass while making the bangles. And for this, they have to work in high temperatures. They have to work in dingy cells without air and light. They don’t get any daylight. Thus they lose the brightness of their eyes. Their eyes get more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. About 20,000 children have to work in such dark places all day long. So, many of them lose their eyesight even before they become adults. The bangle makers know nothing except bangles. Every other family in Firozabad, a city of bangles, is engaged in making bangles. For generations, families in Firozabad have been working around glass furnaces in dingy cells. Their life is worse than hell.
