THE LOST SPRING
By Anees Jung
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:
After months of knowing him, I ask him his name. “Saheb-e-Alam”, he announces. He does not know what it
means.
a) Whose name is being talked about?
Ans. The name of Saheb is being talked about.
b) What is the meaning of the name?
Ans. The meaning of the name is ‘Lord of the Universe’.
c) What does Saheb do?
Ans. Saheb works as a ragpicker.
d) What is the irony in the name?
Ans. The meaning of the name is ‘Lord of the Universe’ but ironically he works as a ragpicker and leads
a life of hardships.
We walk down stinking lanes choked with garbage, past homes that remain hovels with crumbling walls,
wobbly doors, no windows, crowded with families of humans and animals coexisting in a primeval state.
a) Who are ‘We’?
Ans. The narrator and Mukesh
b) Where are they going?
Ans. They are going to Mukesh’s house.
c) What is the purpose of their walk?
Ans. Mukesh wants to show his house to the narrator.
d) What do the lines show?
Ans. The lines show the miserable condition of the poor bangle makers of Firozabad.
Short Answer Type Questions
1. Who was Saheb? Why did he leave his house?
Ans. Saheb was a young ragpicker. He lived in Dhaka with his family. But, there were many storms that swept
away their home and fields and he had to leave for Delhi.
2. Why did the narrator feel embarrassed when Saheb asked if her school was ready?
Ans. Once, the narrator asked Saheb, if he would join her school. But, she was not serious about starting a
school. She felt embarrassed when Saheb approached her and asked if the school was ready.
3. What was the prayer made by a child from Udipi? What does it show?
Ans. A boy from Udipi, on his way to school, would stop at the temple, where his father was a priest and
would pray for a pair of shoes. It shows the extreme state of poverty of the child’s family.
4. What explanations did the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Ans. The author had seen many people walking on the village roads, without any footwear. According to her,
the tradition to stay barefoot was one explanation. But, she wondered if that was only an excuse to explain
away a constant state of poverty.
5. ‘Saheb is no longer his own master’. Comment.
Ans. Saheb has started working in a Tea Stall where he gets eight hundred rupees and his meals. But, he is
not happy as he has lost his freedom. The bag of garbage that he carried before, was his own but the canister
that he carries now, belongs to the man who owns the tea stall.
6. Who was Mukesh? What did he aspire to be?
Ans. Mukesh was a young boy from Firozabad. His family was involved in the work of bangle making. But,
Mukesh aspired to be a motor mechanic. He insisted on being his own master.
7. Mention the Hazards of working in the glass Bangles factory.
Ans. The people working in glass bangle factory, have to work in unhealthy and hazardous conditions. Many
workers become blind with the dust from polishing the glass of bangles. Thousands of children are also
employed in this work.
8. Why could the bangle makers not organize themselves into a cooperative?
Ans. The bangle makers could not organize themselves into a cooperative as they are trapped in the vicious
circle created by the middlemen, sahukars, politicians, bureaucrats and policemen. They are afraid that they
will be beaten and will be dragged into jails, if they dared to stand against oppressors.
9. Why does the author say that Mukesh’s dream of being a motor mechanic looms like a mirage amidst
the dust of streets that fill his town Firozabad?
Ans. The author feels that there is a big difference between Mukesh’s dream and his roots in Firozabad. His
life is likely to pass in bangle making, as his family is involved in this work for generations. So, the author
finds his dream like a ‘mirage’.
Long Answer Type Questions
1. Describe the condition of the ragpickers of Seemapuri.
Ans. Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it metaphorically. Although, it is
located on the periphery of the capital city, which is highly developed and progressive yet the living conditions
here are pathetic. Around ten thousand ragpickers live here in the structures of mud with the roof of tin or
tarpaulin. They are devoid of even the basic facilities like sewage, drainage or running water. They have no
identity but the ration card to have their names on the voter list. For these people, food is more important for
survival than any identity and the only source of earning their food is garbage. In fact, garbage to them is like
gold. Even their children grow up to become their partners in survival.
2. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the Bangle industry of Firozabad in the poverty?
Ans. Firozabad is known for its Bangle industry. Most of the families living there have been doing the work
of making Bangles for many generations. The years of labour and poverty have destroyed their ability to dream
and take initiative. Even their children have to join this family work. Their income is not enough to give them
even the basic necessities of life or to send their children to school.
They are trapped in the vicious circle created by the middlemen, sahukars, politicians, bureaucrats and
policemen. They are afraid that they will be beaten and will be dragged into jails, if they dared to stand against
oppressors. These forces combine and conspire to keep them in extreme state of poverty.
