LOST SPRING
By :- AKSHAY SHARMA
LOST SPRING
INTRODUCTION
➢Lost Spring tells the tale of poor children who cannot even dream, let alone achieve their
dreams. The story's theme is to familiarize readers with Indian small towns where marginalized
communities like rag pickers and bangle makers fight daily for survival. It highlights how these
children lose their childhood early on, forced into their parents' professions. The narrative also
celebrates a few courageous souls who dare to dream despite their circumstances.
LOST SPRING
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anees Jung (born 15 December 1944) is an Indian author, journalist and
columnist for newspapers in India and abroad, whose most known
work, Unveiling India (1987) was a chronicle of the lives of women in India,
noted especially for the depiction of Muslim women behind the purdah.
LOST SPRING
SUMMARY
The author tells us stories of her interactions with children from deprived backgrounds. She
describes their poor condition and life in an interesting manner. The story touches the reader
and is thought-provoking.
The author described two of her encounters with children from deprived backgrounds.
Through them she wants to highlight the plight of street children forced into labour early in
life and are denied the opportunity of schooling. Also, she brings out the callousness of
society and the political class towards the sufferings of the poor. The first encounter is with a
rag picker boy named Saheb – E – Alam who migrated from Bangladesh in 1971 and lives in
Seemapuri in Delhi. These ragpicker children look for ‘valuables’ in the garbage – things like a
coin or torn shoes which are as precious as ‘gold’ for them.
They could hardly manage some food for themselves, other things like identity, education,
shoes and sports are their unfulfilled dreams. Their parents scrounged the garbage searching
for things that helped them survive – afford food, clothing and shelter for the family. The
children hunted through the garbage heaps looking for things which could partially fulfil their
unfulfilled dreams.
LOST SPRING
SUMMARY
One day the writer saw the boy, holding a steel can, going towards the milk booth. He had
got a job at a tea stall. He was happy that he would get eight hundred rupees and all the
meals. The writer noticed that Saheb had lost the freedom of being his own master which he
had enjoyed as a rag picker.
The second boy was Mukesh who belonged to a family of bangle makers in Firozabad. The
boy had a dream of becoming a car mechanic. On the contrary, his family was traditionally
engaged in bangle making, although the profession harmed them physically and they hardly
earned any money out of it.
Still, no one dared to dream of doing something else due to the fear of the police and the
middlemen. The family elders were content that other than teaching the art of bangle–
making to their children, they had been able to build them a house to live in. The boy wanted
to be a car mechanic. Cars were all that Mukesh had seen on the roads of his town and so, he
could not dream any further
LOST SPRING
SHORT QUESTIONS
Q1. In what sense is garbage gold to the ragpickers?
Ans: For the ragpickers, garbage is equivalent to gold in that it provides them with a livelihood. Garbage
provides them with their daily rations and a place to live.
Q2. What did garbage mean to the children of Seemapuri and to their parents?
Ans: The author claims that garbage is gold to ragpickers because, to children, trash is a source of
amazement. They anticipate receiving some cash, jewels, or both in it. They occasionally discover a
rupee or even a ten-rupee note, if luck is on their side. Adults use garbage as a source of income.
Q3. Give a brief account of the life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri.
Ans: Anees Jung notes in “Lost Spring” that Saheb-e-Alam’s life and activities are entirely dependent on
garbage. That is, in truth, garbage is their daily sustenance, and to them it is no less than gold. The poor
rag pickers are generally barefoot, which she says is “an excuse to justify a permanent state of poverty”.
They currently reside in mud structures with tin and tarpaulin roofs, without sewage, drainage, or
running water. Whenever they can find food, they set up their tents. They have been residing in
Seemapuri for more than 30 years without an identity or permission. They do, however, carry ration
cards which enable them to vote.
LOST SPRING
SHORT QUESTIONS
Q4. Garbage to them is gold. How do ragpickers of Seemapuri survive?
Ans: For the inhabitants of Seemapuri, nothing else matters except survival. They set up their tents
wherever there is food. The people of Seemapuri rely on garbage collection and ragpicking to provide
for their daily needs and a roof over their heads. Finding money in the trash—whether it be one rupee
or ten—can occasionally make someone’s day, especially if they are a child. It gives them hope. Hence
the writer’s statement that “garbage to them is gold” is true.
Q5. What does the writer mean when she says, ‘Saheb is no longer his own master’?
Ans: The author intended Saheb to be a carefree youngster who worked and still had time for himself
when he was a ragpicker. Yet as soon as he began working at the tea shop, he lost his freedom because
he was forced to work for a master and obey his commands. He could no longer act however he
pleased. As a result, he was no longer his own master.
Q6. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall ? Explain.
Ans: Saheb was not happy working at the tea stall. There was fixed earning and food to suffice his
hunger but he had lost his freedom. Earlier, working as a rag picker, his earning was meagre, but he had
enjoyed his work as he was not accountable to anyone. Thus he was no longer his own master.
LOST SPRING
SHORT QUESTIONS
Q7. What makes the city of Firozabad famous ?
Ans: The bangle manufacturing sector is well known in Firozabad. In Firozabad, bangle manufacturing is
a way of life for every family. It is the hub of India’s glass blowing industry, where families have spent
years welding, producing glass, and creating bangles for ladies while surrounded by furnaces.
Q8. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps ? Where is he and where has he come from?
Ans: In pursuit of “gold,” Saheb rummaged through and explored the garbage heaps. He lived in a slum
outside of Delhi called Seemapuri with thousands of other rag pickers. He had left Bangladesh with his
parents after numerous storms destroyed their home and farmland.
Q9. How was Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family ?
Ans: Mukesh was prepared to leave the family’s history and vicious cycle of glassmakers. He followed
his tender heart’s desire to train as a mechanic. In order to obtain the training and abilities he needed,
he willingly undertook the burden of walking a significant distance to the garage. He therefore had the
courage to pursue his dream.
LOST SPRING
SHORT QUESTIONS
Q10. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry ?
Ans: Workers in the glass bangle industry toiled their daylight hours working near hot furnaces in dingy
cells having no proper lighting and inadequate ventilation. At times they lose their eyesight because of
the dust emitted while polishing glass bangles. In Firozabad, children also laboured in glass bangle
industries where they fell prey to such hazardous working atmosphere.
Q11. What trade does the family of Mukesh follow? Why does the writer feel that it’s difficult for
Mukesh to break away from this tradition?
Ans: Engaged in bangle making for decades, it is difficult to break away from this trade. He belongs to
the caste of bangle makers. His family is caught in the web of sahukars, the middlemen, policemen,
politicians and bureaucrats, from which there is no escape.
Q12. What does Saheb do for a living? Why?
Ans: Saheb is a rag picker. His family has left the life of poverty behind in Dhaka to pursue their dream
of finding a better life. The children like him have no access to education and are forced into rag picking.
LOST SPRING
SHORT QUESTIONS
Q13. Why did people migrate from the village in Dhaka to Delhi?
Ans: Their homes and farmland were destroyed by numerous storms. Political unrest at the period
made life for these people very tough, and their fields eventually turned to desert. They left their home
in Dhaka and moved to Delhi in the hopes of finding better living, educational, and employment
possibilities.
Q14. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear ?
Ans: The author had seen children walking barefoot, in cities as well as on village roads. It was
customary for them to remain barefoot because they believed that their ragged clothing and being
barefoot emphasized their ongoing poverty and tracked an ancient tradition that had been retained by
the suffering rag pickers.
Q15. What does garbage symbolise for adults and children?
Ans: Garbage has a different connotation for kids than it does for adults. When they discover a rupee or
ten-rupee note inside, the children’s eyes light up with wonder. They eagerly explore the trash in the
hopes of discovering more. But so far, it is a means of survival for the elderly.
LOST SPRING
SHORT QUESTIONS
Q16. Why can’t the bangle makers of Firozabad organise themselves into a cooperative?
Ans: The makers of bangles are locked in a vicious cycle that starts with poverty, progresses through
apathy, greed, and injustice, and ends with injustice. Their hopes and goals are crushed by mindless
labour. Because they were caught in a vicious loop of sahukars, intermediaries, police, bureaucrats, and
politicians, the Ferozabad bangle producers were unable to organise themselves into a cooperative.
Collectively, priviledged people had imposed baggage on these individuals that they were unable to
shed.
Q17. What is Mukesh’s dream? Do you think he will be able to fulfil his dream? Why? Why not?
Ans: Mukesh wants to become a mechanic and learn how to drive. He appears to be determined to see
his dream realised, which increases the likelihood that it will come true. Regardless of the distance
between his house and the garage, he is prepared to walk there in order to learn despite all the odds
against him.
Q18. Describe the irony in Saheb’s name.
Ans: Saheb’s full name is Saheb-e-Alam which means ‘Lord of the Universe’. Saheb, though, is a
destitute ragpicker who relies on garbage dumps to support himself. His name offers a stark contrast to
his sad situation.
LOST SPRING
SHORT QUESTIONS
Q19. How was Mukesh different from other bangle makers? (Comptt. Delhi 2016)
Ans: Mukesh was different from other bangle makers because he wanted to be his own master. When
other bangle manufacturers did not even dare to dream and had accepted their fate, Mukesh had an
ambition of becoming a mechanic.
Q20. Which industry was a boon and also bane for the people of Firozabad? How? (Comptt. Delhi 2017)
Ans: The glass-bangles making industry was a boon and also bane for the people of Firozabad. Although
the industry has provided them with a means of support, the dangerous working conditions in the hot
furnaces have a negative impact on their physical well-being.
Q21. 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. (SQP 2020-21)
Ans: The young people share the sorrow of their elders who have been engaged in the mind-numbing
labour of producing bangles for a long time. Because of this, the author claims that hardly much seems
to have changed over time in Firozabad.
LOST SPRING
SHORT QUESTIONS
Q22. Why does Anees Jung say that the bangle makers are caught in a vicious web? (CBSE SQP 2019-20)
Ans: The bangle makers in Firozabad are exploited at the hands of the Sahukars, middlemen, policemen,
law makers, bureaucrats and politicians. They toil day and night, but are not paid appropriate wages
and are steeped in poverty. They cannot form cooperatives for their betterment. Moreover, their
children are also compelled to join the same trade at an early age and cannot dare to take up any other
profession.
Q23. Why do you think Mukesh is content to dream of cars and doesn’t dream of flying a plane?
Ans: Mukesh was drawn towards being a motor mechanic and not a pilot because he had seen a lot of
cars going around his place but had hardly seen any plane flying past and hence, he made a more
realistic or practical decision to be a mechanic instead of a pilot.
Q24. Do you believe that ‘God-given lineage can be broken’? Support your position with a rationale.
Ans: Yes, – God given lineage can be broken. Hardwork and determination always pays off and makes us
reach our dreams or goals. Mukesh was a hard-working man. He could achieve his dream of becoming a
motor mechanic by constant hard work towards life and towards the dream.
LOST SPRING
SHORT QUESTIONS
Q25. How do you think the author’s life might have been impacted after her interactions with the
children and their families mentioned in ‘Lost Spring’?
Ans: In the chapter ‘Lost Spring,’ the author ‘Anees Jung’ discusses the bleak world in which people in
positions of power make promises but never try to keep them. We learned from her interactions with
Saheb and Mukesh that the author cares about the lower class and oppressed people. She believes that
child labour should be prohibited in our country so that children who want to study can do so.
Q26. What do we come to know about the author of Lost Spring, Anees Jung, through her interactions
with Saheb and Mukesh?
Ans: In the chapter ‘Lost Spring,’ the author ‘Anees Jung’ discusses the bleak world in which people in
positions of power make promises but never try to keep them. We learned from her interactions with
Saheb and Mukesh that the author cares about the lower class and oppressed people.
LOST SPRING
LONG QUESTIONS
Q1. Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept? Why do you think
this happens in the incidents narrated in the text ?
Ans. We agree that promises made to underprivileged kids are frequently broken. We host
several chat shows to end child labour, however the majority of child labourers worldwide
are found in India. Children who work as children suffer both physical and mental suffering.
The author of the lesson “Lost Spring” painted a clear picture of children working in the
bangle and rag-picking professions. As she realised the plight of rag pickers, she asked Saheb
if he would attend a school if she decided to create one in the area. Eventually, she felt
ashamed for making a youngster a promise that she had no intention of keeping.Both child
labourers in Firozabad and rag pickers in Seemapuri had never attended school. All of their
initiative, desire, and capacity for dreaming were killed when they were persuaded to choose
that line of work.
LOST SPRING
LONG QUESTIONS
Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangle industry.
Ans. The glass bangle industry is highly dangerous to work in. Employees spend a lot of time
close to the glass furnaces, which operate at high temperatures. They toil during the day in
dismal cells with inadequate ventilation and illumination. Rather than the light and open air
outside, their eyes become more accustomed to the gloom that prevails inside their
workshop. They frequently lose their vision as a result of the dust that is released during the
polishing of glass bangles. Despite the fact that child labour is illegal under the law, young
children are mostly employed in this dangerous occupation. They work in a dimly lit hut with
their parents or other other adults, shaping bits of coloured glass into lovely round
bangles.They become more prone to accidents as a result of working in such poor sanitary
conditions, and their desire to follow their dreams and escape their family’s constraints is
also killed.
LOST SPRING
LONG QUESTIONS
Q3. How in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Ans. Mukesh came from a family of bangle makers who practised their ancestors’ trade,
thought it was a calling from God, and accepted the hardship, pain, and exploitation that
went along with it as a part of their fate. Mukesh chose the profession of his choice with a
tender heart. H e was ready to leave the glass-making family’s legacy and its vicious cycle. He
refused to let poverty thwart his ambitions. He desired to work as an apprentice in a garage
since he had an ambition of becoming a mechanic. He aspired to get his driver’s licence so he
could maybe work as a mechanic or a mechanic’s assistant, and he was willing to travel a
significant distance to go to the garage.In this way, he dared to fulfil his dream.
LOST SPRING
LONG QUESTIONS
Q4. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities.
Ans. More and more people are moving from villages to cities as years roll on. The village is
under more strain now because of overpopulation, illiteracy, and unemployment.
Furthermore, landless labourers are forced to move to cities in search of employment due to
the introduction of mechanised farming. Their primary occupation used to be agriculture, but
as a result of increasing industrialization and advances in education, young people now move
to cities in pursuit of employment and educational opportunities. They don’t want to remain
in the soiled rural environment. Modern machines have also taken the role of the local crafts.
The market is crowded with high-quality, low-priced competition. The villagers are unable to
sell their wares because they are unable to compete with the new system of vast
industrialisation.They frequently become indebted because of agricultural loans and lose
their lands and properties as a result. Finally, as a result of urbanisation, the villages move to
the metropolis to live a contemporary lifestyle.
LOST SPRING
LONG QUESTIONS
Q5. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Ans. Employment of child labour is illegal. The law forbids it. Nonetheless, it continues
uninterrupted in numerous cities and villages. It has a risky nature.
It causes them physical and mental harm because they are unable to comprehend or
communicate. They frequently lose or hurt their important organs while working. Before kids
reach adulthood, they lose their innocence. All of their initiative, ambition, and desire to
dream in life are killed by working day and night. They are even denied access to a formal
education and to healthy development. It is dangerous to use kids in dangerous businesses
like making carpet, bangles, and fireworks. These kids have no idea how to defend
themselves in the event of an accident or calamity.The only way to resolve the issue with the
government and society is to mercilessly punish the exploiters.
LOST SPRING
LONG QUESTIONS
Q6. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty ?
Ans. Anees Jung correctly identified the two different classes that existed in the town of
Firozabad. Families trapped in the tradition of creating bangles made up the first group. They
had never considered careers outside of those of their ancestors. They were aware of how
little money they were making and how challenging it was to make ends meet.
The second stratum included sahukars, bureaucrats, police officers, and cunning politicians
who coerced the kids into child labour in the dangerous bangle making industry. Both young
and old were caught in this terrible loop. If they spoke out against this continued system, the
police would arrest them. They viewed it as a divinely mandated bloodline that could never
be broken.They never considered creating a union. They never spoke up to escape the web of
poverty and the grasp of the bureaucrats because they had accepted it as their fate.
LOST SPRING
LONG QUESTIONS
Q7. 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.
Ans. Mukesh belongs to a family of glass bangle makers in Firozabad. Even though the
children of such families usually carry on their family profession, Mukesh wants to be a
motor mechanic and drive a car. Unlike his family members, and others of his community, he
has dared to dream. His grandmother’s words about the unbreakable lineage represent the
attitude they have towards their situation in life. They believe that it is their destiny to toil as
bangle makers. Mukesh was different from the others of his community. His dreams look like
a mirage amidst the dust of street that fill his town Firozabad. By daring to dream, he has
already taken the first step towards a big change. He wants to become a motor mechanic and
drive a car. He can realise this dream with determination and hard work. There might be
many obstacles on his way but a strong willpower will help him move towards the path of
success. The resolute boy is willing to walk a long distance from home to learn to be a
mechanic.
LOST SPRING
LONG QUESTIONS
Q8. How does the story, ‘Lost Spring’ highlight the apathy of society and those in power to end the
vicious cycle of poverty? Support your answer with textual evidence.
Ans. In this story, ‘Lost Spring’s Saheb and Mukesh were the two main characters in two different stories
and both of them suffered extreme poverty. In the first story Saheb was a child who did rag picking with
his family to fulfil their needs. After a few days he started working in a tea stall and he is no longer his
own master as he worked under someone.On the other side mukesh belonged to a family of bangle
makers and works in bangle making industry along with his family but he was focused and determined
for his aim to become a motor mechanic. Both Saheb and Mukesh were unable to move out of poverty
and live a normal life,as they got no opportunities and it was almost impossible for them to fulfil their
dreams. This was because the upper class people, politicians and officials did not help them at all
,rather they pushed them down in poverty for their greed. Also they did not have much knowledge
about their rights and the importance of education, as no one told them about this.They both just
followed the old customs and worked in poverty as no one guided them. Even the people who have the
power to help them showed lack of interest in helping them. That is why this vicious cycle of poverty
continues and the poor people become more poor and the rich become richer. If the upper class people
and the men in power would have helped them to get out of poverty and get educated, then both
Saheb and Mukesh would definitely be able to fulfil their dreams and enjoy their life like others. Also, it
is the duty of common people to make them aware of their rights and tell them how they can move out
of poverty stricken life so as to make them succeed in life.
LOST SPRING
LONG QUESTIONS
Q9. Certain traditions and lineage, condemn thousands of children to a life of abject poverty
and choke their aspirations. • Do you agree? Explain. • How can we change this? Suggest
some ways to tackle this issue. (QB)
Ans. Yes, I do agree that ‘Lost Spring’ narrates the grinding poverty and traditions that
condemn thousands of people have succumbed. The story written by Anees Jung revolves
around the pitiable condition of poor children who have been forced to live in the slums and
work hard in dirty conditions. The first part tells the writer’s impression about the life of poor
rag pickers who have migrated from Bangladesh but now are settled in the Seemapuri area of
Delhi. The second part narrates the miserable life of the bangle-makers in the town of
Firozabad. The stark reality of these families is that, in spite of back-breaking hard work that
they put in, they cannot have two square meals a day. Besides, false and blind belief in
traditions does not let their children take up other respectable and better paying jobs which
will improve their financial situations.
LOST SPRING
CHARACTERS
Character Sketch of Saheb e Alam
Saheb e Alam is a young boy who lives in the Seemapuri slum which is on the periphery of
Delhi. His family is one of the squatters who came from Dhaka. According to the writer,
Saheb would be in utter disbelief if he knew that the meaning of his name is ‘lord of the
world’ which is ironic considering the conditions that he lives in. Saheb e Alam, like others
who live in Seemapuri, is a ragpicker. He comes in the morning and disappears by afternoon
along with a group of friends who roam around the streets barefooted. For Saheb e Alam
ragpicking is a source of joy and mystery. This is because he sometimes finds a rupee in the
pile of garbage and once you find that, there is always some hope to find more. He lives in a
deprived condition in seemapuri where even the most basic amenities are unavailable. As a
ragpicker Saheb was his own boss, a free man but, when he took up a job at the tea stall, he
sacrificed his freedom.
LOST SPRING
CHARACTERS
Character Sketch of Mukesh
Mukesh is a young boy who appears in the chapter “The Lost Spring” from Class 12 English
textbook. He lives in Firozabad which is the hub of India’s glass blowing industry. The people
of Firozabad are engaged in making bangles and so is Mukesh and his family. Mukesh lives in
a small house which he proudly says is being renovated. It is situated in a small street which
is filled with garbage and tightly packed houses. His family consists of his grandparents, his
elder brother and his wife who is just a few years older than Mukesh. In a place like
Firozabad people have accepted bangle making as their ‘karam’ and poverty, their fate.
Nobody thinks of following a different path and the same is taught to their children. In such a
place, Mukesh was courageous enough to dream of becoming a motor mechanic. He is
determined to make this dream come true no matter what difficulty he faces. On being asked
whether he would become a pilot, Mukesh shows a hint of embarrassment. His dream of
becoming a motor mechanic might have arisen from the cars passing down the streets of the
town but a plane would rarely fly over Firozabad.
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