LOST SPRING

Introduction :

This story is written by a famous short-story writer Anees Jung. The following is an excerpt from her book
titled ‘Lost Spring, Stories of Stolen Childhood’. Here, she writes about the utter poverty and traditions
which force these children to a life of exploitation. Anees Jung highlights the utter destitution of ragpickers
of Seemapuri, and the bangle makers of Firozabad. They can be seen loitering around near the heaps of
garbage to find a rupee note or a coin or something that they can sell. They have no school to go to, no
work to do. They are neglected by society as well as by their parents. For most of us, they do not seem to
exist.

The ragpickers’ families in Seemapuri came from Bangladesh because their fields were washed away and
they were forced to starve. The other part of the story deals with the unenviable lot of the poor bangle
makers of Firozabad. They have been traditional bangle makers. They are poor, illiterate and fatalists. They
cannot alter their lot. They find themselves caught in the web of middlemen and moneylenders who are
supported by law enforcing authorities and they live in filth and squalor. About 2000 children help their
parents in bangle making. Though this type of child labour is illegal, yet it goes on unabated. One of the
children, Mukesh wants to give up his work. He dreams to be a motor mechanic. But he will have to cross
a few hurdles before he can realise his dream.

Summary

‘Sometimes I Find A Rupee in the Garbage’

The author would come across Saheb every morning. She always found him searching for something in a
heap of garbage. One morning she asked him, ‘‘Why do you do this?’’ He replied, ‘‘I have nothing else to
do.’’ She told him to go to school but he said that there was no school in his neighbourhood. She asked
him whether he would study if she started a school. Saheb was happy. He said he would go to her school.
But she had not actually intended on starting a school in the near future. She realised what an impact her
casual words had on Saheb. Saheb’s full name was Saheb-e-Alam meaning Lord of the Universe. The name
was especially poignant, because the poor boy spent his days wandering barefoot along with other poor
boys like him. The author talked to Saheb’s companions. One of the barefoot boys told her that it was their
tradition to walk barefoot. But the author does not agree with them. She believes that a perpetual state
of poverty is marked and passed on as tradition. Some children are lucky: Their prayer for shoes is granted
but the ragpickers remain barefoot. The ragpickers live in Seemapuri. Though Seemapuri is also in Delhi,
there is a world of difference between the two places. Like all other families in the area, Saheb’s family
had also come from Bangladesh in the year 1971, because their homes and fields had been destroyed by
storms. They had nothing to live on. About 10,000 ragpickers live in Seemapuri. They live in mud structures
with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. They lack all civic amenities like sewage and running water. However, they
have voter identity cards and ration cards; this enables them to cast their votes and buy food. They move
about and pitch their tents wherever they can find food. Ragpicking is their sole means of livelihood. Saheb
used to stand outside a club. He was fascinated by tennis and would watch people play. He also wanted to
play. Someone had given him a pair of discarded tennis shoes. For him, this was a dream come true. Yet
he did not see himself playing tennis as it was out of his reach. Saheb got a job in a tea-stall. He was paid
800 rupees a month as well as all meals. Yet, he did not seem happy. He had lost his carefree life and his
freedom. He was no longer his own master.
‘I Want to Drive a Car’

The author visited Firozabad — a city famous for its bangle-making industry. Almost every other family in
Firozabad is engaged in making glass bangles. Glass bangles are regarded as an important symbol of a
woman’s marital status. Mukesh’s family was engaged in making bangles. Mukesh took the author to his
house, walking through stinking lanes choked with garbage. Families of bangle makers lived there in the
houses with crumbling walls and wobbly doors. Mukesh’s house was like any other house in the lane. A
frail young woman was cooking meals on a firewood stove. She was the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother.
She was respected as the daughter-in-law of the family. Mukesh’s father also came in. The daughter-in-
law covered her face with a veil as custom demanded. Mukesh’s father was old and weak. He had lost his
eyesight because of the dust from polishing glass bangles. He had worked hard all his life. But he could not
afford to send his two sons to school. He could only teach them the art of making bangles; he had also
built the house, but could not repair it.Mukesh’s grandmother expressed her belief in destiny. She said
that it was their karma (deeds) because of which they were born into the bangle maker’s caste. Thus, it
was their destiny to suffer. This belief that no man could change what was already decided by fate was
shared by all the people of Firozabad. Another woman told the author that despite working hard all their
lives, they had never even had a full meal. The author could see bangles everywhere. She saw boys and
girls welding pieces of coloured glass. Their eyes would get used to the darkness and they often lost their
eyesight before even reaching adulthood. At home, families worked hard all day in front of furnaces with
high temperatures. Such families, generation after generation, have been engaged in making bangles. They
live in poverty, they work hard, and die in poverty. Nothing has changed with the passage of time. They
find themselves in the clutches of middlemen and moneylenders. If the youth try to organise themselves,
they are harassed by the police and the administration. It is not easy for bangle makers to do something
different because of the stigma of their caste. But Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic. He wants to
learn this work at a garage far away from home. He wants to be his own master.

Theme

Spring is the season of bloom. Spring is a metaphor of childhood, associated with the beginning of a bright
future. Childhood is associated with innocence, physical stamina and vitality. It is also the time for gaining
knowledge, learning and going to school. ‘Lost Spring’ by Anees Jung is a description of children who are
condemned to poverty and a life of exploitation. The two protagonists of the story, Saheb-e-Alam and
Mukesh, lose their childhood to the burden of poverty and illiteracy. In their bleak stories of exploitation,
however, the author finds glimpses of resilience and hope.

Justification of the Title

‘Lost Spring’ describes two stories of stolen childhood. Millions of poor children in India spend their
childhood working in ragpicking or hazardous industries, instead of going to school. Childhood is the spring
of life. But millions of unfortunate children like Saheb and Mukesh are forced to spend this time either
scrounging in the garbage dumps of Seemapuri or welding glass bangles in the blast furnaces of Firozabad.
Their childhood is lost to the demands of survival. Hence, the title is quite apt.

Message
The lesson ‘Lost Spring’ shares two ‘stories of stolen childhood’. The characters and places are different
but the problem is the same. Thousands of Sahebs and Mukeshs are condemned to live a life of misery
and exploitation. Grinding poverty and traditions compel children to work in the most inhuman and hostile
conditions. The author succeeds in highlighting the plight of such unfortunate children.