Lost Spring
Stories of Stolen Childhood
By Anees Jung
Anees Jung is an Indian author. She has written several books dealing with social issues
including abused children and women’s problems and is noted for her lively and vivid
descriptions.
The following is an excerpt from her book 'Lost Spring, Stories of Stolen Childhood.'
Introduction
“Lost Spring” describes the pathetic and pitiable condition of poor children who are denied the
joys of childhood due to the miserable socio-economic conditions prevailing in the world. They
are condemned to live a life of poverty and exploitation.
Instead of going to school, they find themselves forced into labour early in life. She also
highlights the callousness of society and the government towards the sufferings of the poor.
She makes an appeal to eliminate child labour by educating the children and strictly enforcing
the laws against it. She wants them to enjoy the days of spring that will bring joy to their lives.
She narrates stories of her interactions with underprivileged children. They lose their childhood
while carrying the burden of poverty and illiteracy. In their bleak stories of exploitation, the
author finds glimpses of strength and fortitude. They are sensitive and thought provoking
portrayals.
Part I –
“Sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage”
Scrounging – searching for
Amidst – in the middle of
Every morning, the writer sees a young ragpicker boy in her neighbourhood. He is searching for
resaleable material in the garbage dump. Although it is full of useless, discarded things, he
shuffles it minutely as if he will get something as precious as ‘gold’ from it.
His name is Saheb. His home in Dhaka was in the middle of lush green fields. His family had left
it many years ago. His mother had told him that there were many storms which had destroyed
their homes and fields. So, they shifted to the cities in search of ‘gold’.
The boy searches for valuable things in the garbage dumps. It is referred to as gold because it is
their support system and provides them with food, clothing and shelter. It is their livelihood and
a means of survival. The children hunted through the garbage heaps looking for things which
could partially fulfil their dreams. Hence, it is as precious as gold for them.
One day the writer questions Saheb and asks him why he shuffles through the garbage.
Mutters – to speak in a low voice
Glibly - speaking or spoken in a confident way, but without careful thought or honesty
Hollow – meaningless
Saheb replies that he has nothing else to do other than rag picking. The writer suggests that he
should go to school. But she immediately realizes that her advice is meaningless for the poor
boy. He replies that there are no schools in the area where he lives. He also assures her that he
will go to school when one is built near his house. She asks him jokingly that if she opened a
school would he attend it.
Embarrassed - feeling ashamed
abound - exist in large numbers
bleak – empty
Saheb accepts that he would join her school and after a few days, he runs up to her to ask
whether the school is ready. She replied that it takes a lot of time to build a school. She had
meant it as a joke and never intended to open one, so she felt embarrassed. Saheb was not hurt
because he was used to such false promises made by everyone around him.
The writer had known Saheb for a few months but did not know his name. When she asked him,
he said that it was Saheb – e – Alam which meant “Lord of the Universe” It is ironic because his
name was in stark contrast to the miserable life he actually led.
barefoot – without footwear
He went around the streets with a group of boys who did not wear any footwear. When the writer
asked one of them about it, he replied that his mother did not get the chappals down from the
shelf.
perpetual state of poverty - never ending condition of being poor
These boys have accepted their state of poverty as a part of life but don't want to narrate sad tales
for gaining the sympathy of others.
While travelling across the country, she had seen many children walking barefoot in the cities as
well as the villages. It was believed that they were barefoot because it was a tradition for them.
But, the real reason was that they were so poor that they could not even afford footwear.
Desolation - the state of being empty
Panting - taking short and quick breathes
The writer narrates a story told to her by a man from Udipi. (Udipi is a town in Karnataka).
When he (the man) was a young boy, he would pray to God (at the temple where his father was a
priest) for a pair of shoes. After thirty years the writer visited the town and the temple. Now the
place was nearly empty. The new priest lived in the backyard of the temple. A young boy was
wearing a grey school uniform, socks and shoes. The writer wants to say that the financial
position of the priest at the temple had improved over the last thirty years. Now, he could afford
shoes for his children.
She was reminded of another boy who got a pair of shoes. He prayed to the goddess that he may
never lose them. The goddess granted his prayer and he never lost his footwear. This shows us
that the underprivileged value anything that they get because they have been longing for it. She
also notes that even though some of these boys got shoes, many others, like the ragpickers, were
still without shoes.
Acquaintance - contact
periphery- outer area
metaphorically- symbolically
The writer describes the area where these rag picker boys live. Seemapuri, located on the
outskirts of Delhi was very different from the lifestyle of the capital of the country.
( it is metaphorically away as they are not able to enjoy the basic necessities and facilities of life
such as proper food, clothes, sanitation, drinking water, and shelter due to their impoverished
condition.)
squatters - people who unlawfully occupy unused land
wilderness- a wasteland
tarpaulin- heavy-duty waterproof cloth
In 1971 when these rag pickers had migrated from Bangladesh, the area had been a wasteland.
Seemapuri was still a wasteland but now it was not empty as almost ten thousand rag pickers
lived there in structures made of mud, with roofs made of thin sheets of tin or plastic material.
There was no sewage, drainage or running water facility. They lived in unhygienic conditions. It
was a piece of wasteland where the garbage of the city was collected.
Permits – legal documents
Tattered – torn
The ragpickers had been living illegally in Seemapuri for more than thirty years. They occupied
the area without government permission or ownership. The politicians of the area have provided
them ration cards and voter identity cards. They got groceries for their family and in return, they
cast their votes in favour of the politician who had helped them.
A group of women wearing torn saris answered why they had left their homes in Dhaka.
If they were able to satisfy the hunger of their families and sleep well at night, they were happier
to live in Seemapuri. Their fields in Dhaka were ruined and gave them no food. Other things like
identity, education, shoes and sports seem unattainable and are a part of their unfulfilled dreams.
Transit homes – a temporary home
These people travelled in search of food and wherever they found it, they set up temporary
homes and started living there. Their children kept on growing there and gradually, they also
started helping their parents in seeking means of survival. For them, the means of survival was
rag picking. As they had been doing it for many years, they became trained at it and did it well.
For them, garbage was as precious as gold. These families searched the garbage dumps and got
things which they sold to fund their food. They gathered torn or damaged sheets which were
used to cover the roof of their homes. These did not cover them well but still provided them with
some protection. For the children, the garbage dumps were more than a means of survival.
Lighting up – show joy and happiness
Saheb was happy to say that sometimes he found a rupee and even a ten – rupee note in the
dump. As one might even find a silver coin in the garbage dump, he kept on searching, hoping to
find more. For the children, the garbage dump was a means of fulfilling their dreams but for their
parents, it was a means of existence by providing the basic things like food, clothing and shelter.
(They had learnt out of their experience that life would not bring any wonder, happiness or
miracle in their sad lives.)
Content – satisfied
One winter morning the writer saw Saheb standing by the fence of a club. He was watching a
tennis game being played by two young men. Saheb liked the game but could not play it. He told
the writer that he went inside when it would be closed. He was allowed to use the swings by the
guard there.
Discarded – thrown away
Bother – worry
Saheb was also wearing tennis shoes. They did not look appropriate with his dress which was
worn out and faded. He told the writer that someone had given him the shoes. However, she
figured out that he had found them in a garbage dump. They must have been thrown away by a
boy from a rich family as he did not want to wear them anymore. Probably they had a hole or
two in them due to which he did not want to wear them.
But Saheb had no problem wearing them as he could not afford anything better. He used to walk
barefoot and to wear a shoe even with a hole was like a dream for him. Although Saheb’s dream
of wearing shoes had been partially fulfilled, his desire to play tennis would never be fulfilled.
One morning the writer met Saheb who was on his way to the milk booth. He was holding a steel
container. He told her that he had got a job at the nearby tea stall. He would earn eight hundred
rupees a month and get meals too. The writer asked him if he liked the job as she could see that
he had lost the carefree look. As Saheb was now working for someone else and was carrying his
master’s container, he was burdened with responsibility. Earlier, as a rag picker, Saheb would
carry his own bag and was his own master. The writer noticed that Saheb had lost the freedom
which he had enjoyed as a rag picker.
Story 2 - “I want to drive a car”
Is the story of Bangle makers of Firozabad.
Just like Saheb is the main character of the previous story, this part tells us the story of Mukesh.
The writer met a boy named Mukesh who aspired to become a motor mechanic.
She asked him if he knew anything about cars.
looking straight into my eyes – with confidence and determination
looms like a mirage - seems that it will be true in the future but actually it will not be so
amidst – in the middle of
The boy was confident and replied that he would learn to drive a car. His dream was far away
from reality and although the boy was confident, he would succumb to the societal pressures. He
lived in Firozabad which was famous for glass bangles.
The writer felt that the boy’s dreams would not materialize and would gradually get influenced
by the dusty streets of Firozabad. Almost every family in the town of Firozabad was involved in
working in the glass bangle industry. Eventually, Mukesh would also follow the same path.
glass-blowing industry - industry related to making glass
furnaces - a closed room or container where heat is produced
welding - the process of joining metal or glass pieces by heating them
Firozabad was the main town of India for the glass – blowing industry. The families had been
involved in working at furnaces, welding glass, and making bangles for generations.
Mukesh’s family was also involved in the profession of glass bangle making. They did not know
that it was unlawful to force children to work in such glass furnaces.
Dingy – dark, dim
Slog – work hard
Daylight hours - hours of the day when there is sunlight
Brightness of their eyes - here, refers to the power to see
The work places were hot, dark closed rooms without ventilation. If the law was enforced here,
it would rescue almost twenty thousand children from these inhuman places where they were
forced to work during the day. They often ended up losing their eyesight.
Beam – shine brightly
Volunteers - freely offers to do something
Mukesh was happy as he took the writer to his house. He felt proud to inform her that it was
being renovated.
Stinking – bad smell
Choked – blocked
They walked down streets which were full of garbage and foul smell.
Hovels – small, dirty houses in bad condition
Crumbling – falling apart
Wobbly – unsteady
The small, dirty houses were in a bad condition. Their walls were falling apart, doors were
unsteady and there were no windows.
Coexisting - living together at the same place
Primeval – prehistoric
Bangs – hits
They were full of families where people lived along with animals. They reminded the writer of
prehistoric men who lived just like animals. Mukesh stopped in front of one such door, hit it hard
with his foot and pushed it open.
Shack – a roughly built hut
Thatched – roof built with dry grass
Vessel – container for cooking food
Sizzling - make a hissing sound when frying or cooking
Platters – large plates
Chopped – cut finely
Mukesh's house was a partially constructed hut. In one corner was a firewood stove made with
dead grass. A vessel with spinach leaves was kept on it. On the ground, there were more plates
with chopped vegetables in them.
Frail – thin, weak
eyes filled with smoke - her eyes are filled with the smoke coming out of the firewood stove
command respect - she is worthy and so, is respected
A thin, young woman was cooking the evening meal for the family. Her eyes were full of the
smoke rising from the stove but she was still cheerful and smiled at the writer. She was the wife
of Mukesh’s elder brother. Although she was not much older than Mukesh, she was a responsible
person and was worthy to get respect from the family as the daughter-in-law of the family. She
took care of three men – her husband, Mukesh and their father.
Withdraws – goes back
Veil - a piece of fine material worn by women to protect or hide the face, cover or hide
As Mukesh’s father entered the house, the daughter-in-law hid behind the wall and covered her
face behind her veil. It was a tradition for the daughters-in-law to hide their face in the presence
of the older male members of the family.
Impoverished – very poor
Labour – hard work
Renovate - repair
The elder here was a poor bangle maker. He had worked hard all his life – first as a tailor, then as
a bangle maker.
He was still not able to either renovate the house or send his sons to school. He had just
managed to teach them the skill of making bangles.
Karam, Destiny – fate
God-given lineage - here, a profession carried on through the generations of a family –
glass bangle making
Mukesh’s grandmother justified her son by saying that he was destined to make bangles as it had
been their family profession. She had seen her husband become blind due to the dust from
polishing the glass bangles. She said that their family had got this art of bangle making from God
and so they had to carry on the tradition.
Yard – the open area at the back of the house
They were born in a particular caste which had to follow the profession of bangle making. All
their life they had just seen these glass bangles.
Mounds – heaps
Unkempt – not taken care of, untidy
Piled – kept one on top of the other
Shanty town - a town that is full of small, roughly built huts
They were everywhere – in the backyard, in the next house, in their yard and even in the streets
of the town. There were huge spiral bunches of bangles in different colours like gold, green,
blue, pink, purple. and all the colours of the rainbow. Further, the writer says that there were
bangles in the yards also. They were dumped on hand carts for sale. They were pushed by men
along the streets of Firozabad.
Welding – joining
The writer describes the environment where these bangle makers work. They were small, dark
huts. The children sit next to a line of oil lamps whose flames were unsteady. They, along with
their parents joined the pieces of coloured glass into circles to make bangles. As they spent a lot
of time in the dark, their eyes did not adapt to the bright sunlight. Many of them lost their
eyesight before gaining adulthood.
Drab – faded, colourless
Soldering – joining
Tongs - an instrument with two moveable arms joined at one end
There was a young girl named Savita. She was sitting with an elderly woman and they were
joining pieces of glass to make bangles. Her hands moved just like the tongs of a machine.
Sanctity - the state of being sacred or holy
Auspiciousness – good omen
The writer wondered if Savita knew that bangles were sacred. They were a good omen for a
woman’s wifehood.
Dawn on her – she will realize
Draped - covered
She thought that Savita would realize this when she would become a bride. That day she would
cover her head with a red coloured veil, colour her hands with henna and wear red coloured
bangles on her wrist. The elderly woman had also become a bride many years back. She was still
wearing the glass bangles but had lost her eyesight now.
Ser – a unit of measuring quantity
Reaped – received as a benefit
The elderly woman complained that she had not eaten enough food even once in her life. That is
all that she has received by adopting the profession of bangle-making. Her husband is old and
has a flowing beard. He says that he does not know anything other than bangle – making. All that
he has been able to do is to make a house for his family to live in.
The writer wonders that probably the old man has achieved something which many other people
have not been able to achieve. At least he has been able to secure a shelter for his family.
Rings – a sound which is repeated
Echo – repeat
Lament – complaint
Mind – numbing – boring
Toil – physical hard work done to earn a living
This problem was prevalent in all the homes which carried on the profession. They did not know
anything other than bangle-making. It did not even provide them enough for food. The young
men who had entered the traditional profession also had the same complaint. There had been no
improvement in their condition with the passage of time. As they had been working so hard for
countless number of years, they did not have the resourcefulness of doing anything else. They
had even lost the ability to dream.
Hauled up – dragged, taken away
The writer suggests they form a cooperative. She talked to a group of young men to get out of the
clutches of the cruel middlemen who had trapped their elders. The men said that if they dared to
do something like that, they would be dragged and beaten up by the police and sent to jail. Their
acts would be termed as unlawful. The writer felt that as they had no leader, they could not think
of doing things differently. They all were so tired of their never ending miseries.
Spiral – here, a never-ending continuous process (moving upwards, referring to economic
classes)
Apathy – lack of concern
Greed – intense and selfish desire for something
The men complained that it was a never ending cycle that moved upwards. At the base was their
poverty. Above it was the indifference of the people who employed them.
They didn't want to do anything for them because of their greed. Hence, injustice was done to
them.
Distinct – separate
Stigma – dishonor
Two separate worlds existed here – one was of such families who were stuck in poverty.
They were forced to follow the traditional profession because of the caste in which they were
born.
Vicious – cruel, done in order to hurt somebody
Bureaucrats – government officials
The other world is the never-ending cycle of moneylenders, middlemen, policemen, law keepers,
government officials and politicians.
Imposed – forced upon
Baggage – burden
To dare – do something courageous
Both of these worlds had forced the young to follow their family traditions. They got into the
profession and became a part of the vicious cycle. If they did anything else, it meant that they
were challenging the higher authorities.
Hurtling down – moving around
The boys had not been reared up to be bold so that they could dare to go against the system. The
writer was happy to sense that Mukesh had the spark of motivation in him. He
quite determined about realizing his dream of becoming a motor mechanic. He is ready to walk
to a garage far from his home to learn the job.
The author asks if he ever dreams of flying a plane- the question embarrasses him and he
refused.
He is satisfied to dream about cars as he does not know much about planes. Not many planes
flew over Firozabad. As he had only seen cars moving around in Firozabad, his dreams were
restricted to them.
He is satisfied with the more tangible and attainable dream related to the fast moving cars that he
saw on the streets.
Airplanes symbolize something distant, just like a far-fetched dream. People of Firozabad were
not exposed to such grand dreams.
Significance of the title--
.
The title ‘Lost Spring’ conveys that childhood is like spring. As everything blooms in this
season, so should childhood. However, children like Saheb and Mukesh are deprived of their
childhood due to extreme poverty. The springtime of their lives is therefore lost and destroyed in
a web of poverty, dirt and dust.
Understanding the text pg 20
Q1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
A. People migrate from villages to cities in search of a better life. They want to earn money so
that they can lead a good life and rear their children in a better way. As cities have more
opportunities for work, this makes them migrate from the villages to these big cities.
Q2. 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?
A. Yes, I agree that the promises made to poor children are rarely fulfilled. In the story the writer
jokingly offers the rag picker boy to join a school that she would open. In fact, she does not
intend to open a school. She speaks mindlessly but the boy takes it to be true and later asks her if
the school has opened. There are many such hollow promises in the boy’s life because the person
who makes the promise never intends to fulfil it.
Q3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in
poverty?
A. The writer tells us that the bangle – makers of Firozabad are poverty – stricken. They are
burdened by the stigma of the particular caste in which they are born, of being bangle – makers.
They have to continue the traditional profession. Further, the society has formed a vicious circle
around them. The money – lenders, middlemen, policemen, law – keepers, officers and
politicians altogether form a barrier around them and tie them in the grip of poverty. They cannot
escape from it.
Thinking about the Text
Q1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
A. Mukesh dared to dream and wanted to become a motor mechanic. He wanted to drive cars
too. He took the initial step by aspiring to do something different from the family business. He
can realize his dream with determination and hard work.
Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
A. The poor bangle makers in Firozabad work in dangerous conditions. The furnaces have very
high temperatures and no ventilation. Hence, they are prone to ailments like lung cancer. While
polishing the bangles, the dust harms their eyes and many lose their vision. They remain in the
dark for long hours and so they are unable to see during the daytime.
Q3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
A. Forcing a child to work is a crime. This is so in order to prevent exploitation of children. If
forced to work, Children cannot enjoy their childhood. They cannot get proper education.
When they are forced into hazardous work, they get ailments at a young age. This ruins their
future prospects. Their parents ignore all these facts as they need money. So, the government has
to become proactive and take measures to check child labour and enforce the law strictly.
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