FL 2 Lost Spring

Stories of Stolen Childhood

-Anees Jung
1. All children have dreams, so did Saheb and Mukesh. Do you think children like Saheb and Mukesh will be able to fulfill their
dreams? (Lost Spring)
Ans. Children like Saheb, who was a Bangladeshi refugee lived in a slum in Delhi. He went around with his friends and picked up rags.
He scrounged through the garbage dump for his survival. When he saw children playing football, wearing good clothes and shoes his
desire to be like them was awakened. He also wanted to go to school, play games and lead a respectable life. He had lot of patience
and resilience. He left his job as a rag-picker and joined a tea-stall where he earned Rs. 800 per month. He hoped that it would pave
way for a better life.
But in most cases children like Saheb and Mukesh are never able to come out of their vicious circle of poverty.
Mukesh did not want to become a pilot. He just wanted to become a motor mechanic.
Only those who possess ‘a never say die’ attitude and will power break open this circle of poverty and become a part of the
respectable world.

2. Justify the title of the story ‘Lost Spring.’

Ans. ‘Lost spring’ is an apt title for this story. Spring is the best season of a year. Being full of colour, fragrance and freshness. It is
also a season of renewal and growth. The childhood of human life is often linked with spring, as it marks the beginning of human life
and has a tremendous scope for growth. It is full of joy, pleasure and play. Children anywhere in the world are a great source of joy.
But, ironically, millions of children like sahib and Mukesh experience no spring in their lives. Their childhood is consumed in making a
living. Education, play and pleasure are not for them to enjoy. They must work to support themselves and their families.
Thus ‘Lost Spring’ deals with two themes – the first theme deals with the miserable plight of street children forced into labour early
in life and denied the opportunity of schooling. The second theme runs parallel to the major theme is the callousness of society and
the political class to these people’s misery. There is an utter lack of compassion, empathy and commitment for the upliftment of
these children of a lesser God. Thus the author has metaphorically compared childhood with spring season. So the title is apt and
sensitizes the reader to the miserable plight of the poorest of the poor and emphasizes the urgent need to end the vicious circle of
exploitation through education, awareness, co-operative organization and empowerment.

3. Most of us do not raise our voice against injustice in our society. Anees Jung in her story, ‘Lost Spring’ vividly highlights the
miserable life of street children and bangle makers of Firozabad. What values do we need to inculcate among the people to bring
back the spring in the lives of these children.
Ans. Anees Jung wants to uplift the cause of street children and bangle makers. Children living in Seemapuri do not go to school as
there is no school. They are barefooted and spend their days scrounging for something wonderful in heaps of garbage. The children
lead miserable lives, caught in the vicious circle of poverty into which they have fallen due to the middlemen, sahukars, and law
enforcement officials.
Media can create awareness about the underprivileged. We need to garner support from youngsters and start night schools for
children like Saheb-e-Alam. There is hope when Anees Jung encounters youngsters like Mukesh who dares to dream. More people
need to come forward and create an environment in which these children dare to dream.

4. “None of them knows that it is illegal for children like him to work in the glass furnaces with high temperatures”. What can be
done to improve a lot of poor children in India?
Ans. The problem of employment of children in hazardous conditions is prevalent in India. The Government has taken measures to
curb this malpractice. However, the implementation of the laws must be stringent. The children must be provided with education.
Moreover, the parents also have to be made aware of the hazards and dangers their children face in such working in hazardous
conditions.
Most of the children working in Firozabad lose their eyesight before they become adults. There is a vicious cycle of poverty due to
middlemen, sahukars and law enforcers. A situation must be created where the children can exercise their right to education and
their parents receive their dues.

5. Write an article in 100-150 words on ‘Child Labour in India.’

[Link] LABOUR IN INDIA
A child, whose childhood has been snatched away, now works hard, day and night, to earn a meagre pay. This is the scenario with
more than 10 million children who are employed in hazardous and dangerous trades and industries. At a tender age, they are forced
to work for 10-15 hours under sub-human conditions. Fireworks factory, cashew nut industry, banglemaking factories, carpet
industry—there are innumerable such factories prevailing in our country where these children are being exploited. They are
underpaid and ill-treated. As a result, they develop many life-long deformities like losing their eyesight, asthma, bone deformity, etc.
In spite of the constitutional laws against child labour and RTE which enforces the right to education for each and every child below
the age of 14 years, these children are deprived of any education. Their day starts in factories and ends [Link] is said that children
are the future of a nation. We need to ponder on what kind of future are we building. With so many children stuck in the clutches of
child labour, we are building an uneducated unhealthy and diseased India. So, it is high time that the government and society work
for these underprivileged children by strictly implementing the law and rehabilitating
them.

6. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
Ans: The majority of people relocate from villages to cities in search of work. Some people relocate to cities in search of better
education or healthcare for their kids. And, like Saheb's family, some are forced to migrate as a result of natural disasters such as
floods, earthquakes, and so on.

7. 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: Yes, promises made to poor children are frequently broken. They provide false hope of a better, problem-free life. Most people
make false promises because they do not want to break a child's dream. In the author's story, he promises Saheb that he will build a
school for him, but he is unaware that he was already making promises he doesn't want to continue. Only later does he realize his
error and feels humiliated by it.

[Link] should child labour be eliminated and how?

Answer: Child labour frequently places children in dangerous situations and deprives them of their childhood. These children also
lack access to basic education, which limits their ability to succeed in life. Children are frequently exploited and taken advantage of
by paying them less than minimum wage. Harmful work environments are hazardous to one's health and may even endanger one's
life. As a result, child labour should be prohibited. Measures to eliminate child labour: Strict laws prohibiting the use of child labour
should be enacted. Any violations must be penalized as soon as possible. Additionally, parents of these children must be educated
on the value of education so that they stop sending their children to work. The students must also be told about the value of
education. Students must also be educated on the importance of education. If any child workers are spotted, the general public
should take the initiative and notify the appropriate authorities. Police must also keep a constant eye on construction sites and other
places where child labour is common.

Carefully read the following phrases and sentences taken from the text. Can you identify the literary device in each example?

[Link]-e-Alam which means the lord of the universe is directly in contrast to what Saheb is in reality.
Ans: Irony

2. Drowned in an air of desolation.

Ans: Metaphor has been used in the sentence. It compares two things or ideas that are not remarkably similar. Air has no density,
and one can practically drown in air. Even then it has been used by the author to show the gravity of things happening.

3. Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically.
Ans: The author mentions Seemapuri is present on the periphery of Delhi and then juxtaposes it by saying its miles away and
contrasts the present idea.

4. As her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine, I wonder if she knows the sanctity of the bangles she helps make.
Ans: Simile has been used in the sentence. It is used when we compare things or people using as, like, etc. In the sentence, hands
are compared with tongs of a machine.

5. She still has bangles on her wrist, but not light in her eyes.
Ans: Pun has been used in the sentence. A pun is used to imply a humorous effect. The writer mentions that there were bangles on
her wrist but no happiness or light in her eyes, creating a humorous effect.

6. Few airplanes fly over Firozabad.

Ans: Pun has been used in the sentence. A pun implies a humorous effect. Firozabad is near Delhi and many planes fly from there
since it is the capital. The statement has been used to create slight laughter.

7. Web of poverty.
Ans: Metaphor has been used in the sentence. It compares two ideas or things that are not remarkably similar. Poverty does not
from a physical web but is still compared with it to show its networking and density.

8. Scrounging for gold.

 Ans: Metaphor has been used in the sentence. It compares two ideas or things that are not remarkably similar. Gold is a precious
metal and cannot be begged for and hence the ideas are not related.

9. And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Through the years, it has acquired the proportions of fine art.
Ans: Hyperbole

10. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulder
Ans: Paradox