Chapter 2 – Lost Spring

-Anees Jung

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What is Saheb looking for in the
garbage dumps? Where is he and
where has he come from?
Ans. Saheb is looking for anything valuable
in the garbage dumps. He is in the neighbour-
hood of the author. Saheb has come from
Bangladesh. He Came with his mother in
1971. His house was set amidst the green
fields of Dhaka. Storms swept away their
fields and homes. So they left the country.

Q2. What explanations does the au-

thor offer for the children not wear-
ing footwear?
Ans. One explanation offered by the author is
that it is a tradition to stay barefoot. It is not
lack of money. He wonders if this is only an
excuse to explain away a perpetual state of
poverty. He also remembers the story of a
poor boy who prayed to the goddess for a
pair of shoes.

Q3. Is Saheb happy working at the

tea-stall? Explain.
Ans. No, Saheb is not happy working at the
tea-stall. He is no longer his own master. His
face has lost the carefree look. The steel can-
ister seems heavier than the plastic bag he
would carry so lightly over his shoulder. The
bag was his. The canister belongs to the man
who owns the tea-shop.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What makes the city of Firozabad
famous?
Ans. The city of Firozabad is famous for its
bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is
engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of
India’s glass-blowing industry. Families have
spent generations working around furnaces,
welding glass, making bangles for the women
in the land.
Q2. Mention the hazards of working
in the glass bangles industry?
Ans. Boys and girls with their fathers and
mothers sit in dark hutments, next to lines of
flames of flickering oil lamps. They weld
pieces of coloured glass into circles of ban-
gles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark
than to the light outside. They often end up
losing eyesight before they become adults.
Even the dust from polishing the glass of
bangles is injurious to eyes. Many workers
have become blind. The furnaces have very
high temperature and therefore very danger-
ous.

Q3. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his

situation different from that of his
family?
Ans. Mukesh’s grandmother thinks that the
god-given lineage can never be broken. Her
son and grandsons are born in the caste of
bangle makers. They have seen nothing but
bangles.
Mukesh’s father has taught them what he
knows—the art of making bangles. But
Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic. He
will go to a garage and learn, though the
garage is far away from his home.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Q1. What could be some of the rea-
sons for the migration of people from
villages to cities?
Ans. People migrate from villages to cities in
search of livelihood. Their fields fail to pro-
vide them means of survival. Cities provide
employment, jobs or other means of getting
food. The problem in case of the poor is to
feed the hungry members. Survival is of pri-
mary concern.

Q2. Would you agree that promises

made to the poor children are rarely
kept? Why do you think this happens
in the incidents narrated in the text?
Ans. The promises made to the poor are
rarely kept. The author asks Saheb half-jok-
ing, whether he will come to her school if she
starts one. Saheb agrees to do so. A few days
later he asks if the school is ready. The writer
feels embarrassed at having made a promise
that was not meant. Promises like hers
abound in every corner of their bleak world.

Q3. What forces conspire to keep the

workers in bangle industry of Firoz-
abad in poverty?
Ans. Certain forces conspire to keep the
workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in
poverty. These include the moneylenders, the
middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of
law, the bureaucrats and the politicians.They
don’t let them to form cooperatives.Together
they impose a heavy burden on the child.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Q1. How, in your opinion, can
Mukesh realise his dream?
Ans. Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-
maker of Firozabad. Most of the young men of
Firozabad have no initiative or ability to
dream, but Mukesh is an exception. He has
the capacity to take courage and break from
the traditional family occupation. He has
strong will power too. He does not want to be
a pawn in the hands of the middlemen or
moneylenders. He insists on being his own
master by becoming a motor mechanic.
He can realise his dream by joining a garage
and learn the job of repairing cars and driving
them. He will have to overcome many hurdles
before he succeeds. Then comes transport
problem. Money is the first one. He will have
to earn some money himself. The garage is a
long way from his home. He will have to go
there by walking on foot.
Patience, hard work, firm will and the determi-
nation to learn will help him realise his dream.

Q2. Mention the hazards of working

in the glass bangles industry.
Ans. The glass bangles industry has many
health hazards. It usually employs small chil-
dren. It is illegal to employ very young chil-
dren in hazardous industries, but certain
forces like middlemen, moneylenders, police
and politicians combine to entrap the poor
workers.
Let us first consider the places where bangle
makers work. It is a cottage industry. They
work in the glass furnaces with high tempera-
tures. The dingy cells are without air and
light. Boys and girls work hard during day
next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps.
They weld pieces of coloured glass into cir-
cles of bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted
to the dark than to the light outside. That is
why, they often end up losing their eyesight
before they become adults.
Glass blowing, welding and soldering pieces
of glass are all health hazards. Even the dust
from polishing the glass of bangles adversely
affects the eyes and even adults go blind.
Thus, the surroundings, prevailing conditions
and the type of job involved-all prove risky to
the health of the workers.

Q3. Why should child labour be elimi-

nated and how?
Ans. Child labour should be eliminated be-
cause the children employed at tender age as
domestic servants, dish-washers at road-side
dhabas and in hazardous industries making
glass bangles, agarbatti, cigarettes, crackers
etc. lose the charm of the spring of their life.
Their childhood is stolen. Burdened by the re-
sponsibility of work, they become adults too
soon. Most of them are undernourished, ill-
fed, uneducated, and poor. They have a
stunted growth.
Child labour can be eliminated only through
concerted efforts on the part of government
agencies, NGOs (Non-Government Organisa-
tions), co-operative societies and political
leaders. Mere passing of law will not help.
Laws should be enacted faithfully. The chil-
dren thrown out of work should be rehabili-
tated and given proper food, clothes and edu-
cation. Their feelings, thoughts and emotions
should be respected. Let them enjoy sun-
shine, fresh air and mainly freedom.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. Who was Saheb? What was he
doing and why?
Ans. Saheb was a young boy of school-going
age. He was looking for gold(anything valu-
able) in the garbage dumps of the big city. He
had left his home in Dhaka, Bangladesh and
came to the big city in search of living. He
has nothing else to do but pick rags.

Q2. “But promises like mine abound

in every corner of his bleak world.”
What promise does the author re-
call? In what context was it made?
Was it fulfilled?
Ans. The author asked Saheb about going to
school. Saheb explained that there was no
school in his neighbourhood. He promised to
go to school when they built one. Half joking,
the author asked whether he would come in
case she started one. Saheb smiled broadly
and agreed to come. After a few days, he ran
upto the author and asked if the school was
ready. The author felt embarrassed. She had
made a promise that was not meant.

Q3. What is the meaning of Saheb’s

full name? Does he know it? How
does he conduct himself?
Ans. His full name is “Saheb-e-Alam”. It
means the lord of the universe. He does not
know it. If he knew it, he would hardly believe
it. He roams the streets barefoot with other
rag-pickers. This army of barefoot boys ap-
pears in the morning and disappears at noon.

Q4. How does the author focus on

the ‘perpetual state of poverty’ of the
children not wearing footwear?
Ans. The author notices that most of the
young children engaged in rag picking are
not wearing footwear. Some of them do not
have chappals. Others want to wear shoes.
Some say it is tradition to stay barefoot. To
the author it seems lack of money. Poverty
forces them to walk without footwear.

Q5. Explain: “For children, garbage

has a meaning different from what it
means to their parents. ”
Ans. Small children scrounge heaps of
garbage. They expect to get some coin, note
or valuable thing in it. Sometimes they find a
rupee or even a ten rupee note. This gives the
hope of finding more. They search it
excitedly. For children, garbage is wrapped in
wonder.
For the elders it is a means of survival. Thus,
garbage has two different meanings.

Q6. Where does the author find Sa-

heb one winter morning? What expla-
nation does Saheb offer?
Ans. The author finds Saheb standing by the
fenced gate of a neighbourhood club. He is
watching two young men, dressed in white,
playing tennis. Saheb says that he likes the
game, but he is content to watch it standing
behind the fence. He goes inside when no
one is around. He uses the swing there.

Q7. What job did Saheb take up?

Was he happy ?
Ans. Saheb took up the job at a tea-stall. But
he was not happy with it. He was no longer
his own master. His face had lost the carefree
look. Although he earned 800 Rupees , LI
even then he was not satisfied.

Q8. How has “a dream come true”

for Saheb but what is “out of his
reach?”
Ans. Saheb is wearing discarded tennis
shoes. One of them has a hole. Saheb does
not bother about the hole. For one who has
walked barefoot, even shoes with a hole is a
dream come true. But tennis, the game he is
watching so intently, is out of his reach.
Q9. How does Saheb’s life change
when he starts working at the tea-
stall?
Ans. Saheb now has a regular income. He is
paid 800 rupees and all his meals. Thus, food
is not a problem. But his face has lost the
carefree look. The steel canister in his hand
now seems a burden. He is no longer his own
master. He may have to work for longer
hours. The helplessness of not doing things
at his own will makes him sad.

Q10. Who is Mukesh? What is his

dream? Why does it look like “a mi-
rage amidst the dust?”
Ans. Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-
maker of Firozabad, where every other family
is engaged in making bangles. His poor father
has failed to renovate his house or send his
two sons to school. Mukesh insists on being
his own master. His dream is to be a motor
mechanic. He wants to drive a car. Given the
conditions of existence, his dream looks like
a mirage amidst the dust.
Q11.What do you learn about Firoz-
abad from this chapter ?
Ans. Firozabad is famous for its glass ban-
gles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing
industry.
Families have spent generations working
around furnaces, welding glass, making ban-
gles for all the women in the land. Every other
family in Firozabad is engaged in making ban-
gles.

Q12. “Born in the caste of bangle-

makers they have seen nothing but
bangles.” Where do they ‘see’ bangle
s?
Ans. Children like Mukesh are born in the
caste of bangle-makers. They know no other
work.
They see bangles in the house, in the yard, in
every other house, every other yard, every
street in Firozabad. The spirals of bangles lie
in mounds in unkempt yards. They are piled
on four wheeled hand carts.

Q13. What contrast do you notice be-

tween the colours of the bangles and
the atmosphere of the place where
these bangles are made?
Ans. The bangles are of every colour born out
of the seven colours of the rainbow. These
are sunny gold, paddy green, royal blue, pink
and purple. Boys and girls work in dark hut-
ments, next to the flickering flames of oil
lamps around furnaces, blowing glass, weld-
ing and soldering it to make bangles.

Q14. What are most of the bangle-

makers ignorant of? What would
happen if law were enforced strictly?
Ans. Most of the bangle-makers are ignorant
of the fact that employing children in bangle
making is illegal. This is a hazardous indus-
try. Many children become blind before reach-
ing tHeir adulthood. If the law were enforced
strictly, 20,000 children would be released
from their working environment throughout
the day near hot furnaces at very high tem-
peratures.

Q15. Where is Mukesh’s house lo-

cated? What is he proud of?
Ans. Mukesh’s house is built in a slum-area.
The lanes stink with garbage. The homes are
with crumbling walls, wobbly doors and no
windows. These are crowded with families of
humans and animals. Most of these houses
are shacks or huts. Mukesh is proud that his
house is being rebuilt. His eyes shine as he
volunteers to take the author to his house.

Q16. What impression do you form

about Mukesh‘s family on having a
glimpse of their ‘house?’
Ans. Mukesh’s house is a half built shack
with a wobbly door. One part of it is thatched
with dead grass. There is a firewood stove.
Spinach leaves are sizzling in a large vessel.
More chopped vegetables lie on aluminium
platters. The eyes of the frail young woman
are filled with smoke, but she smiles. The
scene depicts their grinding poverty but also
shows how content they are with their life.

Q17. Give a thumb-nail sketch of the

“frail young woman” in the chapter
‘Lost Spring’.
Ans. The young woman is the wife of
Mukesh’s elder brother. Her eyes are filled
with the smoke of firewood. Though not much
older in years, she commands respect as the
daughter- in-law of the house. She adheres to
customs and traditions. She veils her face be-
fore male elders. She gently withdraws be-
hind the broken wall to do so.

Q18. How would you regard

Mukesh’s father’s life and achieve-
ment?
Ans. Mukesh’s father was born in the caste of
bangle-makers. His father went blind with the
dust from polishing the glass bangles. He is
an old and poor bangle-maker. He has worked
hard for long years, first as a tailor and then
as a bangle-maker. But still he has failed to
renovate his house or send his two sons to
school.

Q19. “Savita is a symbol of inno-

cence and efficiency.” Comment.
Ans. Savita is a young girl. She has put on
drab pink dress. She is soldering pieces of
glass. Her hands move mechanically like the
tongs of a machine. She is innocent as she is
ignorant about the sanctity of the bangles she
helps to make.

Q20. What do bangles symbolise?

When, according to the author, will
Savita know “the sanctity of the ban-
gles she makes ?” How is the Indian
bride dressed?
Ans. Bangles symbolise auspiciousness in
marriage for an Indian woman. Savita will
come to know “the sanctity” of the bangles
when she becomes a bride. The head of a
bride is draped with a red veil. Her hands are
dyed with red henna. Red bangles are rolled
on to her wrists.

Q21. “She still has bangles on her

wrist but no light in her eyes.” What
exactly does the author want to con-
vey through this?
Ans. ‘She’ is an elderly woman who became a
bride long ago. Since her husband, an old
man with a flowing beard is still alive, she still
has bangles on her wrist. She has, however,
not enjoyed even one full meal in her entire
lifetime. So, there is no light in her eyes. This
is just a comment on the abject poverty and
helplessness of the bangle-makers.

Q22. “The young men echo the

lament of their elders.” What do you
think is the common complaint ?
How has it affected their lives?
Ans. The bangle-makers of Firozabad are
quite poor. They do not have enough money
to do anything except carry on the business
of making bangles. Some even do not have
enough to satisfy their hunger. Building a
house for the family is an achievement for
them. Years of mind-numbing toil have killed
all initiative and the ability to dream.

Q23. Why do the bangle-makers not

organise themselves into a coopera-
tive?
Ans. Most of the young bangle-makers have
fallen into the traps of the middlemen. They
are also afraid of the police. They know that
the police will haul them up, beat them and
drag to jail for doing something illegal. There
is no leader among them to help them see
things differently. Their fathers are equally
tired. They can do nothing except carrying on
their inherited business.

Q24. Which two distinct worlds does

the author notice among the bangle-
making industry ?
Ans. The families of the bangle-makers be-
long to one of these worlds. These workers
are caught in the web of poverty. They are
also burdened by the stigma of the caste in
which they are born . They know no other
work. The other world is the vicious circle of
the moneylenders, the middlemen, the police-
men, the keepers of the law, the bureaucrats
and the politicians who exploit and suppress
the poor.

Q25. How is Mukesh different from

the other bangle makers of Firoz-
abad?
Ans. Mukesh is quite different from other ban-
gle makers of Firozabad because he has the
courage to take initiative and break from the
traditional family occupation. He has strong
will power also. He insists on being his own
master by becoming a motor mechanic.

Q26. What do you think is the plight

of the children born in the families of
bangle-makers?
Ans. The vicious circle of the middlemen and
their allies have entrapped the poor bangle-
makers in their nets. The stronghold is suffo-
cating. They have imposed a heavy burden on
little children. They can’t put it down. Before
they are able to think, they accept the bag-
gages as naturally as their fathers.

Q27. What do you think is the theme

of ‘Lost Spring, Stories of Stolen
Childhood’?
Ans. The theme of the chapter is the grinding
poverty and the traditions which condemn
poor children to a life of exploitation. The two
stories taken together depict the plight of
street children forced into labour early in life
and denied the opportunity of schooling. The
callousness of the society and the political
class only adds to the sufferings of these
poor people.