Lost Spring

Lost Spring Important Questions Short Answer Type Questions (3-4 marks)

Question 1.
What does the writer mean when she says, ‘Saheb is no longer his own master’? (Delhi
2000)
Answer:
Since Saheb now works in a tea-stall, he is now bound to his master and feels burdened.
The steel canister he carries is very heavy as compared to his light plastic bag. The bag
was his own and the canister belongs to his master whose orders he now has to follow.
So he is no longer his own master.

Question 2.
Is it possible for Mukesh to realize his dream? Justify your answer? (All India 2000)
Answer:
Mukesh’s determination is going to prove instrumental in helping him to realize his
dream. His dream can become a reality only if he is able to find a garage where he can
be taken in as an apprentice and then he will have to learn how to drive a car. He will
then be able to graduate himself to be a good mechanic.

Question 3.
Do you think Saheb was happy to work at the tea stall? Answer giving reasons. (All India
2000)
Answer:
Since Saheb now works in a tea-stall, he is now bound to his master and feels burdened.
The steel canister he carries is very heavy as compared to his light plastic bag. The bag
was his own and the canister belongs to his master whose orders he now has to follow.
So he is no longer his own master.

Question 4.
What does the title, ‘Lost Spring’ convey? (All India 2000)
Answer:
The title ‘Lost Spring’ conveys how millions of children in India lose out on living the
‘spring’ of their lives, that is their childhood. The best phase of life is lost in the
hardships involved to earn their livelihood. Poverty forces these young children to work
in the most inhuman conditions as a result of which they miss out on the fun of
childhood which hampers their growth.
Question 5.
Why does the author say that the bangle makers are caught in a vicious web?(All India
2010)
Answer:
The author says that the bangle makers are caught in a vicious web which starts from
poverty, to indifferences, then to greed and finally to injustice. Mind-numbing toil kills
their hopes and dreams. They cannot organise themselves into cooperatives and have
fallen into a vicious circle of ‘sahukars’, middlemen and the police so they get
condemned to poverty and perpetual exploitation.

Question 6.
What does the writer mean when she says, ‘Saheb is no longer his own master’?
(Comptt. All India 2011)
Answer:
Since Saheb now works in a tea-stall, he is now bound to his master and feels burdened.
The steel canister he carries is very heavy as compared to his light plastic bag. The bag
was his own and the canister belongs to his master whose orders he now has to follow.
So he is no longer his own master.

Question 7.
Who is Mukesh? What is his dream? (Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Mukesh is a child labourer in a glass factory in Firozabad. Belonging to a family of
bangle makers, he shows no fascination towards bangle-making and insists on being
his own master. He dreams of becoming a motor mechanic. He desires to go to a
garage and get the required training for this job.

Question 8.
Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall? Why/ Why not? (Delhi 2012)
Answer:
No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea stall. Even though, he now gets a fixed income
of ?800 alongwith all his meals, he has lost his freedom and his carefree days. He is no
longer his own master and is bound and burdened by the steel canister he now has to
carry.

Question 9.
Why could the bangle-makers not organise themselves into a co-operative? (All India
2012)
Answer:
The bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web which starts from poverty to
indifferences then to greed and finally to injustice. Mind-numbing toil kills their hopes
and dreams.
The bangle makers of Ferozabad were not able to organise themselves into a
cooperative because they had got trapped in a vicious circle j of the sahukars, the
middlemen, the policemen, j the bureaucrats and the politicians. Together they had
imposed a baggage on these people 1 which they could not put down.

Question 10.
Mention any two problems faced by the bangle sellers.(Comptt. All India 2012)
Answer:
The bangle makers had to work in the glass furnaces with high temperatures, in dingy
cells without air and light. They are exposed to various health hazards like losing their
eyesight as they work in abysmal conditions in dark and dingy cells. They were also
caught in a web of poverty, burdened by the stigma of caste in which they were born and
also caught in a vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen and policeman.

Question 11.
Garbage has two different meanings—one for the children and another for the adults.
Comment. (Comptt. All India 2012)
Answer:
For the children garbage has a different meaning from what it means for the adults. For
the children it is wrapped in wonder, their eyes light-up when they find a rupee or a
ten-rupee note in it. They search the garbage excitedly with the hope of finding
something more. But for the elders it is a means of survival.

Question 12.
Why didn’t the bangle makers of Ferozabad organise themselves into a cooperative?
(Comptt. All India 2012)
Answer:
The bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web which starts from poverty to
indifferences then to greed and finally to injustice. Mind-numbing toil kills their hopes
and dreams.
The bangle makers of Ferozabad were not able to organise themselves into a
cooperative because they had got trapped in a vicious circle j of the sahukars, the
middlemen, the policemen, j the bureaucrats and the politicians. Together they had
imposed a baggage on these people 1 which they could not put down.
Question 13.
How is Mukesh’s attitude towards life different from that of his family? (Comptt. Delhi
2013)
Answer:
Unlike his family Mukesh insists on being his own master. He dreams to be a motor
mechanic which in itself is a daring thought because he wants to break away from the
family’s work of making bangles wherein his forefathers have spent generations
working around furnaces.

Question 14.
Why can’t the bangle makers of Ferozabad organize themselves into a cooperative?
(Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
The bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web which starts from poverty to
indifferences then to greed and finally to injustice. Mind-numbing toil kills their hopes
and dreams.
The bangle makers of Ferozabad were not able to organise themselves into a
cooperative because they had got trapped in a vicious circle j of the sahukars, the
middlemen, the policemen, j the bureaucrats and the politicians. Together they had
imposed a baggage on these people 1 which they could not put down.

Question 15.
Why is Saheb unhappy working at the tea i stall? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
Saheb was unhappy while working at the tea- stall because he was no longer the master
of his own life. He lost his freedom and carefree look. He had to live and work under the
instructions of the owner of the tea-stall. He was not at liberty to go out and spend time
with his friends.

Question 16.
Survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. , Comment. (Comptt. All India 2013)
Answer:
Survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Over the years it has acquired the proportions
of a fine art. For the slum dwellers of Seemapuri, rag-picking is their daily bread, it gives
them the roof over their heads and is the very means for their survival.

Question 17.
It is ‘a tradition to stay barefoot ‘ What is the attitude of the rag-pickers of Seemapuri
towards wearing shoes? (Comptt. All India 2013)
Answer:
The rag-pickers of Seemapuri have different attitudes towards wearing shoes. One boy
does not feel like wearing shoes. Another boy who has never owned a pair of shoes all
his life wants them. But the author feels it its not lack of money but a tradition to stay
barefoot for these poor people.

Question 18.
A young man in Ferozabad is burdened under the baggage of two worlds. What are
they? (Comptt. All India)
Answer:
The two worlds that burden a young man in Ferozabad include one of the family, caught
in the web of poverty, burdened by the stigma of ” caste in which they are born; the other
a vicious circle of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the
bureaucrats and the politicians.

Question 19.
How is Mukesh different from the other bangle makers of Firozabad? (Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Mukesh was different from other bangle makers because he wanted to be his own
master. He had a dream of becoming a motor mechanic whereas other bangle makers
did not even dare to dream but had accepted their fate.

Question 20.
What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy? (Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Saheb took up a job in a tea stall. Though he gets 800 rupees and all his meals, he is not
happy and his face has lost the carefree look. He is bound and burdened as he now has
to follow the orders of his master and is no longer his own master.

Question 21.
Why did Saheb’s parents leave Dhaka and migrate to India? (Comptt. Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Saheb’s home was set amidst the green fields of Dhaka. His mother told him that many
storms had swept away their fields and homes. For this reason his parents were forced
to leave Dhaka and migrate to India, looking for gold in the big city where they now live.
Question 22.
What is Mukesh’s dream? Do you think he will be able to fulfil his dream? Why? Why not?
(Comptt. Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Mukesh’s dream is to learn to drive a car and become a motor mechanic. His dream is
likely to be fulfilled because one can sense a kind of determination in him to ensure the
fulfillment of his dream. Though the garage is a long way from his home he is willing to
walk to learn despite the odds against him.

Question 23.
In what sense is garbage gold to the ragpickers? (Comptt. All India 2014)
Answer:
The rag-pickers of Seemapuri consider garbage as nothing less than gold. For the elders
it is their only means of survival as it provides them with their daily bread. For the
innocent chil¬dren it is wrapped in wonder as they marvel at the chance of finding a
coin, a currency note or a curio that really thrills them and gives them a hope of finding
more elusive notes.

Question 24.
Whom does Anees Jung blame for the sorry plight of the bangle makers’?(Comptt. All
India 2014)
Answer:
Anees Jung blames the family of the bangle makers, who are caught in a web of
poverty, burdened by the stigma of the caste in which they are born and the vicious
circle of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the
bureaucrats and the politicians for the sorry plight of the bangle makers.

Question 25.
To which country did Saheb’s parents originally belong? Why did they come to India?
(Comptt. All India 2014)
Answer:
Saheb’s parents originally belonged to Dhaka in Bangladesh. His home, which was set
amidst the green fields of Dhaka, had been swept away due to the storms and that was
when his parents had left their native place and come to the big city in search of
livelihood.

Question 26.
Most of us do not raise our voice against injustice in our society and tend to remain
mute spectators. Anees Jung in her article, l “Lost Childhood” vividly highlights the I
miserable life of street children and bangle makers of Firozabad. She wants us to act.
Which qualities does she want the children to develop? (Comptt. Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Anees Jung feels that there is dire need to provide these poverty-stricken children a life
of dignity and respect. This can mainly be done j through the medium of education,
which will further provide them with opportunities wherein they will be able to pursue
their dreams. There is utter lack of compassion and concern for unfortunate children
like Saheb and Mukesh. They are caught in a vicious circle of poverty and exploitation.
The author wants all i children to become aware of their basic rights which will
empower them and enable them to j organise themselves into cooperatives whereby j
they will not be ruthlessly exploited.

Question 27.
What does Saheb look for in the garbage 1 dumps? (All India 2015)
Answer:
According to the author Saheb scrounges for ‘gold’ in the garbage dumps. ‘Gold’ here
infers . to items that are valuable to him like used clothes, shoes, plastic scrap, stray
coins or 1 currency notes. For children like Saheb, i garbage is ‘wrapped in wonder’.

Question 28.
What did garbage mean to the children of Seemapuri and to their parents? (All India
2015)
Answer:
The rag-pickers of Seemapuri consider garbage as nothing less than gold. For the elders
it is their only means of survival as it provides them with their daily bread. For the
innocent chil¬dren it is wrapped in wonder as they marvel at the chance of finding a
coin, a currency note or a curio that really thrills them and gives them a hope of finding
more elusive notes.

Question 29.
“It is his karam, his destiny.” What is Mukesh’s family’s attitude towards their situation?
(All India 2015)
Answer:
Mukesh’s family have accepted their misery and impoverished condition as factors that
have been ordained by destiny. Years of depravation and suffering has made them
accept their condition passively in the name of fate or destiny. They feel that a
God-given lineage can never be broken and have accepted bangle making as his destiny.
Question 30.
Describe the irony in Saheb’s name. (Delhi 2016)
Answer:
Saheb’s full name is Saheb-e-Alam which means ‘Lord of the Universe’. But ironically
Saheb is a poverty-stricken ragpicker who scrounges the garbage dumps to earn his
livelihood. His name is in complete contrast to his miserable existence.

Question 31.
What does the reference to chappals in ‘Lost Spring7 tell us about the economic
condition of the rag pickers? (All India 2016)
Answer:
The reference to chappals in ‘Lost Spring’ tells us that the ragpickers were
poverty-stricken. The fact that they are not able to buy chappals reflects their extreme
state of poverty because of which they are unable to buy basic things.

Question 32.
How was Mukesh different from other bangle makers? (Comptt. Delhi 2016)
Answer:
Mukesh was different from other bangle makers because he wanted to be his own
master. He had a dream of becoming a motor mechanic whereas other bangle makers
did not even dare to dream but had accepted their fate.

Question 33.
Why was Saheb unhappy while working at the tea-stall? (Comptt. Delhi 2016)
Answer:
Saheb was unhappy while working at the tea- stall because he was no longer the master
of his own life. He lost his freedom and carefree look. He had to live and work under the
instructions of the owner of the tea-stall. He was not at liberty to go out and spend time
with his friends.

Question 34.
Which industry was a boon and also bane for the people of Firozabad? How? (Comptt.
Delhi 2017)
Answer:
The glass-bangles making industry was a boon and also bane for the people of
Firozabad. The industry has given them a means of livelihood but the hazardous
working conditions in the hot furnaces take a toll on their physical health.
Question 35.
How are Saheb and Mukesh different from each other? (Comptt. All India 2017)
Answer:
Mukesh’s attitude towards life was different from that of Saheb. Unlike Saheb he was
optimistic about his future and so he dared to dream. He wanted to become a motor
mechanic and also wanted to learn to drive a car. Saheb lacked determination so he
harboured no dreams or ambitions about his future.

Lost Spring Important Questions Long Answer Type Questions (5-6 marks)

Question 36.
The bangle-makers of Ferozabad make bea-utiful bangles and make everyone happy but
they live and die in squalor. Elaborate. (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Through the story of the bangle-makers of Ferozabad, the author expresses her concern
over their exploitation in the hazardous job of bangle-making. Extreme poverty, hard
work and dismal working conditions result in the loss of the childhood of children who
are in this profession. The working conditions of all bangle-makers are pathetic and
miserable. They work in high temperature, badly lit and poorly ventilated glass furnaces
due to which child workers especially are at risk of losing their eyesight at an early age
and get prone to other health hazards. The stinking lanes of Ferozabad are choked with
garbage and humans and animals live together in these hovels. There is no
development or progress in their lives with the passage of time. They have no choice
but to work in these inhuman conditions. Mind-numbing toil kills their dreams and
hopes. They are condemned to live and die in squalor, subjected to a life of poverty and
perpetual exploitation.

Question 37.
Why did Saheb become a ragpicker? What did j he look for in the garbage dumps?
(Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Saheb belongs to a Bangladeshi refugee family that migrated to Delhi from Dhaka in the
wake of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Here he finds himself in a vicious circle of social stigma,
poverty and exploitation. He represents a growing number of refugee migrant poor
population who are forced to lead a life of penury. This migratory population settle on
the periphery of big cities and start doing menial jobs to earn a living. Due to extreme
poverty Saheb’s parents are unable to provide for him and so he ends up picking rags for
his own survival as well as to support his parents. The author says that Saheb
scrounges for ‘gold’ in the garbage. Anything valuable like used clothes, shoes, bits of
metal, plastic scrap, stray coins and currency notes can be termed as gold for them.

Question 38.
What change did Anees Jung see in Saheb when she saw him standing by the gate of
the neighbourhood club? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Saheb was a poor ragpicker who later takes up a job at a tea-stall in an attempt to be a
master of his own destiny. But unfortunately this move further enslaves him. His new
job replaces his light polythene bag with a heavy steel canister.
It even deprives him of roaming around with his friends without a care in the world.
Earlier, though he did not have the security of a regular income, he had his freedom, and
later he did have an assured income at the end of the month but he had lost his
freedom. He was no more a free bird and his own master. He appeared burdened and
forlorn. He was now a bonded labour who had surrendered his freedom. From being a
spirited free bird who was not answerable to anyone he has become bound. He lives in a
society where there is utter lack of compassion and commitment for the upliftment of
these unfortunate children.

Question 39.
Describe the life of squatters at Seemapuri. (Comptt. All India 2010)
Answer:
Most of the squatters at Seemapuri were refugees from Bangladesh.
Also:
Most of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri were refugees from
Bangladesh
who had fled their country and migrated to Delhi from Dhaka in the wake of the 1971
Indo- Pak war. Their dwellings were structures of mud, tin and tarpaulin with no sewage,
drainage or running water. Picking garbage and rags helped them to earn their daily
bread, gave them a roof over their heads and was their only means of livelihood and
survival. Though these squatters of Seemapuri have no identity but they do have valid
ration cards that enable them to buy grain. Living in Seemapuri, which is on the
periphery of Delhi, is like living in hell. Children here grow up to become partners in
survival to their parents. An army of barefoot children appears every morning, carrying
their plastic bags on their shoulders and disappear by noon. They are forced to live a life
of abject poverty that results in the loss of childhood innocence.
Saheb, a ragpicker, roamed in the streets, scrounging for garbage, barefoot and deprived
of education. Later he starts working in a tea stall but he loses his freedom and carefree
life as he is no longer his own master.

Question 40.
What does Anees Jung tell us about life at Mukesh’s home in Ferozabad? (Comptt. AT
2010)
Answer:
Mukesh’s father represents the underpaid, over exploited bangle makers of Ferozabad
who is a victim of his own caste and is caught in a vicious circle of Sahnkars,
middlemen, politi¬cians and policemen. He leads a hand-to-mouth existence in a shack
with his family which includes two elderly parents, two sons and a daughter-in-law. Lack
of education and awareness, the stigma of caste and a vicious nexus of people who
exploit them have killed all initiative and drive in the young and the old. Time seems to
stand still in Mukesh’s home in Ferozabad. There is no progress and no development
despite years of mind- numbing toil. All the labourers of Ferozabad are victims of
middlemen and touts. Their desire to dream and dare is snubbed in their childhood.
They have no choice but to accept their subservience silently as their spirit is broken
and their initiative dormant.

Question 41.
Give a brief account of the life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in
Seemapuri. (Delhi 2011 )
Answer: Refer to Question 49, Page 166

Question 42.
‘Lost Spring’ explains the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn thousands of
people to a life of abject poverty. Do you agree? Why/Why not? (All India 2011)
Answer:
‘Lost Spring’ does indeed highlight the miserable plight of thousands of poor people
whose life is completely marred by abject poverty and thoughtless traditions. They work
extremely hard in the most pathetic conditions and accept poverty and exploitation as
their destiny. Through the lives of Saheb-e-Alam, a ragpicker, and Mukesh, a bangle
maker, the author highlights the vicious circle of social stigma and poverty which these
people are subjected to. Saheb and Mukesh also represent a growing number of refugee
migrants and people who are forced to live a life of penury. No one shows any kind of
compassion or sensitivity to their pathetic plight and there is also no initiative or
commitment for the upliftment of these downtrodden people. Acute poverty, no
education and no infrastructural development has drained their energy and willpower
and they have no choice but to accept their destiny of inevitable poverty.

Question 43.
What circumstances forced Mukesh not to pursue his family business of bangle
making? Instead, what did he decide to do?
(Comptt. Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Mukesh dares to dream of a different life and decides not to pursue his family business
of bangle-making. He does not want to accept his life of misery in the name of destiny.
Though he is born in a poverty-ridden family in the caste of bangle makers he dreams of
a better future. He wants to break free from the vicious circle of sahukars and
middlemen and carve a new beginning for himself by becoming a motor- mechanic. He
knows what it is like to work in glass furnaces that are neither well-lit nor well-
ventilated. They are dingy hovels with high temperatures. He has seen that the
youngsters are weighed down by the baggage of generations of subservience and have
forgotten to dream of an alternative world. So Mukesh’s dream of going to a garage and
learning to be a motor-mechanic is an attempt to break free off the mind-numbing toil.

Question 44.
In 1971 Bangladeshi migrants came to Delhi ‘looking for gold in the big city’. What kind
of life are they living in Seemapuri now?
(Comptt. Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Most of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri were refugees from
Bangladesh
who had fled their country and migrated to Delhi from Dhaka in the wake of the 1971
Indo- Pak war. Their dwellings were structures of mud, tin and tarpaulin with no sewage,
drainage or running water. Picking garbage and rags helped them to earn their daily
bread, gave them a roof over their heads and was their only means of livelihood and
survival. Though these squatters of Seemapuri have no identity but they do have valid
ration cards that enable them to buy grain. Living in Seemapuri, which is on the
periphery of Delhi, is like living in hell. Children here grow up to become partners in
survival to their parents. An army of barefoot children appears every morning, carrying
their plastic bags on their shoulders and disappear by noon. They are forced to live a life
of abject poverty that results in the loss of childhood innocence.
Saheb, a ragpicker, roamed in the streets, scrounging for garbage, barefoot and deprived
of education. Later he starts working in a tea stall but he loses his freedom and carefree
life as he is no longer his own master.

Question 45.
Describe the difficulties the bangle makers of Firozabad have to face in their lives. (Delhi
2015 2012)
Answer:
Through the story of the bangle-makers of Ferozabad, the author expresses her concern
over their exploitation in the hazardous job of bangle-making. Extreme poverty, hard
work and dismal working conditions result in the loss of the childhood of children who
are in this profession. The working conditions of all bangle-makers are pathetic and
miserable. They work in high temperature, badly lit and poorly ventilated glass furnaces
due to which child workers especially are at risk of losing their eyesight at an early age
and get prone to other health hazards. The stinking lanes of Ferozabad are choked with
garbage and humans and animals live together in these hovels. There is no
development or progress in their lives with the passage of time. They have no choice
but to work in these inhuman conditions. Mind-numbing toil kills their dreams and
hopes. They are condemned to live and die in squalor, subjected to a life of poverty and
perpetual exploitation.

Question 46.
Describe the circumstances which keep the workers in the bangle industry in poverty.
(Delhi 2015)
Answer:
Through the story of the bangle makers of Firozabad, the author expresses concern over
their exploitation in the hazardous job of bangle making and addresses the
circumstances which keep the workers in poverty. They live in stinking lanes, choked
with garbage in homes. Their houses are hovels with families of humans and animals
coexisting in a primeval state. They cannot organise themselves into cooperatives. Their
families are caught in a web of poverty and in a vicious circle of the sahukars, the
middlemen, the keepers of law, the policemen, the bureaucrats and the politicians who
impose on them a baggage which they cannot put down. They move in a spiral from
poverty, to apathy, to greed and to injustice.

Question 47.
How is Mukesh’s attitude towards his situation different from that of Saheb? Why?
(Delhi 2015)
Answer:
Mukesh’s attitude towards his situation is different from that of Saheb. Mukesh is more
of a rebel who dares to be different and wishes to become a motor mechanic. Though,
Mukesh too, like his community, is working in back breaking, mind-numbing glass
industry but unlike his peers, the spark in him has not extinguished. He wants to break
free from the vicious circle which his community has been caught in. Saheb, on the
other hand, has enslaved himself. By taking up work in the tea stall he is no longer his
own master. The difference in their attitude towards their situation can be attributed to
the fact that Saheb is a rootless migrant from Bangladesh and Mukesh is a citizen of
India. Moreover, Mukesh dares to dream. The author too senses a flash of daring in
Mukesh and this is what makes his attitude a little more aggressive than Saheb.

Question 48.
“It is his karam, his destiny” that made Mukesh’s grandfather go blind. How did Mukesh
disprove this belief by choosing a new vocation and making his own destiny?
(Comptt. Delhi 2015)
Answer:
Mukesh disproved the belief of “his karam, his destiny” by choosing a new vocation in
an attempt to make his own destiny. He decided to become a motor mechanic. He
mustered the courage to break free from the family lineage of bangle making. He had
seen his parents and others suffering because of the vicious circle of poverty and
exploitation that they were caught in. Mukesh was ready to walk a long distance to
reach the garage to learn the vocation of car mechanic. His determination is going to
prove instrumental in helping him to realize his dream. Mukesh dares to dream of a
different life and decides not to pursue his family business of bangle-making. He does
not want to accept his life of misery in the name of destiny. Though he is born in a
poverty-ridden family in the caste of bangle makers he dreams of a better future. He
wants to break free from the vicious circle of sahukars and middlemen and carve a new
beginning for himself by becoming a motor-mechanic. He knows what it is like to work
in glass furnaces that are neither well-lit nor well-ventilated. They are dingy hovels with
high temperatures. He has seen that the youngsters are weighed down by the baggage
of generations of subservience and have forgotten to dream of an alternative world. So
Mukesh’s dream of going to a garage and learning to be a motor-mechanic is an attempt
to break-free off the mind-numbing toil.

Question 49.
What kind of life did Saheb lead at Seemapuri? (Comptt. All India 2016 )
Answer:
Most of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri were refugees from
Bangladesh
who had fled their country and migrated to Delhi from Dhaka in the wake of the 1971
Indo- Pak war. Their dwellings were structures of mud, tin and tarpaulin with no sewage,
drainage or running water. Picking garbage and rags helped them to earn their daily
bread, gave them a roof over their heads and was their only means of livelihood and
survival. Though these squatters of Seemapuri have no identity but they do have valid
ration cards that enable them to buy grain. Living in Seemapuri, which is on the
periphery of Delhi, is like living in hell. Children here grow up to become partners in
survival to their parents. An army of barefoot children appears every morning, carrying
their plastic bags on their shoulders and disappear by noon. They are forced to live a life
of abject poverty that results in the loss of childhood innocence.
Saheb, a ragpicker, roamed in the streets, scrounging for garbage, barefoot and deprived
of education. Later he starts working in a tea stall but he loses his freedom and carefree
life as he is no longer his own master.

Question 50.
Describe the living conditions prevailing in Firozabad. Mention why the bangle making
business does not give bangle makers a comfortable life. (Comptt. All India 2016)
Answer:
Through the story of the bangle-makers of Ferozabad, the author expresses her concern
over their exploitation in the hazardous job of bangle-making. Extreme poverty, hard
work and dismal working conditions result in the loss of the childhood of children who
are in this profession. The working conditions of all bangle-makers are pathetic and
miserable. They work in high temperature, badly lit and poorly ventilated glass furnaces
due to which child workers especially are at risk of losing their eyesight at an early age
and get prone to other health hazards. The stinking lanes of Ferozabad are choked with
garbage and humans and animals live together in these hovels. There is no
development or progress in their lives with the passage of time. They have no choice
but to work in these inhuman conditions. Mind-numbing toil kills their dreams and
hopes. They are condemned to live and die in squalor, subjected to a life of poverty and
perpetual exploitation.

Question 51.
‘Garbage to them is gold’. How do ragpickers of Seemapuri survive? (Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Garbage, for the ragpickers of Seemapuri, is considered to be nothing less than gold.
Picking garbage helps them to earn their daily bread, gives them a roof over their head
and is their only means of livelihood and survival. For the innocent children garbage is
wrapped in wonder as they marvel at the prospect of finding a coin, a currency note or a
curio that sustains their hope. These children grow up to become partners in survival
with their parents. Seemapuri houses around 10,000 ragpickers mostly Bangladeshi
refugees, who have lived there for more than thirty years without an identity and without
permits. These people live in mud structures with roofs made of tin and tarpaulin. The
ration cards that enable them to get their names on voters’ lists and enable them to buy
grain and garbage are their means of survival. Food is more important to them for
survival than an identity.

Question 52.
“For the children it is wrapped in wonder, for the elders it is a means of survival.” What
kind of life do the rag-pickers of Seemapuri lead? (Comptt. All India 2017)
Answer:
Garbage, for the ragpickers of Seemapuri, is considered to be nothing less than gold.
Picking garbage helps them to earn their daily bread, gives them a roof over their head
and is their only means of livelihood and survival. For the innocent children garbage is
wrapped in wonder as they marvel at the prospect of finding a coin, a currency note or a
curio that sustains their hope. These children grow up to become partners in survival
with their parents. Seemapuri houses around 10,000 ragpickers mostly Bangladeshi
refugees, who have lived there for more than thirty years without an identity and without
permits. These people live in mud structures with roofs made of tin and tarpaulin. The
ration cards that enable them to get their names on voters’ lists and enable them to buy
grain and garbage are their means of survival. Food is more important to them for
survival than an identity.