LOST SPRING NOTES

Q1. WHAT IS SAHEB LOOKING FOR IN THE GARBAGE DUMPS? WHERE IS HE AND WHERE HAS HE
COME FROM?

ANS : Saheb is looking for gold in garbage dumps. They search for any valuable item in
the junk and then sell it.He came to India with his family from Bangladesh as their farms
were badly affected by severe storms.
He is now in Seemapuri constituency of North East Delhi with other families who
migrated to India in 1971 when Bangladesh was formed.
Q2.
ANS 2: Author feels that how easily children not wearing footwear explain that to remain
barefoot is a tradition and it is not that they are not wearing shoes because they are
poor. He knows that this is just an excuse and they are barefoot because they are poor
and she also wonders that this is a great way to hide their poverty. After this incident she
also remembers the story of a poor boy who prayed for a pair of shoes.
Q3.
ANS : Saheb was certainly not happy with his tea stall job because now his freedom was
gone. A man is a servant in job; he has to obey his employer or master. And he was no
longer the master of his work and his thoughts. As long as he was a rag picker, he had
time and freedom for everything. Before working at tea stall and before taking home’s
responsibility he used to roam streets all day long with friends and he was delighted in
that. Steel canister given by owner of tea stall seems much heavier than the plastic bag
he used to carry at the time of rag pick and this weight has taken all his freedom and
liberty.

THINKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Q1:What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

ANS :Firozabad was founded by Firoze Shah Tughlaq. The famous city Agra is just
37kms away. Firozabad is famous for bangles and glassware products. The work of
bangles in Firozabad is about 200 years old. With which the livelihood of most of the
people is related. Even today, bangles are made by hand in the old way and colorful
colors are filled in them by hand. Firozabad is also known as “SuhaagNagri” because
manufacturing of bangles for entire country is done from here.

Q2 Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.

ANS Working in glass bangles industry is extremely hazardous for both children as well
as for adults. The furnaces they work in have extremely high temperature and lack of
proper ventilation. Persistently working in low light conditions without any protective eye
gear leaves them blind. Even burns and cuts are quite common. The workers are quite
prone to ailments such as lung cancer. Thus, the surroundings, prevailing conditions and
the type of job involved-all prove risky to the health of the workers.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

What could be some of the reasons for the migration of

people from villages to cities?
 There are many reasons for the migration of people from the villages to the cities. The
primary reason is employment as cities offer better opportunities for youth in industries.
On the other hand, better education, medical facilities and infrastructure are some of the
other reasons of people switching themselves to cities. But in case of Saheb and his
family, they moved from Bangladesh to India for their survival as they were poor and
relied totally on farming which got affected by continuous storms and they were about to
die of starvation

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?
Indeed the promises made to poor are rarely kept. It’s a lewd joke by the upper class
with them. People often show them lucrative dreams and promise to fulfill them but do
not take them seriously. We always want to do something for the poor children but doing
so is a difficult task to work on. Similar was the case with author Anees Jung making a
false promise of constructing a school for Saheb. There is a difference in asking a child
why he does not go to school or I will make a one for you. Even though Anees
understands the pain of poor children yet when it comes for execution of a plan, it makes
all the difference

What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle

industry of Firozabad in poverty?
How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Mukesh’s future planning was different from his family members and from rest of the city
who were involved in carrying on the tradition of carrying forward their family business
since generations. A city where everyone considers this work to be a God’s blessing or
life’s destiny and wants to take it forward, Mukesh however thinks in contrast to his
family. He wants to make his future as a car mechanic and is ready to walk any distance
to learn this job

EXTRA SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTION

1. Who was Saheb? How does he meet author Anees?

Saheb was from a poor Bangladeshi family who had taken refuge in India due to natural
disaster in his country. He was a rag picker because he had neither work nor purpose in
life.
Anees used to find Sahib in morning while searching for something in the garbage heap
in her neighborhood. She took pity on his pitiable condition.
2. Why author ask this question “why do you do this” after seeing this Saheb for the
first time?
She asked this because she felt very sad for Saheb while he was searching for
something in the garbage. She felt what a small child was doing in the dirt at the age of
studies and sports. It was her way to start conversation with him as she wanted to know
more about him. It was easy for her to see elders doing rag picking but not a child.
3. What did Saheb search everyday in the garbage?
Saheb and his friends used to get money and sometimes silver in Garbage.Saheb and
other poor children used to search this free money very eagerly in garbage. This used to
help their family a little. And sometimes he used to get very valuable items too which
 kept him greedy. His family was so poor that they did not even have money to start any
work on their own.And this was the condition of all Bangladeshi people who left their
homes and were settled in Seemapuri.
4. What did the author promise to Saheb? Why couldn’t she fulfill it?
Seeing Saheb and other children roaming around the whole day on streets, the author
promised that she will build a school and asked them to join for studies. Saheb believed
her words and dreamed of school. But this was said just like that by author, she was not
serious at all. After a few days when both met, Saheb asked about the school. Author
was embarrassed as she was not intended to open any school.
5. Why has the author called Saheb’s life a Bleak World?
Ans: Bleak world is a colourless world with no hope. The world of children like Saheb is
exactly the same. They do not have a bright future because neither they can afford
education nor government looks after them from a second glance. It is not their fault that
they were born in poverty, but showing them a new path and providing them equal
opportunities in society should be the first priority of the government. However,
government looks towards them from the view point of vote bank only. Due to all these
reasons, their next generation is also engaged in poverty, hunger and such activities.

Why author called garbage as “Gold”?

Author Anees Jung called garbage as gold for Seemapuri migrants because gold is one
of the precious metals of world. Since many centuries any valuable item is compared
with Gold only. Gold can be converted into cash anytime by any anyone and cash can
be redeemed to meet daily needs. Any kind of metal, plastic, electrical goods or anything
found in the garbage is not less than gold for them. They sell them in open market for
cash which meets their square meal of the day. And sometimes they get really gold or
even silver because many electrical and electronic items have a small portion of silver in
it.

Why is the glass manufacturing industry illegal for

children?
Children working in these factories often end up losing their eyesight before they
become adults as they have to work in the dark all the time. The dust that comes from
polishing the glass of bangles badly affects the eyes and the lungs which lead to losing
eyesight and respiratory disorders. Indian Government has also taken some positive
steps in this direction. Also, several social programs for the rehabilitation for children
who are rescued from child labour are run at the central and state level. In recent years,
there has been a major emphasis on providing basic education for all children, which is
a long-term answer to this social menace.

Why they are still empty stomach though they are working & earning from bangles
making since generations?
This work is not enough to make them rich or empowered. By putting their health at
stake, they get little money from bangles making that they can hardly survive. We read
 about a woman in this story who says “she has not enjoyed even one full meal in her
lifetime”. This shows how many difficulties they face and make their living.

1. Who was Savita? What was her job?

Savita was a young girl in Mukesh’s locality in Firozabad. Her job was to make glass
bangles like any other person involved in this industry. Coming into this terrible work at a
young age, she was unaware of what these bangles are used for and its importance in
Hindu weddings. According to author, Savita was very good at her work because she
was working in similar trade for a quite long time now. Now she has a gleam in her eyes
and enthusiasm for work, but by the time she learns the visual effects of this work, it will
be too late.
2. How does the author ask to unite against the exploitation of sahukars?
Seeing the labor working in the glass industry of Firozabad, Anees appeals to them to
unite and bring this fight together. She feels that it will be difficult to win this battle alone
and if this continues, the future of the children of this city will always be in the dark.After
talking to people, she felt that people have no hope of getting out of this life because
they have accepted it as fate.She asks them to form a cooperative and fight against
local administration, bureaucrats, politicians and others who have created a vicious
circle for them and their future generations.
3. Do the people of Firozabad unite against child labor after being influenced by
Anees’s words?
Though people agree with Anees’s words but they find it an impossible task to fight
against it. There are two reasons behind this. First, this is their means of livelihood. Their
kids have been supporting them from a young age if they don’t send them to the factory,
how will they run the house?
Second, if they unite then the police will beat them up and put them in jail for wrong
doings. But what they do not tell the author and the main reason is that they do not have
any great leader who can lead them in this mission. Instead of fighting this battle, they
talk endlessly about poverty, hunger and injustice. And this is the reason that even today
they are standing where their forefathers were.

Long Answer Type Question Answers

Why is the story of Saheb&Mukesh called lost spring?
The childhood of Saheb and Mukesh is called spring because spring is a season. The
spring season gets its name from the verb “spring.” It’s a nod to the flowers and plants
springing up, springing open, and bursting into blossom. Same way a child also a child is
born, his mental and physical development takes place and then he reaches to
adolescence. Children need constant attention and guidance specially in early years of
life. Most of their mental development takes place at this age. When children work in
factories, they are deprived of school which is the foundation of child’s success. The
flower of their childhood does not bloom and if that happens then the future of the nation
is dark. Although a lot is said and written about the development and activities of
children, but author Meta Lander in his book “Blossoms of Childhood” has written that
90% of brain development takes place by the age of 5. Saheb & Mukesh both were
affected by circumstance and luck respectively. Both were deprived of that good phase
of childhood as they had to work at a young age to financially support their families. Rag
picking and working in the glass furnace industry has a very dangerous effect on health.
Surroundings, prevailing conditions and the type of job involved-all prove risky to the
health of the workers. Working in hot conditions can be hazardous to health. Effects
range from discomfort or heat rash to heat exhaustion or heat stroke which can cause
permanent injury or death. Heat stress can occur without the worker being aware of how
much they are affected until it is almost too late. Those who exploit by showing greed for
money at a young age never think about health and future. It is often said that “every
child is a different kind of flower and together make this world a beautiful garden”.
According to you, who are the other migrants who took refuge in India and are
forced to live a life like a Saheb?
People from many countries migrate to India for various reasons. Like,Thousands of
Nepalese migrate to India every year due to absence of fruitful local employment in their
country. Migration of people from Nepal to India is also due to a Peace & Friendship
treaty signed between two Nations in 1950 to establish strategic relationship between
the two South Asian neighbors.
But primary reason is due to poverty, unemployment, declining natural resources and
also the Maoist insurgency, migration has become an important livelihood strategy in
Nepal. Sikkim has the highest density of Nepalese as compared to any Indian state. We
can see them working hard in Food & Beverage and housekeeping industry majorly in
most of our states. Like Bangladeshis, they too get engage in such works from a young
age and their sufferings are like that of any poor African country. Despite being hard
worker they remain below poverty line and suffer serious problems like rag pickers of
Seemapuri.