LOST SPRING by Anees Jung –

Summary
Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood is written by famous short-story writer Anees Jung.
The following is the summary of an excerpt from her book titled Lost Spring, stories of stolen
childhood. Here she concludes the utter poverty and traditions which condemn these children
to a life of exploitation. She highlights the utter destitution of ragpickers of Seemapuri, and
the bangle makers of Firozabad.

Questions with Answers (To be written in notebook )

Q1. What does Saheb look for in the garbage dumps? Or What is Saheb looking for in the
garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
Ans In the garbage dumps, Saheb looks for useful items which can be sold for cash. As these
items can be traded for money, they are just like ‘gold’ for him. Saheb and his family live in
Seemapuri, a slum on the periphery of Delhi. His family had migrated from Bangladesh.

Q2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Ans The author has seen many children in the villages as well as cities in India walking
barefoot. The general explanation is that it is not lack of money but a tradition to stay
barefoot. The author, however, is not sure. She thinks that in many cases it may be a excuse
to explain away a perpetual state of poverty.

Q3. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

Ans The city of Firozabad is famous for its bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass glowing
industry. Here are families who have spent generations working around furnaces, welding
glass, and making bangle for all the women of the country.

Q4. Describe the irony in Saheb’s name.

Ans Saheb’s name in full is Saheb-e-Alam, which means ‘Lord of the Universe’. But in stark
contrast to his name, Saheb is poverty stricken, barefoot, homeless ragpicker who scrounges
the garbage dumps of Delhi to take out a livelihood. His name is in total contrast to his very
existence and is thus deeply ironical.

Q5. What forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
Ans Many forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty.
They are of two types. One is the caste of the people who make bangles. They have the
stigma of caste which has been making bangles for many generations. The second factor is
the vicious cycle of the sahukars, middleman, the policeman, the keepers of law, the
bureaucrats, and the politicians. The poor need a leader to guide them. Otherwise, the
circumstances have imposed the baggage on the child that he cannot put down. It needs a lot
of courage to go against one’s caste and also to fight the vicious circle as well.
Q7. What does the reference to chappals in ‘Lost Spring’ speaks about the economic
condition of the rag pickers?
Ans The ragpickers were extremely poor. They did not have any money to buy chappals.
They were poor and impoverished. They lived a hand-to-mouth existence. They were
exploited and had no other work to do. They did not have a house to live in too.

Q8. What is Mukesh’s dream? Do you think he will be able to fulfil his dream? Why? Why
not?
Ans Mukesh belongs to bangle-makers of Firozabad where each family is engaged in bangle-
making. On asking, Mukesh says, “I will be a motor mechanic.’ Thus, he wants to be his own
master. Yes, he has strong determination. He wants to improve his living conditions.
However, because he caught up in the vicious cycle created by others, he will not be able to
realise his dream and will remain a bangle-maker.

Q9. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.

Ans The glass bangles industry has a very hazardous working environment. People work in
the glass furnaces with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light. Most end up
losing their eyesight even before they become adults. Adding to their misery, they are caught
in a vicious circle of people who exploit them.

Q10. How is Mukesh more ambitious in life than Saheb? Give a reasoned answer.
Ans Mukesh is definitely more ambitious than Saheb. Unlike most of his friends in
Firozabad, Mukesh did not want to follow the profession of making bangles. No one else
could dare to think of breaking the conventional style of living. Mukesh dreamt of becoming
a motor mechanic. He had already decided to go to a garage and learn about cars. Though the
garage was a long way from his home, he was prepared to walk that distance. He insisted on
becoming his own master. Saheb, on the other hand had sacrificed his freedom as a ragpicker
to take up a salaried job that would pay him 800 rupees and give him all his meals. Now he
was no longer his own master. He had lost his carefree look (which he had when he was a
ragpicker). The canister that he carried seemed heavier than the bag he carried as ragpicker,
for this job was not to his liking.

Q11. ‘Lost Spring’ explains the grinding poverty and tradition that force little children to
work at the age of mental and spiritual development. Write an article on ‘Child labour — A
Blot On Our Society’.
MARK IT IN THE TEXT BOOK.
Carefully read the following phrases and sentences taken from the text. Can you identify the
literary device in each example?
1. Saheb-e-Alam which means the lord of the universe is directly in contrast to what Saheb is
in reality. Irony

2. Drowned in an air of desolation. Metaphor

3. SeemaPuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically.
Antithesis

4. For the children it is wrapped in wonder; for the elders it is a means of survival.
Antithesis

5. As her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine, I wonder if she knows the
sanctity of the bangles she helps make. Simile

6. She still has bangles on her wrist, but not light in her eyes. Pun

7. Few airplanes fly over Firozabad. Pun

8. Web of poverty. Metaphor

9. Scrounging for gold. Metaphor

10. And survival in SeemaPuri means rag-picking. Through the years, it has acquired the
proportions of a fine art. Hyperbole

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

Explanation (Mark the lines)

STORY 1: “Sometimes I Find a Rupee in the Garbage.”
“…..garbage has different meaning ……..For the children it is wrapped in wonder, for
the elders it is a mean of survival.”
Explanation: Garbage is gold to these rag-pickers. For elders it is source of their daily bread
and a roof over their head even if it is leaky. For children it is a surprise as they may get a
rare ten rupee note in the garbage.

“…….his name “Saheb-e- Alam” ……. Lord of the Universe”

Explanation: Saheb’s name is full of irony. The meaning of his name is ‘Lord of the
Universe’, but he is poverty stricken, barefooted and homeless. He is rag-picker who gets up
early in the morning, rushes barefooted to garbage bins and scrounges the garbage dumps of
Delhi to have his bread.
“The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his
shoulder…… Saheb is no longer his own master.”
Explanation: The life of Saheb as a rag-picker was very poor, but his life as a child labourer
became even worst.

Saheb’s Life as a Rag-picker & a Worker at Tea Stall

Garbage Dump Steel Canister
Symbol of freedom for rag pickers Symbol of Slavery
Master of his own life and enjoyed life No longer Master of his own life
Full of Wonders Monotonous and dull
Under the control of no one Under the control of the owner
“…

an army of barefoot boys who appear like morning birds and disappear at noon.”
Explanation: Due to poverty, these boys cannot afford slippers or shoes but are free spirited
and enjoy an revel their freedom like birds.
These boys call it a tradition to walk barefoot, but in reality they cannot afford slippers or
shoes. Their condition is poorer than the priest boys who could get shoes in life after a few
decades but the rag-pickers suffer from deprivation since generations and their is still no hope
of change for them.

STORY 2: “I Want to Drive a Car.”

“His dream looms like a mirage amidst the dust of streets that fill his town, Firozabad,
famous for its bangles.”
Explanation: The dream of Mukesh to become a motor mechanic is like a mirage which that
appears possible but couldn’t be or their are very less chances of it. It is because he is worker
in the bangle making factor and has very less chances to change his present occupation which
he has got in heredity.

“Few aeroplanes fly over Firozabad.”

Explanation: The condition of workers in Firozabad is so poor that thy couldn’t even think of
high things even in their dreams. Becoming a motor mechanic is a great challenge for
Mukesh, he could never (even in his dreams) think of becoming a pilot.