The Lost Spring

Theme

Spring is the season of bloom. Spring is a metaphor of childhood and is

associated with every child at the beginning of a bright future. Childhood is
associated with innocence, physical stamina and liveliness. It is also the
stage for gaining skill and knowledge, learning and going to school.

‘Lost Spring’ by Anees Jung is a description of those poor children who are
condemned to poverty and a life of exploitation. The two protagonists of
the chapter, Saheb-e-Alam and Mukesh, lose their childhood while carrying
the burden of poverty and illiteracy. Grinding poverty and traditions compel
children to work in the most inhuman and hostile conditions. The author
succeeds in highlighting the plight of such unfortunate children.In their bleak
stories of exploitation; the author finds glimpses of resilience and hope.

Appropriateness of Title

Childhood is the spring of life. But millions of unfortunate children like

Saheb and Mukesh waste this spring either scrounging in the garbage
dumps of Seemapuri or welding glass bangles in the blast furnaces of
Firozabad. Their childhood is lost to the demands of survival. Hence, the
title is quite apt.

Important Lines from the Text with Their Meanings

1. Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it,
metaphorically.

This line wishes to express the difference between the lifestyle of two places
that are geographically very close to each other but holds major difference in
terms of the lifestyle people have there.

2. The young men echo the lament of their elders

The line simply states that the young men of a household are the exact
replica of their parents and wish to do the same as their elders.

3. "It is his karam, his destiny,"

(Mukesh's grandmother) - This line emphasizes the belief in predetermined

fate, suggesting that Mukesh, like generations before him, is destined to
work in the bangle industry, even if it means enduring dangerous
conditions.

4. Saheb-e-Alam,"

(Saheb's name) - This line reveals the irony of Saheb's name, which means
"Lord of the Universe," while he is a ragpicker, symbolizing his immense
potential that is tragically suppressed by poverty and circumstance.
5. Sometimes I find a Rupee in the garbage,"

(Saheb) - This line depicts the reality of survival for children like Saheb,
highlighting their desperation to find valuable items in garbage dumps to
make ends meet.

Extracts

I. Read the following extracts and answer the questions :

“It takes longer to build a school.” I say, embarrassed at having made a promise
that was not meant. But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak
world.
After months of knowing him, I ask him his name. ‘Saheb-e-Alam’, he announces.
He does not know what it means. If he knew its meaning – lord of the universe – he
would have a hard time believing it. Unaware of what his name represents, he
roams the streets with his friends, an army of bare feet boys who appear like the
morning birds and disappear at noon. Over the months, I have come to recognise
each of them.
“Why aren’t you wearing chappals?” I ask one.
“My mother did not bring them down from the shelf.” He answers simply.
“Even if she did he will throw them off,” adds another who is wearing shoes that do
not match.

Select the option from those given in brackets, to fill in the blank.
(i) The intention of the speaker in the first line of the extract is one of
__________.(clarification/confusion)

Ans. Confusion

(ii) What is implied by the expression ‘he would have a hard time believing
it’.
(A) Saheb is too innocent to believe everything.
(B) Saheb is living upto his name.
(C) Saheb’s living condition is contrary to the meaning of his name.
(D) Saheb is not used to anyone calling his name.
Ans. (C) Saheb’s living condition is contrary to the meaning of his name.

(iii) Select the correct option from those given in brackets to fill in the
blank:
“Promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world.” The above
statement of the speaker reveals the fact that people like Saheb are
____(deluded/empowered) by such promises.
Ans. Deluded(fooled)

(iv) State one reason for the boy was wearing shoes that did not match.
Ans. He had got the shoes from a garbage dump. So they were not a matching pair
of shoes but two different shoes.

(v) The speaker describes Saheb’s life as a ‘bleak world’ because

(A) he lives in a house without electricity.
(B) his world is his friends.
(C) his life is devoid of hope.
(D) he belongs to the world of illiterates.
vi. “Why aren’t you wearing chappals ?” I asked one. The conversation
between the speaker and the boys reflects the _____ of the speaker.
Ans. concern

II. Read the following extracts and answer the questions :

They have lived here for more than thirty years without an identity, without permits
but with ration cards that get their names on voters’ lists and enable them to buy
grain. Food is more important for survival than identity. “If at the end of the day we
can feed our families and go to bed without an aching stomach, we would rather
live here than in the fields that gave us no grain,” say a group of women in tattered
saris when I asked them why they left their beautiful land of green fields and rivers.
Wherever they find food, they pitch their tents.

(i) The ragpickers have been living there for ____________ decades.
(A) three
(B) four
(C) two
(D) five
Ans. (A) three

(ii) Why do these people have ration cards?

Ans. These people have ration cards to get their names on voters’ lists and enable
them to buy grain.

(iii) What do you infer about their lifestyle from the phrase ‘pitch their
tents’?
Ans. Their lifestyle is nomadic and transient, as they move frequently in search of
food and shelter.

(iv) In spite of the hardships, they are not willing to go back to their
homeland because__________.
Ans. They believe that finding food and feeding their families is more important
than returning to their fields.

(v) The women had a/an __________ approach towards life.

(A) idealistic
(B) passive
(C) indifferent
(D) practical
Ans. (D) practical

(vi) What does the term ‘go to bed without an aching stomach’ indicate?
Ans. It indicates having enough food to eat and not going hungry.

Q2. Read the following extracts and answer the questions :

“Children grow up in them, becoming partners in survival. And survival in
Seemapuri means rag-picking. Through the years, it has acquired the proportions of
a fine art. Garbage to them is gold. It is their daily bread, a roof over their heads,
even if it is a leaking roof. But for a child it is even more.”

(i) Complete the sentence appropriately.

Children become partners in survival suggests that ________.
Ans. they are deeply involved in the struggle for basic needs and livelihood, which
is a part of their daily lives.

(ii) Rag-picking has acquired the proportion of a fine art means :

(A) artistic bend of mind is required.
(B) it has proportionately displaced art.
(C) it has become a highly skilful activity.
(D) it has discovered pieces of art.
Ans. (C) it has become a highly skilful activity.

(iii) State whether the given statement is True or False with reference to
the extract.
The children and their parents have left Dhaka to live in Seemapuri.
Ans. False

(iv) Why does the author say ‘survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking’?
Ans. The author says this because rag-picking is the only means by which the
people of Seemapuri can earn their livelihood and survive.

(v) What does the phrase “for a child it is even more” reveal about the
children’s dreams?
Ans. It reveals that for children, rag-picking represents not just survival but also a
loss of their innocence and dreams, as it becomes their whole world.

(vi) Which of the following headlines suggests the central idea of the
extract?
(A) Seemapuri, A Pot of Gold
(B) Rag-picking – Different Perspectives
(C) Art in Delhi and in Seemapuri
(D) Saheb-e-Alam in Seemapuri
Ans. (B) Rag-picking – Different Perspectives

Q3. Read the following extracts and answer the questions :

“Why do you do this?” I ask Saheb whom I encounter every morning scrounging for
gold in the garbage dumps of my neighbourhood. Saheb left his home long ago. Set
amidst the green fields of Dhaka, his home is not even a distant memory. There
were many storms that swept away their fields and homes, his mother tells him.
That’s why they left, looking for gold in the big city where he now lives.
“I have nothing else to do,” he mutters, looking away.
“Go to school,” I say glibly, realizing immediately how hollow the advice must
sound.
“There is no school in my neighbourhood. When they build one, I will go.”

(i) Choose the correct option.

The expression ‘scrounging for gold’ refers to
(A) searching for gold items.
(B) looking for something that can fetch money.
(C) rummaging the garbage.
(D) digging to find food to eat.
Ans. (B) looking for something that can fetch money.

(ii) The influence of nature in Saheb’s life was that it _______.

(A) brought prosperity
(B) yielded food for them
(C) gave them home
(D) brought disaster
Ans. (D) brought disaster

(iii) Complete the sentence with an appropriate word.

Saheb’s conversation with the narrator draws _____ of readers towards
Saheb.
Ans. Saheb’s conversation with the narrator draws sympathy of readers towards
Saheb.

(iv) Explain one inference that can be drawn from the line “…… realizing
how hollow the advice must sound”.
Ans. The narrator understands that advising Saheb to go to school is impractical
because there are no schools in his neighborhood, and his immediate need is
survival.

(v) The expression ‘when they build one, I will go’ indicates Saheb’s _______
to go to school.
Ans. The expression ‘when they build one, I will go’ indicates Saheb’s willingness to
go to school.

(vi) State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE.

‘… his home is not even a distant dream’ states that Saheb sees his home
often in his dream.
Ans. FALSE

Short Ques Ans

Q1. Why does Anees Jung say that the bangle makers are caught in a
vicious web?
Ans. The bangle makers are caught in a vicious web because they
 are compelled by family and traditions to follow their forefathers that too at
an early age.
 are exploited at the hands of the Sahukars, middlemen, policemen,
lawmakers, bureaucrats, and politicians
 toil day and night, but are not paid appropriate wages · cannot form
cooperatives for their betterment.
 cannot dare to dream.
Q2. What does the description of Mukesh's family in Lost Spring reveal
about gender roles?
Ans.
 reveals patriarchy and inequality in the treatment of men and women.
 that women are still assigned stereotypical gender roles such as being in
charge of household chores and care-giving, as seen with Mukesh's sister-in-
law.
 that women need to respect the older men in the family by covering their
faces.
Q3. What do we come to know about the author of Lost Spring, Anees
Jung, through her interactions with Saheb and Mukesh?
Ans.
 Observed in detail – observant.
 Is moved by their plight - sensitive/empathetic.
 Feels helpless about her inability to do anything for them.
Q4. How is the bangle industry of Firozabad a curse for the bangle
makers?
Ans. Because of the following reasons:
 high temperatures, lack of proper ventilation, and light
 long working hours in front of the hot furnace
 eyes are more adjusted to dark than light
 dust from polishing bangles affects their eyes
 exploited by moneylenders, police, bureaucrats, politicians
 fear of being ill-treated by police
 lack of a leader who can organize them
 live in a state of intense poverty
 sleep on an empty stomach, and live in stinky lanes overcrowded with
humans and animals.
Long Ques /Ans

Q1. Why do you think Mukesh is content to dream of cars and doesn’t
dream of flying a plane?
Ans. Mukesh dreams of owning a car one day but doesn't dream of flying a plane
because his aspirations are limited by the environment in which he lives.
Mukesh and his family belong to a community of "bangle-makers" who are
excluded from mainstream society and denied access to education,
healthcare, and other basic amenities.
Flying a plane is an ambition that requires a level of education, skills, and
resources that are beyond Mukesh's reach. He has never seen an airplane,
let alone flown in one, and doesn't have the knowledge or means to pursue
such a goal. Mukesh's dreams are thus bounded by the realities of his
social and economic situation, and he finds solace in imagining a more
modest but still meaningful future for himself.

Q2. "Mukesh is not like the others. His dreams loom like a mirage amidst
the dust of streets that fill his town Firozabad." Justify the statement in
the light of contrast in the mindsets of Mukesh and the people of
Firozabad.
Ans. Firozabad- is dominated by the bangle industry, most families are
engaged in making bangles work around furnaces, physically and mentally
hazardous but no one dares to do anything else.
Mukesh - aspires to be a mechanic, unlike his peers, dares to dream,
determined to walk to a garage and learn to drive, his passion would help him
break away from tradition and achieve his goal.

Q3. Identify an instance of hope or resilience in ‘Lost Spring’ and analyse

how it reflects one of the story's themes.
Ans. An instance of hope or resilience – Saheb’s continued search in the
garbage, driven by the occasional discovery of a rupee or a ten-rupee note,
symbolises his hope and resilience against the overwhelming odds of his
harsh life.
This reflects the theme of enduring hope amidst poverty and destitution -
the human spirit’s capacity to dream and hope, even in the terribly dire
circumstances -- suggesting that the desire for a better life can exist independent of
one's current state of poverty.

Q4. Do the poor have the right to dream? Why then does the author calls
Mukesh's dream 'a mirage'?
Ans. Everyone has the right to dream-even Mukesh in spite of the challenges of his
life. But his dream is like a mirage. Mukesh belonged to a marginalized family.
He disliked the profession of bangle-making and wanted to become a
motor mechanic. He lives in such poor conditions that it is impossible for him to
learn to drive a car. He is bound by the traditional family of working in the
bangle industry. Working for years in those bangle-making mills will make him
blind. The bangle-making communities are not equipped to break out of the
vicious circle of politicians middlemen etc. So the dream is compared to a
mirage/hallucination.

Q5. Do you believe that ‘God-given lineage can be broken’? Support your
position with a rationale.
Ans. The idea of "God-given lineage" implies that a person's social status,
opportunities, and destiny are predetermined by their birth in a particular
family or community. This notion is often associated with the caste system in
India and other hierarchical systems that divide people based on their birth.
From a rational perspective, the notion of breaking God-given lineage is consistent
with the principles of social mobility and meritocracy, which are based on the idea
that individuals should be judged on their abilities and achievements
rather than their social background.

However, the notion of breaking God-given lineage can also be

controversial and challenging, particularly in societies where social
hierarchies are deeply entrenched and difficult to change. It may be seen as
a threat to established power structures and social norms and may face resistance
from those who benefit from the status quo.

Q6. How do you think the author’s life might have been impacted after her
interactions with the children and their families mentioned in ‘Lost
Spring’?
Ans. Based on the book, it is clear that Anees Jung was deeply moved by the
plight of the children and families she encountered in the slums of Delhi.
She was struck by the contrast between the wealth and luxury of the city
and the poverty of the slums, and she was particularly affected by the
resilience and dignity of the children who had to work in order to survive.
It is possible that Anees Jung's experiences in the slums of Delhi may have
influenced her worldview and her approach to writing. She may have become
more aware of the social and economic inequalities that exist in Indian society and
may have developed a greater empathy for those who are marginalized and
excluded.

Q7 How does the story, ‘Lost Spring’ highlight the apathy of society and
those in power to end the vicious cycle of poverty? Support your answer
with textual evidence.
Ans.
1. Lack of access to education: The story depicts the fact that many children in
the slums do not have access to education. Even when they do attend school,
they often drop out early due to poverty or discrimination. The lack of
education perpetuates the cycle of poverty and prevents children from
improving their circumstances.
2. The exploitation of children: The story highlights the exploitation of children
who are forced to work in order to help support their families. Many of these
children work long hours in hazardous conditions for little pay.
 3. Discrimination based on caste: The story portrays the discrimination faced by
people from lower castes in India. These people are often excluded from
mainstream society and denied access to education, healthcare, and other
basic amenities.
4. Lack of political will: The story suggests that there is a lack of political will to
address the issue of poverty in India. The government has failed to implement
policies that would provide greater opportunities for the poor and
marginalized, such as free education and healthcare.

Q8. Certain traditions and lineage, condemn thousands of children to a life

of abject poverty and choke their aspirations.
i. Do you agree? Explain.
ii. How can we change this? Suggest some ways to tackle this issue.
Ans. i. Yes, I agree that certain traditions and lineage condemn thousands of
children to a life of abject poverty and choke their aspirations. The story "Lost
Spring" by Anees Jung illustrates this point by depicting the lives of children living in
the slums of Delhi. Many of these children are forced to work from a young age due
to poverty and lack of opportunities. They are denied access to education and other
basic amenities, and their social status often determines their future prospects. This
is a clear example of how tradition and lineage can perpetuate poverty and limit the
aspirations of children.
ii. To tackle this issue, there are several steps that can be taken:

1. Education: Education is a key factor in breaking the cycle of poverty. By

providing free and accessible education to all children, regardless of their
social status, we can help to ensure that all children have an opportunity to
improve their lives.
2. Empowerment: Empowering children and families to take control of their own
lives can also help to break the cycle of poverty. This can be done by
providing training and support in areas such as entrepreneurship and financial
management.
3. Addressing discrimination: Discrimination based on caste, gender, or other
factors must be addressed in order to ensure that all children have equal
opportunities to succeed.
4. Government policies: The government can play an important role in tackling
poverty by implementing policies that provide support and opportunities for
those who are most in need. This can include initiatives such as free
education and healthcare and support for small businesses and
entrepreneurship.
5. Awareness and advocacy: Raising awareness of the issue of poverty and
advocating for change can also help to bring about positive change. This can
involve community outreach programs, social media campaigns, and other
forms of advocacy.

Q9 'The cry of not having money to do anything except carry on the

business of making bangles, not even enough to eat, rings in every home.'
(The Lost Spring)
'...far from the city, we make our roadside stand and ask for some city
money to feel in hand'.
(A Roadside Stand)
Create a conversation between a bangle maker and the owner of a
roadside stand with reference to the above extracts.
You may begin the conversation like this:
Owner of a roadside stand: Your bangles are pretty. Tell me about your
experience in this business.
Ans. Owner of a roadside stand: Your bangles are pretty. Tell me about your
experience in this business.
Bangle Maker: Thank you. I have been making bangles for as long as I can
remember. It's a family business and we have been doing it for generations.

Owner of a roadside stand: I can understand. My situation is not very different. I

also have a small business, and I struggle to make ends meet.

Bangle Maker: Yes, it's not easy. We barely make enough to survive. The cry of not
having money to do anything except carry on the business of making bangles, not
even enough to eat, rings in every home.

Owner of a roadside stand: I know how it feels. That's why I came to the city to set
up this roadside stand. But even here, it's a struggle to make enough money to
survive.

Bangle Maker: It's the same for us. We live far from the city, and when we come
here to sell our bangles, we ask for some city money to feel in our hand. It's a
difficult life.

Owner of a roadside stand: Yes, it is. But we have to keep going. We can't give up.
We have to find ways to improve our situation.

Bangle Maker: I agree. We need more opportunities to improve our business and
our lives. We need support from the government and society to break the cycle of
poverty.

Owner of a roadside stand: That's true. We need to work together and support each
other. Only then can we hope to overcome the challenges we face.