Lost Spring by Anees Jung

 

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Lost Spring by Anees Jung

W     The writer Anees Jung encounters Saheb - a rag picker whose parents have left behind the life of poverty in Dhaka to earn a living in Delhi. His family like many other families of rag pickers lives in Seemapuri. They do not have any identification other than a ration card. The children do not go to school and they are excited at the prospect of finding a coin or even a ten rupee note for scrounging in the garbage. It is the only way of earning a living. The writer is pained to see Saheb-e-alam losing the spark of childhood and roaming barefoot with his friends.

Later on Saheb works in a tea stall and is paid Rs. 800 per month. He sadly realizes that he is no longer a free bird and master of his own will. He is more of a bonded labourer with surrendered freedom and identity and this loss weighs heavily on his tender shoulders.

The author then tells about another victim of poverty, Mukesh who wants to be a motor mechanic and wishes to drive a car. Hailing from Firozabad, the centre of India’s bangle making and glass blowing industry, he has always worked in the glass making industry. He lives in a stinking surrounding with choked lanes and garbage piles all around in a half built shack with thatched dead grass roof with iron door and his family of three generations.

His family like the others there do not know that it is illegal for children to work in such close proximity to furnaces, with such high temperature. They are exposed to various health hazards like losing their eyesight as they work in abysmal conditions, in dark and dingy cells.

They lead a hand to mouth existence as they are caught in the vicious web of the money lenders, middlemen, police and the traditions. So, burdened are the bangle makers of Firozabad that most of them have lost their eyesight before even attaining adulthood. Their desire to dream and dare is snubbed in their childhood only.

WWhy did Saheb’s family settle in Seemapuri?

Answer: There homes and fields in Dhaka were swept away by storms so they came to Seemapuri to find a means of survival.

2.      Why does Anees Jung’s promise to open school seem hollow?

Answer: Anees Jung’s promise to open school seems hollow because she really does not mean it. She says it half-jokingly, and without any serious thinking.

3.      Why does the author describe Seemapuri as miles away from Delhi?

Answer: Seemapuri, though located in Delhi, does not have even basic facilities like drainage, sewage systems and running water. Thus it seemed a wilderness; miles away from Delhi.

4.      What does the author mean by the expression “Gabage to them is gold”?

Answer: We know that gold is a valuable metal. In the same sense garbage is also valuable for the rag pickers; they sell out collection of the garbage to get money which will ultimately provide them food.

5.      What does the expression “sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage” mean?

Answer: While scrounging garbage sometimes Saheb finds valuable articles even coin of one rupee also. It seems the wonder wrapped in garbage tempts him of finding more.

6.      Why is Saheb not happy working at the tea stall?

Answer: Saheb is longer his own master now; he has to follow the orders of the owner of the tea stall. He has lost his freedom and carefree look.

7.      What is Mukesh’s ambition? Can it be realised?

Answer: Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic. But it seems a mirage as he is born in the caste of bangle makers but if he dares the system and remains committed to achieve his goal he can realise his dream.

8.      “Can a god-given lineage ever be broken” why does Mukesh’s grandmother say so?

Answer: Mukesh’s grandmother echoes the sorrow of the poor bangle makers. They are born and brought up in the caste of bangle makers; she says it’s the destiny written by the god. They are so helpless that they accept their miserable condition without ever challenging it.

9.      Describe the hazards of working in the glass bangle industries.

Answer: Children are illegally employed to work in dingy cells near very high temperature furnaces; it ultimately makes them incapable of adjusting in normal day light and sometimes they go blind even before they turn adult. The polishing and dusting of glass also has adverse health effect.

10.  “She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes”. What does Anees Jung imply by the statement?

Answer: Anees Jung describes the pitiful condition of the poor bangle makers. The woman who was training a young girl in the skills of making bangles was blind; obviously she lost her eye-sight by spending her time near high temperature furnaces. But thankfully her husband is still alive.

11.  What happens when the bangle makers in Firozabad try to get organised for their rights?

Answer: When bangle makers in Firozabad try to get organized for their rights they are hauled up by the police, beaten or drag to the jail for doing something illegal.

      Describe the conditions of Seemapuri slums.

Answer: Seemapuri is in the outskirts of Delhi. Most of the people who live here migrated from Bangladesh in 1971. When they came here Seemapuri was barren and neglected and is still in the same condition now. Their surrounding is devoid of basic facilities like drainage, sewage and running water. Migrants 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 an identity.

     Mention the circumstances which force the bangle makers to live a life of primeval state in Firozabad.

Answer: Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream to bring a change in their lives. They are not able to organize themselves into a cooperative due to bullying and exploitation by the politicians, authorities, moneylenders and middlemen and unfortunately they do not have a leader who can lead them. They live in stinking lanes choked with garbage, having homes with crumbling walls, wobbly doors, no windows, overcrowded with families of humans and animals coexisting in a primeval state. Ultimately the rigid caste system deprives them to enjoy a change in their lives.

      Describe the two types of worlds mentioned by Anees Jung in the Lost Spring.

Answer: Anees Jung describes two different worlds- one is of the poverty stricken people who are over burdened by the disgrace of caste in which they are born and forced to do a certain type of work. The other world is of the politicians, sahukars, middleman, bureaucrats and policeman who are negligent towards the condition of these people.  Together they have imposed the baggage on the child that he cannot put down. Before he is aware, he accepts it as naturally as his father. They lack opportunity so doing something except making bangles is type of challenge for them.

     Describe how child labour is a potential threat to life on the basis of your reading of the lesson Lost Spring.

Answer: Child labour is a blot on the forehead of humanity. We see children illegally employed in hazardous conditions. As we see in the lesson “Lost Spring’, small children are seen as rag pickers and as labourers in bangle making industry. Rag picking brings them in contact with many communicable diseases. As bangle makers, they work in dingy hutments in a very dim light that takes away their eyesight. Lack of proper air and sunlight poses a great threat to their life. At a very tender age when they should have proper opportunities to grow, they have to indulge in menial jobs. It affects their health very badly, and at the same time blocks the chance of their good future. They become old before their real age.

NCERT Book Solution  

Think As you Read  (Page No: 17)
1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
Answer: Saheb is looking for gold in the garbage dumps. He lives at Seemapuri in Delhi. 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 it.
2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Answer: According to her, one explanation of this habit of remaining barefoot is that it is a tradition among the poor children of this country. However, the author quickly mentions that calling it a tradition could be just a means of justification of the utter destitution.
3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain. (2018 Comptt. Delhi)

OR

Why was Saheb unhappy while working at the tea stall? 2016, Delhi, Comptt., SET II

OR

What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy?         2014, Outside Delhi, SET I
Answer: No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall. He is paid 800 rupees and all his meals but he has lost his freedom. The steel canister seems heavier than his plastic bag. He is no longer his own master. He is as a servant at the tea-stall.
Page No: 20
1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Answer: Firozabad is famous for its glass bangles manufacturing. The place is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry.
2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Answer: The bangle makers face many problems in the glass industry. They have to work in the dingy cells without air and light, in the high temperature of the furnace .The dust from polishing the bangles is injurious to eyes. They often lose their eyesight before they become adults. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside.
3. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Answer: Mukesh belongs to a poor family of bangle-makers. But his attitude is very different from his family. He wants to break the family tradition of bangle making. He is daring and determined. He has hopes and dreams. He wants to be a motor mechanic.

Understanding the Text
1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
Answer: There are many factors that cause migration of people from villages to cities. Some villagers voluntarily move to the cities in search for jobs and better civic and health facilities, etc. Others are forced to migrate when natural disasters like flood, storm, drought, famine, etc. destroy their houses and properties. History has records of large scale migrations caused by wars. Also, many villagers who are better off than others manage to send their children to study in the cities.
In the lesson ‘Lost Spring’, Saheb and his family migrates to Seemapuri from Dhaka after their houses were destroyed in the storms.
2. 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?
Answer: Yes, the promises made to poor children are rarely kept. Often, they are not taken seriously or have been made on the pretext of retaining a child’s fancy for something. This keeps the child hoping for a better possibility till he/she realises the truth. It is difficult for people to shatter the children’s dreams; while it is also painful to see these children thrive of false hopes given to them.
Once, while talking to Saheb, the narrator ends up encouraging him to study and non-seriously talks about opening a school herself. At that time she fails to realise that unknowingly she has sown a seed of hope in Saheb’s heart. She becomes conscious of her mistake when, after a few days, Saheb approaches her, enquiring about her school. Her hollow promise leaves her embarrassed.
3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
Answer: The workers in the bangle industry in Firozabad have fallen into the vicious circle of middlemen. They don't allow them to organise themselves into a cooperative. The police always support the middlemen to haul up the workers. They are beaten and dragged to jail. Poverty, apathy, greed and injustice conspire to make them miserable.
Talking about the Text
1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Answer: Mukesh was different from the others of his community. By daring to dream, he has already taken the first step towards a big change. He wants to become a motor mechanic and drive a car. He can realise this dream with determination and hard work. There might be many obstacles on his way but a strong willpower will help him move towards the way to success. The fact that he is willing to walk a long distance in order to learn the vocation, underlines his firm resolve. The only thing left for him to do is to make that first journey to that garage and request the owner to take him in and guide and direct him on his journey as a mechanic.
2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Answer: The impoverished workers in the glass bangles industry toil in potentially hazardous working conditions while welding. The furnaces they work in have extremely high temperature and lack 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.
3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Answer: Child labour should be eliminated completely because it reflects the condition of the nation. Childhood which is a tender age to receive love and care should not be spent in working and that too in such life threatening conditions. It is a matter of great grief and concern that India has the maximum number of child workers. Across India all major industries employ a large number of child workers because they are considered to be swift workers.

Apart from the bangles industry in Firozabad, carpet industry in Mirzapur and fireworks factory in Sivasaki are others in the line following such shameful activity of child labour. Just to maximize ones own profit people are forgetting that they are curbing the growth of the nation because children are our future. Child labour is absolutely illegal; therefore strict action should be taken against those who are employing children in such hazardous industries. The guilty should be punished immediately. In view with the present condition, it is only exemplary punishment that can put a control over such practice.