CBSE Class 12 English HOTs The Lost Spring Set 05

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS 

Question. Describe the irony in Saheb's name.
Answer: Saheb is a poor ragpicker who lives in Seemapuri. His full name is 'Saheb-e-Alam', which means 'Lord of the Universe'. The irony lies in the meaning of his name itself. According to his name, he should be a king and enjoy all the luxuries of life. But unfortunately, he is a barefoot ragpicker, who lacks even the basic necessities.

Question. Why had the ragpickers come to live in Seemapuri? or To which country did Saheb's parents originally belong? Why did they come to India? or Why did Saheb's parents leave Dhaka and migrate to India?
Answer: Once Saheb's parents lived in Bangladesh, amidst the green fields of Dhaka. There were many storms that swept away their fields and homes. That's why they migrated to Delhi and settled down in Seemapuri looking for an occupation.

Question. What did garbage mean to the children of Seemapuri and to their parents? or In what sense is garbage gold to the ragpickers? or 'Garbage to them is gold.' Why does the author say so about the ragpickers?
Answer: Garbage means 'gold' to the poor ragpickers because some of it can be sold for cash, thus becoming a means of survival for the children of Seemapuri and for their parents. It is providing them their daily bread and a roof over their heads.

Question. What kind of gold did the people of Seemapuri look for in the garbage?
Answer: The people of Seemapuri look for items in the garbage which can be traded for money, meaning 'gold', as it helps them earn their daily bread and have a roof over their heads. For a child, garbage may mean something wrapped in wonder, whereas for the elders it is a means of survival.

Question. Describe Mukesh as an ambitious person.
Answer: Mukesh is an ambitious person because he wants to become a motor-mechanic by breaking free from the vicious web of generations of families being involved in bangle-making. He has the courage to dream of becoming a motor mechanic, thus breaking free from destiny.

Question. What is Mukesh's dream? Do you think he will be able to fulfil his dream? Why? Why not? or Who is Mukesh? What is his dream? or Is it possible for Mukesh to realise his dream? Justify your answer. or What was Mukesh's dream? In your opinion, did he achieve his dream? or Why is Mukesh's dream of learning to drive a car a mirage?
Answer: Mukesh belongs to the bangle-makers of Firozabad where each family is engaged in bangle-making. On asking, Mukesh says, "I will be a motor-mechanic. I will learn to drive a car." Thus, he wants to be his own master. However, because he is caught up in the vicious cycle created by others, he will not be able to realise his dream and will remain a bangle-maker.

Question. 'It is his karam, his destiny'. Explain.
Answer: Mukesh's grandmother believes in destiny. She believes that they cannot escape from the God-given lineage. It is their destiny to suffer like this. They were born in the caste of bangle-makers and will always be one, for they do not have any control over their destiny.

Question. Why could the bangle-makers not organise themselves into a cooperative?
Answer: The bangle-makers could not organise themselves into a cooperative because they were trapped in the vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats and politicians, who exploited them. If they tried to organise themselves, they would be beaten by the police and put in jail.

Question. In spite of despair and disease pervading the lives of the slum children, they are not devoid of hope. How far do you agree?
Answer: In spite of growing up amidst despair and disease, children who live in slums have the desire to achieve something big in life. This shows that they are not devoid of hope. Saheb, a ragpicker, is eager to go to a school and learn. Mukesh, who works in dark, dingy cells making bangles, dreams of becoming a motor- mechanic against his family tradition.

Question. Whom does Anees Jung blame for the sorry plight of the bangle-makers?
Answer: Anees Jung blames the vicious circle of the sahukars (moneylenders), middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats and politicians for the sorry plight of the bangle-makers. They don't allow the bangle makers to organise themselves into a cooperative.

Question. What does the title 'Lost Spring' convey?
Answer: Spring is associated with childhood. Just as spring is the season when flowers bloom similarly, childhood is the period when an individual blooms and grows. Anees Jung here presents the horrific truth about the life of children in India who are victims of child labour and are not allowed to grow and bloom freely. Their childhood or springtime is lost.

Question. Which industry was a boon and also bane for the people Of Firozabad? HOW?
Answer: The bangle-making industry was a boon and also bane for the people of Firozabad. It was a boon because it gave them a livelihood so that they could survive. However it was a bane because they were forced to work in their industry for generations, as their children had to also work in bangle-making to make ends meet, as the earnings were meagre. Additionally, their eyes and general health were ruined due to continuously working close to the furnaces used for making bangles.

Question. How are Saheb and Mukesh different from each other?
Answer: Saheb and Mukesh are different from each other because, while Saheb is content with just managing to survive, Mukesh dares to dream of working in a better profession as a motor mechanic. Saheb is satisfied even when working in the tea stall, as it is still better than rag picking, Mukesh wants to change his hereditary profession. Thus, Mukesh is ambitious while Saheb is not.

Question. "Listening to them, I see two distinct worlds..." In the context of Mukesh, the bangle maker's son, which two worlds is Anees Jung referring to?
Answer: The two worlds that the author refers to are those represented by Mukesh's parents and Mukesh respectively. Mukesh has the courage to dream big in spite of all adversity, whereas the other banglemakers of Firozabad have resigned to their fate, and have suppressed all their hopes and desires. Mukesh refuses to follow the 'God-given lineage' of bangle-making and wants to be a motor mechanic when he grows up.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS 

Question. "Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi, yet miles away from it, metaphorically." Explain.
Answer: Seemapuri is a place on the outskirts of Delhi where 10000 ragpickers and their families live. The people living there are squatters who migrated from Bangladesh in 1971. The ragpickers live in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water. No one can imagine that such a place exists on the periphery of Delhi, the capital of India. It stands in stark contrast to the metropolitan city of Delhi. The main city of Delhi, and Seemapuri at its periphery, provide an exemplary case of contradiction. In Delhi there is luxury and affluence, there are a host of opportunities and dreams, and in Seemapuri there is squalor, hopelessness and despair. There is no chance for the inhabitants of this area to strive towards the attainment of the prospects offered by Delhi. Thus, although Seemapuri is located at the periphery of Delhi, in the real sense, Delhi is many miles away from it.

Question. Give a brief account of life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri.
Answer: Seemapuri is a slum area located on the periphery of Delhi. Most of the residents of Seemapuri consist of people who are refugees from Bangladesh. Saheb's family is among them. The area consists of mud structures, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. They do not have facilities of sewage, drainage or running water. About 10000 ragpickers live here. Their only means of livelihood is finding saleable items from rubbish. Thus, for them, the rubbish is as valuable as gold, for their survival depends on what they find in the rubbish. These ragpickers have lived here for more than thirty years without any identity. They do not have permits but have ration cards, thanks to the selfish whims and wishes of the politicians. With these, they can gel their name on the voter's lists and also buy grains for themselves at a subsidised rate.

Question. 'Saheb is no longer his own master.' Comment.
Answer: Grinding poverty and the necessity for a life of subsistence have involved Saheb in ragpicking. Rummaging through garbage does not provide him with a regular income but gives him freedom. He has all the liberty in the world to roam with his friends in the streets without any worries to bother him. Also, he can hunt for 'gold' in the garbage dumps. It provides him a hope and a thrill every day in the form of a rupee or a ten-rupee note. So, he looks forward to ragpicking. The job he takes up at a tea stall is one of his attempts to become his own master. Ironically, this further enslaves him. He is now not free to roam aimlessly in the streets. His new occupation binds him to serve somebody else.

Question. Describe the difficulties the bangle-makers of Firozabad have to face in their lives. or Describe the circumstances which keep the workers in the bangle industry in poverty.
Answer: The bangle-makers of Firozabad are exposed to multiple health hazards while working. Many of them are children who work near hot furnaces during daylight, often losing their eyesight before adulthood. Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to even think of taking up another profession. They are not able to organise themselves into a cooperative due to bullying and exploitation by the politicians, authorities, moneylenders and middlemen. 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, they have not even enjoyed even one full meal in their entire lifetime because of their poverty.

Question. "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?
Answer: Mukesh disproved this belief that bangle-making was his destiny by choosing a new vocation and making his own destiny. He decided to become a motor-mechanic and learn to drive a car. As he had seen his parents and others suffer because of the vicious circle of poverty and exploitation by the sahukars, middlemen, politicians and the police, he did not want to remain in the bangle-making profession. He had the courage to break free from the family lineage of bangle-making and was ready to walk a long distance to reach a motor garage to learn the vocation of car mechanic. He had even thought that he would request the garage owner to hire him initially as a helper and learn the trade. Finally, he also wanted to learn to drive a car. Thus, Mukesh was ready to make his destiny by choosing a new vocation and break the age old belief.

Question. The bangle-makers of Firozabad make beautiful bangles and make everyone happy but they live and die in squalor. Elaborate.
Answer: Firozabad is the centre of India's glass-blowing industry. Families have spent generations in this business, making beautiful bangles of all hues and colours. But their own life is steeped in filth and misery. People work round the clock in glass furnaces at high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light. These workers are exposed to health hazards. They often end up losing their eyesight. Moreover, they are stuck in a vicious circle of exploitation. Even if they try to form a cooperative, they are beaten up and jailed for doing something illegal. They live in filthy homes in lanes choked with garbage. In such conditions, families of humans and animals exist together in a primeval state. Thus, the bangle-makers of Firozabad make beautiful bangles but live and die in squalor.

Question. How is Mukesh's attitude towards his situation different from that of Saheb? Why?
Answer: Mukesh belongs to a bangle-making family, but he is not content with this profession. He dares to dream of becoming a motor-mechanic and driving cars. He has strong will power and wants to achieve what he dreams about, unlike other people in his family. In contrast to this, Saheb is a ragpicker who is content with his life, but becomes unhappy when he gets a job at a tea stall, even though now he is probably earning more and on a regular basis. Saheb is unhappy because he has lost his independence, which he had as a ragpicker. However, Saheb accepts his new situation, whereas Mukesh dares to want to break free from tradition. This is because Mukesh is more courageous and determined than Saheb will ever be.

Question. '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?
Answer: Yes, I do agree that 'Lost Spring' narrates the grinding poverty and traditions to which thousands of people have succumbed. The story written by Anees Jung revolves around the pitiable condition of poor children who have been forced to live in slums and work hard in conditions which endanger their health. The first part gives the writer's impression about the life of poor ragpickers who have migrated from Bangladesh but now are settled in the Seemapuri area of Delhi. The second part narrates the miserable life of the bangle-makers in Firozabad. The stark reality of these families is that, in spite of back-breaking hard work that they put in, they cannot even afford two square meals a day. Besides, false and blind belief in traditions does not let their children take up other respectable and better paying jobs which will improve their financial situation.

Question. "For the children it is wrapped in wonder, for the elders it is a means of survival." What kind of life do the ragpickers of Seemapuri lead? or Garbage to them is gold. How do ragpickers of Seemapuri survive?
Answer: 'Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood' describes the plight of the poor ragpickers of Seemapuri, a place on the outskirts of Delhi. Ragpicking is the only source of livelihood for these families of ragpickers who have fled from Bangladesh in the hope of finding a better life. Due to successive storms and floods in Bangladesh, they lost all their crops there and so they migrated. For small children like Saheb and his friends, all of whom were born and brought up in Seemapuri, ragpicking is also wrapped in wonder because sometimes they find unexpected 'treasures' or' gold', i.e. items which can be sold for cash. It is a wonderful feeling for these small children who live in abject poverty. For the elders in the ragpickers' family, this is the only means of survival. Though they have lived here for thirty years, they have no identity or facilities in their area and they live in a state of despair.

Question. Most of us do not raise our voice against injustice in our society and tend to remain mute spectators. Anees Jung in her story, 'Lost Spring' vividly highlights the miserable life of street children and bangle-makers of Firozabad. She wants us to act. Which qualities does she want the children to develop?
Answer: Anees Jung wants the children to become free from the vicious cycle of poverty into which they have fallen due to the middlemen, sahukars and law enforcement officials. She wants them to be bold enough to raise their voice against their oppressors. She wants them to be fearless and optimistic so that they can dream of taking up other occupations, just like Mukesh, who wants to be a motor-mechanic. She wants them to become free from their traditional occupation so that they can realise their life's ambitions. She sees the spark of such a quality in Mukesh, who is willing to go to any lengths to become a motor-mechanic. She wants some people to help them develop these qualities so that they can be free from injustice and exploitation, take up other respectable and better paying jobs which will improve their financial condition.