CBSE Class 12 English Lost Spring Notes Set 05

LOST SPRING

(Stories of Stolen Childhood)

Anees Jung

Chapter Sketch

These excerpts are taken from the author's book Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood. This chapter is divided into two parts, continuing the author's first-hand experience with poverty and traditions prevailing in some parts of India. The first part describes the plight of the poor ragpickers of Seemapuri. The second part describes the miserable conditions of the bangle-makers of Firozabad.

About the Author

Anees Jung (1944 - ) studied in India and the USA. She began her career as a writer in India. She has been an editor and columnist for major newspapers in India and abroad, and has authored several books. Her most noted work, Unveiling India (1987) was a detailed chronicle of the lives of women in India. Her book 'Lost Spring: Stories of stolen childhood' (2005) focuses on children from deprived backgrounds.

About the Characters

• Saheb: He is a ragpicker from Seemapuri, Delhi. He has simple dreams. He believes in promises made to him.
• Mukesh: He is a boy belonging to a family of bangle-makers in Firozabad. He dreams of breaking away from tradition and becoming a motor mechanic.
• The Narrator (Anees Jung): She is a social worker who empathises with the slum-dwellers and honestly portrays their pitiable lives.

Summary of the Chapter

Sometimes I Find a Rupee in the Garbage

Saheb : The Ragpicker

Every morning the author meets Saheb and his friends scrounging for 'gold' in the garbage dumps of her neighbourhood. Saheb and his family hail from Bangladesh, but they have left their home a long time ago. Storms washed away their fields and homes, reducing them to a state of abject poverty, which they left behind in the hope of finding a better life. That is why they came to this city looking for 'gold'.

The author asks Saheb why he does ragpicking and does not go to school. To this, he replies that there is no school in his neighbourhood. The author jokingly promises to open a school. After a few days, Saheb asks if the author has opened the school. The author is very embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant to be fulfilled. Nevertheless, she realises that such promises are made to these children almost every day.

Saheb-e-Alam : Lord of the Universe

After some months of knowing him, the author asks Saheb his full name. The author notices the irony in Saheb's name, 'Saheb-e-Alam,' which means Lord of the Universe. She feels that Saheb would not believe what his name means. Unaware of the meaning of his name, Saheb roams with his gang, barefoot, on the streets. The author curiously asks why they don't wear slippers. One replies that his mother does not bring them down from the shelf. Another says he wants shoes.

Moving across the country, the author has seen many children walking barefoot. One of the explanations is that it is a tradition and not lack of money. Anees wonders if this is just an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of poverty.

Author Pained by the Fact that Ragpickers are Still Barefoot

The author remembers a man from Udipi who, as a young boy, would pass a temple where his father was a priest and pray for a pair of shoes. Thirty years laters the author visited his town. Behind the temple there was the house of a new priest. Anees noticed the young boy of the priest, who arrived panting. He was wearing shoes. The writer was reminded of the boy who prayed that he should never lose his shoes. The goddess had granted his prayer, as most of the young boys there now have shoes to wear. As against this, the ragpickers in the author's neighbourhood still remain barefoot.

Garbage is Gold

The author's acquaintance with the barefoot ragpickers takes her to Seemapuri. Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi, yet miles away from it metaphorically. The place is home to 10000 other shoeless ragpickers like Saheb. They are all Bangladeshi refugees who came here back in 1971. They live in very poor conditions in mud structures with roofs of tin and tarpaulin.

The place has no running water facility and no drainage. The ragpickers have lived here for the past 30 years, some even more, without identity, yet they have valid ration cards. Not having an identity does not bother them, if at the end of the day they don't sleep with empty stomachs. They prefer to live here rather than in the fields at home which give them no grain.

They, who once lived in the beautiful land of green fields and rivers, are now compelled to pitch their tents wherever they find food. Children are born in them and become partners in survival. And survival in Seemapuri means ragpicking. Over the years, ragpicking has become an art. Garbage is gold to these ragpickers. It is their only support and means of income. Saheb tells the author that sometimes he finds a rupee, even a ten-rupee note.

Anees realises that garbage holds a different meaning to both parents and children. For parents it is the source of their livelihood, providing them with food and shelter; for children, it is wrapped in wonder.

Lost Spring

One winter morning, the author sees Saheb outside the fenced gate of the neighbourhood club. He is watching a game of tennis. Saheb seems to be fascinated by the game. He tells the author that sometimes the guard lets him in and then he can ride the swing.

The author notices that Saheb is wearing tennis shoes. Saheb tells her that someone gave them to him. The fact that some rich boy discarded the shoes because there was a hole in one of them does not bother him. For Saheb, who has walked his whole life barefoot, it is like a dream come true.

Saheb No Longer his Own Master

One morning the author sees Saheb on his way to the milk booth. He is carrying a steel canister. He informs the author that now he works at the tea stall and is paid Rs. 800 and all his meals.

But the author feels that Saheb is not happy. His face has lost its carefree look. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag. The bag was his, but the canister belongs to the owner of the tea stall. Saheb is no longer his own master.

I Want to Drive a Car

Mukesh Wants to be his Own Master

Here begins the second story. In Firozabad, the author meets Mukesh, who insists on being his own master. He wishes to be a motor mechanic. Anees asks him if he knows anything about cars. Mukesh replies that he wants to learn to drive a car.

The author feels that his dream is like a mirage amidst the dusty streets of Firozabad. Every second family in Firozabad is engaged in the business of bangle-making. Firozabad is the centre of India's glass-blowing industry, where generations after generations have been involved in this business.

Another Encounter with Poverty

The people of Firozabad involve their children in the bangle-making industry without knowing that it is illegal for children to work in the glass furnaces with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light. If the law is enforced, almost 20000 children would be out of the hot furnaces, where they work day and night, often losing the brightness of their eyes.

Mukesh proudly announces that his house is being rebuilt, and volunteers to take the author home. They walk down stinking lanes choked with garbage, past houses that are small and dirty constructions with wobbly doors and with no windows, where families of humans and animals co-exist in a primitive state.

They enter a half-built shack, one part of which is thatched with dead grass, where a frail young woman is cooking the evening meal for the whole family. She is the wife of Mukesh's elder brother. Though not much older in years, she has the respect of a bahu. She veils her face when Mukesh's father enters.

The God-given Lineage

Mukesh's father has toiled hard all his life, first as a tailor and then as a bangle-maker. Still the poor fellow has been unable to renovate his house or send his two sons to school.

All he could manage to do was to teach them what he knows about the art of bangle-making. Mukesh's grandmother has seen her husband go blind with the dust from polishing the glass bangles. She believes in destiny. "Can a God-given lineage ever be broken?" she implies. Born in the caste of bangle-makers, they have seen nothing but bangles—bangles of various colours.

Lost Spring

In dark hutments, next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps, sit boys and girls with their fathers and mothers, welding pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. They often end up losing their eyesight before they become adults. The author notices a young girl, Savita, in a drab pink dress, sitting beside an elderly woman, helping in making bangles. Her hands move like a machine.

Anees wonders if she understands the sanctity of the bangles for Indian women. The sad irony will suddenly dawn upon her. She will become a bride like the old woman sitting beside her. In a voice drained of joy, the old lady tells the author that she has not enjoyed even one full meal in her entire lifetime.

Daring, Not a Part of Growing Up

One wonders if Mukesh's father has achieved what many have failed to achieve in their lifetime. He has a roof over his head. The cry of not having money can be heard in every household of Firozabad. Nothing has changed over the years. Years of hardship have killed all hopes and dreams.

The author asks a group of young men to organise themselves in a cooperative. She learns the horrific truth that even if they get organised, they are taken to jail for doing something illegal and are beaten up. There is no leader among them.

The author finds two distinct worlds in Firozabad. One is the exploited family caught in a vortex of poverty and the stigma of the caste in which they were born. The other is a vicious circle of those who exploit them, the sahukars, the middlemen, the politicians, the lawmakers, the policemen and the bureaucrats. These have created such a burden that a child accepts this as naturally as its father did. To do something else would mean to dare. And daring is not a part of growing up.

A Ray of Hope

The author is filled with joy when she finds that Mukesh thinks differently. The boy is filled with hope. His dream of being a motor-mechanic is still alive in his eyes.

He is willing to dare. Anees asks Mukesh if he also dreams of flying a plane. Mukesh replies in the negative. He is content to dream of cars, as few planes fly over Firozabad.

WORD MEANINGS

The given page numbers correspond to the pages in the NCERT textbook.

Page 13
scrounging — seeking or looking for
dumps — heaps
looking for — dreaming of
glibly — fluently, but thoughtlessly
hollow — insincere, superficial

Page 14
shuffles — walks by dragging one's feet along

Page 15
perpetual state of poverty — being always poor
drowned — overcome or overpowered by
desolation — a state of complete emptiness or destruction
ragpicker(s) — a person who collects and sells rags and other discarded things from garbage
squatter(s) — a person who unlawfully occupies an unused/ uninhabited land or building
wilderness — an uninhabited or abandoned region
tarpaulin — a heavy, hard-wearing waterproof cloth coated with paint
permit(s) — an official document authorising someone to do something
transit homes — temporary homes
proportions — shape or dimension

Page 16
canister — a round or cylindrical container for storing things

Page 17
looms — appears
mirage — appearing possible, but not actually so
furnace(s) — an enclosed fireplace for heating metals or materials to a very high temperature
dingy — dark and gloomy
cells — very small rooms
slog their daylight hours — work hard throughout the day
brightness of their eyes — eyesight
beam — shine brightly
hovels — a small, dirty and simply constructed building
wobbly — moving unsteadily from side to side
primeval — ancient, primitive
bangs — kicks
platters — a large flat dish or plate for serving food

Page 18
command respect — to deserve and receive respect
impoverished — made poor
lineage — ancestry
unkempt — untidy
shanty town — a town full of, crudely-built huts without sanitation
dark hutments — dimly lit huts
welding — joining together by heating the surface to the point of melting
soldering — joining
tongs — movable arms of an instrument, used for holding and picking up things

Page 19
reaped — received
roof over his head — a house to live in
lament — complaint, passionate expression of grief
mind-numbing — so extreme or intense as to prevent normal thought

Page 20
stigma — a mark of disgrace; shame
sahukars — moneylenders
imposed the baggage on the child — forced the child into the traditional occupation of bangle-making
hurtling — moving at high speed

NCERT FOLDER

Think as you Read

Question. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from? or What does Saheb look for in the garbage dumps?
Answer: 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.

Question. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear? or What does the reference to chappals in 'Lost Spring' tell us about the economic condition of the ragpickers?
Answer: The author offers various explanations given to her by the children like, simply not caring to take the trouble of taking their slippers down from the shelf to wear them, not wearing footwear is a tradition, and so on. However, she feels that it is simply an excuse to hide a perpetual state of poverty, as many families cannot afford to buy footwear for their children. The reference to chappals is symbolic of any kind of footwear, which the ragpickers cannot afford.

Question. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain. or How was Saheb's life at the tea stall? or What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy?
Answer: Saheb took up the job of performing odd jobs at a tea stall, but was unhappy because he was tied down by the work he had to do, thus losing his independence, which he had earlier as a ragpicker.

Think as you Read 

Question. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Answer: Bangle-making makes the city of Firozabad famous. Beautiful bangles can be seen all over. Every second family is engaged in the business of bangle-making. It is the centre of India's glass-blowing industry where families have spent generations working around furnaces.

Question. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Answer: The main hazard of working in the glass bangles industry is to lose your sight over a period of time. Bangles are manufactured in glass furnaces with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light. Consequently, the children, who slog their daylight hours in a cloistered room close to these hot furnaces, often lose the brightness of their eyes. Other hazards are developing lung and brain related diseases.

Question. How is Mukesh's attitude to his situation different from that of his family? or "It is his karam, his destiny." What is Mukesh's family's attitude towards their situation? or How is Mukesh different from the other bangle-makers of Firozabad?
Answer: Mukesh's attitude to his situation is different from that of his family because he is determined to become a car mechanic. His father, a bangle-maker, could not do anything for his family except teach them the art of making bangles. His grandmother accepted her husband's going blind from polishing bangles as 'his karam, his destiny'. She believes that they cannot break their 'god-given lineage'. However, Mukesh does not want to pursue this trade.

Understanding the Text

Question. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
Answer: The main reason for the migration of people from villages to cities is the search of a better livelihood. Poverty and poor facilities in the villages are a major 'push' factor. Life in the cities has a charm of its own and attracts the villagers. Another reason is that people come to the cities looking for work, leaving behind agricultural fields which are unproductive.

Question. 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: I fully agree that promises made to the poor children are rarely kept. Promises are made both at the national and international levels to provide healthy lives, quality education; protection against abuse, exploitation and violence; and combating HIV/AIDS. Yet, it is estimated that 246 million children are still engaged in child labour, most of them working in hazardous conditions. In the text, the author asks Saheb half-jokingly, if he will enrol in a school that she starts. Actually, the author was not at all serious about starting the school, but Saheb thought that she had promised to start one. She did not keep her promise because it was not seriously made.

Question. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty? or Why does the author say that the bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web?
Answer: The workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad are kept in poverty by being exploited at the hands of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the law-makers, the bureaucrats and the politicians. Thus they remain steeped in poverty. They cannot form cooperatives for their betterment. Moreover, their children are also compelled to join the same trade at an early age, thus remaining in the vicious web.

Talking about the Text 

Question. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Answer: Mukesh belongs to a family of bangle-makers, but his attitude to his situation is different from that of other family members. He dreams of becoming a motor-mechanic and learning to drive a car. His determination for becoming a motor-mechanic and learning to drive a car seems to be very strong. That is why he says that he will walk to the garage. There he will have to meet the owner of the garage and request him for any petty work pertaining to the garage. Through his sincere efforts and hard work and the guidance of his owner, he can attain the skills of a mechanic and then gradually that of car driving. In this way, he can surely realise his dream.

Question. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Answer: Refer to the answer of Q 2 in 'Think as you read' (page 20) above.

Question. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Answer: Child labour should be eliminated to bring back the 'spring' in the lives of poor children like Saheb and Mukesh. We can do this by inculcating the values to
(i) have a strong will to ensure that all children get basic education. This may be done by helping them join the 'open school' system if they are not able to attend a regular school.
(ii) have a sense of commitment of wanting to help these children; an example can be to find better employment for the adults in their families.
(iii) say 'NO' to child labour in any work related to us during the children's school hours.
(iv) feel the need to do something for such children, exemplifying the saying, 'where there is a will, there is a way'.
(v) create awareness in society about the plight of the underprivileged so that people in power can help them.

Thinking about Language 

Question. Carefully read the following phrases and sentences taken from the text. Can you identify the literary device in each example?
(i) Saheb-e-Alam, which means the Lord of the Universe, is directly in contrast to what Saheb is in reality.
(ii) Drowned in an air of desolation.
(iii) Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi, yet miles away from it, metaphorically.
(iv) For the children it is wrapped in wonder; for the elders it is a means of survival.
(v) As her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine, I wonder if she knows the sanctity of the bangles she helps make.
(vi) She still has bangles on her wrist, but not light in her eyes.
(vii) Few airplanes fly over Firozabad.
(viii) Web of poverty.
(ix) Scrounging for gold.
(x) And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Through the years, it has acquired the proportions of a fine art.
(xi) The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulders.
Answer:
(i) Hyperbole
(ii) Metaphor
(iii) Contrast
(iv) Contrast
(v) Simile
(vi) Contrast
(vii) Contrast (when compared to the perception of people in other cities)
(viii) Metaphor
(ix) Hyperbole
(x) Hyperbole
(xi) Contrast