Q.1.What is Saheb
looking for in the garbage dump ? Where is he and where has he come from ?
Saheb is looking for a rupee or a coin in the garbage dump
.He is in the neighbourhood of the narrator. He has come from Dhaka, Bangladesh
in 1971 with his family when the storms swept away their fields and home. He
now lives in Seemapuri , a place on the periphery of Delhi.
Q.2.What explanation
does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
The narrator asks
Saheb why he does not wear chappals .Some say that it is a tradition to stay
barefoot in villages and slums. But the
author does not agree with them. In her view it is not a tradition but merely
an excuse to “explain away a perpetual state of poverty”
Q.3. Is Saheb happy
working at the tea-stall?
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. His face has lost the
carefree look. 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.
Q.4. Why did the author realize that her advice was
‘hollow?’
On meeting Saheb the author advised him to go to school. But when she gave an afterthought the author realized that the thought of going to school had never occurred to children like Saheb. For them rag picking is more meaningful than schooling and learning.
On meeting Saheb the author advised him to go to school. But when she gave an afterthought the author realized that the thought of going to school had never occurred to children like Saheb. For them rag picking is more meaningful than schooling and learning.
Q.5. Why was the author embarrassed when Saheb asked her
if her school was ready?
Seeing Saheb ruining his childhood picking waste, the author once asked him if he would join her school if she started one. Saheb gave her a positive answer. Another day when the two met, Saheb asked her if her school was ready. The author suddenly felt speechless as she had not meant to start a school as Saheb had expected.
Seeing Saheb ruining his childhood picking waste, the author once asked him if he would join her school if she started one. Saheb gave her a positive answer. Another day when the two met, Saheb asked her if her school was ready. The author suddenly felt speechless as she had not meant to start a school as Saheb had expected.
Q.6.What is the
meaning of Saheb’s full name ? Isn’t it ironical ?
Saheb’s full name is “Saheb-e-Alam”.He does not know the
meaning of his name. It means the lord of universe. It is quite ironical that
“Saheb-e-Alam roams the streets barefoot
with other rag-pickers. He scrounges for
gold in the garbage dump. This army of barefoot boys appears in the morning and
disappears at the noon.
Q.7 “Seemapuri is a
place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it” Explain.
Seemapuri is the settlement of over 10000 ragpickers who
migrated here Bangladesh in 1971. Geographically, it is on the periphery of
Delhi, yet it is miles away from it, metaphorically. Its traditions, standard
of life and people are far behind the time. There is no sewage or drainage
system. It is like a “little hell” near the capital of India..
Q.8. What makes the
city of Firzabad famous?
The city of Firozabad is famous all over India for beautiful
glass bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. It
is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. Bangles of all sizes and colour are made
here. Every colour out of the seven colour of rainbow is available here.
Q.9. Mention the
hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?
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.
Q.10.How is Mukesh’s
attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
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. The author is quite hopeful of his
success.
Q.11. How is Mukesh’s attitude different from that
of Saheb, both two sides of the same coin?
Mukesh and Saheb belong to slums and are forced to work as children. Saheb is cool and lack much determination in life. He is less expressive. Changes happened to him unexpectedly. Mukesh is determined and well planned. He is practical too. Unlike the rest of his people, Mukesh is ready to rebel with the social set up and is optimistic about his bright future.
Mukesh and Saheb belong to slums and are forced to work as children. Saheb is cool and lack much determination in life. He is less expressive. Changes happened to him unexpectedly. Mukesh is determined and well planned. He is practical too. Unlike the rest of his people, Mukesh is ready to rebel with the social set up and is optimistic about his bright future.
Q.12.What are two
distinct worlds in author’s view ? Explain.
The author sees two distinct worlds in Firozabad. The first
one is of the families of the bangle makers caught in the web of poverty. The
other is a vicious circle of the “sahukars”, the middlemen , the policemen, bureaucrats and the politicians.
They all are responsible for the pitiable condition of bangle-makers. They
never let them organize into a cooperative.
Q.13. Justify the
title “Lost Spring” or What message does Anees Jung want to give in “lost
Spring”?
The title is apt and logical .Anees Jung
describes two stories of stolen childhood in “Lost Spring”-Saheb and Mukesh.
Childhood is the spring of life. But unfortunate like Saheb and Mukesh waste
their spring either in rag-picking or in glass industry. Grinding poverty and
traditions compel them to work in inhuman condition. The author is strictly
against child labour and wants a life full of spring for them
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