LOST SPRING
THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and
where has he come from?
Ans. Saheb is looking for gold in the garbage dumps. He is in the
neighbourhood of the author. 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 the country.
Q2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing
footwear?
Ans. One explanation offered by the author is that it is a tradition to stay
barefoot. It is not lack of money. He wonders if this is only an excuse to explain
away a perpetual state of poverty. He also remembers the story of a poor body
who prayed to the goddess for a pair of shoes.
Q3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.
Ans. No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall. He is no longer his own
master. His face has lost the carefree look. The steel canister seems heavier
than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulder. The bag was
his. The canister belongs to the man who owns the tea-shop.
THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Ans. The city of Firozabad is famous for its bangles. Every other family in
Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing
industry. Families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding
glass, making bangles for the women in the land.
Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?
Ans. Boys and girls with their fathers and mothers sit in dark hutments, next to
lines of flames of flickering oil lamps. They weld 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 eyesight before they become adults. Even the
dust from polishing the glass of bangles is injurious to eyes. Many workers have
become blind. The furnaces have very high temperature and therefore very
dangerous.
Q3. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his
family?
Ans. Mukesh’s grandmother thinks that the god-given lineage can never be
broken. Her son and grandsons are bom in the caste of bangle makers. They
have seen nothing but bangles.
Mukesh’s father has taught them what he knows—the art of making bangles.
But Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic. He will go to a garage and learn,
though the garage is far away from his home.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Q1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from
villages to cities?
Ans. People migrate from villages to cities in search of livelihood. Their fields
fail to provide them means of survival. Cities provide employment, jobs or other
means of getting food. The problem in case of the poor is to feed the hungry
members. Survival is of primary concern.
Q2. Would you agree that promises made to the poor children are rarely
kept? Why do you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?
Ans. The promises made to the poor are rarely kept. The author asks Saheb half-
joking, whether he will come to her school if she starts one. Saheb agrees to do
so. A few days later he asks if the school is ready. The writer feels embarrassed
at having made a promise that was not meant. Promises like hers abound in
every comer of their bleak world.
Q3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of
Firozabad in poverty?
Ans. Certain forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of
Firozabad in poverty. These include the moneylenders, the middlemen, the
policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians. Together
they impose a heavy burden on the child.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Q1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Ans. Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad. Most of the young
men of Firozabad have no initiative or ability to dream, but Mukesh is an
exception. He has the capacity to take courage and break from the traditional
family occupation. He has strong will power also. He does not want to be a
pawn in the hands of the middlemen or moneylenders. He insists on being his
own master by becoming a motor mechanic.
He can realise his dream by joining a garage and learn the job of repairing cars
and driving them. He will have to overcome many hurdles before he succeeds.
Then comes transport problem. Money is the first one. He will have to earn
some money himself. The garage is a long way from his home. He will have to
cover it twice everyday anyhow—by walking on foot.
Patience, hardwork, firm will and the determination to learn will help him
realise his dream.
Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Ans. The glass bangles industry has many health hazards. It usually employs
small children. It is illegal to employ very young children in hazardous
industries, but certain forces like ! middlemen, moneylenders, police and
politicians combine to entrap the poor workers.
Let us first consider the places where bangle makers work. It is a cottage
industry. They work in the glass furnaces with high temperatures. The dingy
cells are without air and light. Boys and girls work hard during day next to
lines of flames of flickering oil lamps.
They weld pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are more
adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. That is why, they often end up
losing their eyesight before they become adults.
Glass blowing, welding and soldering pieces of glass are all health hazards.
Even the dust from polishing the glass of bangles adversely affects the eyes and
even adults go blind. Thus, the surroundings, prevailing conditions and the
type of job involved-all prove risky to the health of the workers.
Q3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Ans. Child labour should be eliminated because the children employed at tender
age as i domestic servants, dish-washers at road-side dhabas and in hazardous
industries making glass bangles, biris, crackers etc. lose the charm of the spring
of their life. Their childhood is stolen. Burdened by the responsibility of work,
they become adults too soon. Most of them are undernourished, ill-fed,
uneducated, and poor. They have a stunted growth.
Child labour can be eliminated only through concerted efforts on the part of
government agencies, NGOs (Non-Government Organisations), co-operative
societies and political leaders. Mere passing of law will not help. Laws should be
enacted faithfully. The children thrown out of work should be rehabilitated and
given proper food, clothes, education and pocket money. Their feelings, thoughts
and emotions should be respected. Let them enjoy sunshine and fresh air.
