Lost Spring

By- Anees Jung

The Author - Anees Jung was born in Rourkela in 1964. She is a journalist and columnist for major
newspapers in India and abroad. Her most noted work, ‘Unveiling India’ (1987) is a detailed chronicle of
the lives of women in India.
Theme
Spring is the season of bloom. Spring is a metaphor of childhood and is associated with every child at the
beginning of a bright future. Childhood is associated with innocence, physical stamina and vitality. It is
also the stage for gaining skill and knowledge, learning and going to school.
‘Lost Spring’ by Anees Jung is a description of those poor children who are condemned to poverty and a
life of exploitation. The two protagonists of the chapter, Saheb-e-Alam and Mukesh, lose their childhood
while carrying the burden of poverty and illiteracy. In their bleak stories of exploitation, the author finds
glimpses of resilience and hope. In this story, the author unveils the utter destitution of the ragpickers of
Seemapuri and the bangle makers of Firozabad. This story describes the grinding poverty and traditions
that compel the children to live a life of exploitation.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
The people migrate from villages to cities because of natural disasters and resulting poverty. A rag picker
recollects many storms that have swept away his fields and home in Dhaka. That is why they left, looking
for gold in the big city where he now lives.
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?
I agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept. It is easy to tell poor children that they
should be in school, but are we ever in a position to start a school? As individuals, it is difficult to provide
facilities and assistance that can remove poverty.
3. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
Saheb lives on the garbage dumps in Seemapuri on the outskirts of Delhi. His family came from
Bangladesh. Survival in Seemapuri means rag picking. Garbage to them is gold. Saheb looks for coins in
the heaps of garbage. He even finds a ten rupee note sometimes. When they can find a silver coin in a
heap of garbage they don’t stop scrounging, for there is hope of finding more.
4. Describe Seemapuri.
Seemapuri is in the periphery of Delhi, yet miles away from it metaphorically. Squatters who came from
Bangladesh in 1971 live here. Their shanties are devoid of sewage, drainage and running water. The main
occupation of the people living there is rag picking.
5. What is the meaning of Saheb’s full name? What does he do the whole day?
His full name is ‘Saheb-e-Alam’. It means the lord of the universe. He does not know it. If he knew it, he
would not believe it. He roams the sheets barefoot with other children carrying plastic bags and
scrounging for garbage.
6. Describe the importance of garbage in the life of residents of Seemapuri.
Garbage has acquired the proportions of a fine art. For the elders, garbage is a means of survival and for
the small children who scrounge heaps of garbage, it is wrapped in wonder. Sometimes they find a rupee
or even a ten rupee note. This gives them hope of finding more.
7. Where does the author find Saheb one winter morning? What does a dream come true for
him?
The author finds Saheb standing by the fenced gat of a neighbourhood club. He is watching two young
men, dressed in white playing tennis. He is wearing discarded tennis shoes. One of them has a hole.
Having walked barefoot, even shoes with a hole is a dream come true.
8. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Travelling across the country the author has observed children walking barefoot in cities and on village
roads. It does not lack money but a tradition to stay barefoot is one explanation. The author wonders if
this is only an excuse to explain away a constant state of poverty.
9. Is Saheb happy working at the Tea Stall? Explain.
Saheb has got a job at a small tea stall. He is paid 800 and all his meals. There seems to be some
improvement in his condition but his face has lost the carefree look. The steel canister that he carries
belongs to the owner of the shop. It seems heavier than the plastic bag he used to carry as a rag picker.
‘Saheb is no longer his own master’.
10. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Firozabad is famous for bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. It is the
centre of India’s glass blowing industry where families have spent generations working around furnaces,
welding glass, making bangles for women all over India.
11. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
The glass bangle industry of Firozabad employs children and they work in very unhealthy and hazardous
conditions. They are made to work in the glass furnaces with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air
and light. Almost twenty thousand children work in the hot furnaces, often losing the brightness of their
eyes. A number of workers become blind with the dust from polishing the glass of bangles. Many children
lose their eyesight before they become adults.
12. How is Mukesh’s attitude toward his situation different from that of his family?
Mukesh insists on being his own master. He has seen enough of the poverty, the dangers and the sub-
human living conditions of the glass bangle industry. He wants to be a motor mechanic. His
resourcefulness and determination to break free are admirable, even though ‘his dream looks like a
mirage’, amidst the dust of streets. He stands out with a positive attitude which is so different from that of
his family. The people of Ferozabad are struggling to survive the burden of the lineage. Mukesh, on the
other hand, wants to rebuild his destiny and not be a glass bangle maker.
13. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
The workers in the bangle industry have remained in poverty and years of mind-numbing labour has
destroyed their initiative and ability to dream. They cannot organize themselves into a cooperative as they
have fallen into a vicious circle of middlemen who trapped their fathers and forefathers. The police beat
them up if they get organized, there is no leader who can take up their cause. The author identifies the
forces that conspire against them. They are the stigma of caste, a destructive cycle of the Sahukars, the
middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of the law, the bureaucrats and the politicians.
14. How does the author focus on the ‘perpetual state of poverty’ of the children not wearing
footwear?
Most of the young ragpickers do not wear footwear. The author noticed this. Some of them were even
without chappals. The children wanted to wear shoes though some of then say that it is tradition to stay
barefoot. The author attributes it to the scarcity of money. It is poverty that does not allow them to
possess footwear.
15. Explain ‘For children, garbage has a meaning different from what it means to their parents’.
The small ragpickers scrounge heaps of garbage for some coin, note or valuable things. Sometimes they
do find a rupee or even a ten rupee note. Then they hope to find more. They search excitedly. For
children, garbage is wrapped in wonder. For the grown-ups, it is a means of survival. Hence, garbage has
two different meanings.
16. Who is Mukesh? What is his dream? Why does it look like a ‘mirage amidst the dust’?
Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle maker of Firozabad, where every other family is engaged in making
bangles. His poor father has been unable to renovate the house or educate his sons. Mukesh wants to be
his own master and dreams of becoming a motor mechanic. He wants to drive a car. But the conditions
under which he exists, make this dreamlike an illusion, a mirage.
17. What contrast do you notice between the colours of the bangles and the atmosphere of the
place where these bangles are made?
The bangles made in Firozabad are of every hue (colour) born out of the rainbow. They are sunny, gold,
paddy green, royal blue, pink and purple. Boys and girls work in dark dingy huts next to the flames of oil
lamps around the high heat of the furnaces, blowing glass, welding and soldering it to make bangles. The
colours of the bangles ironically have no meaning for the bangle makers.
18. The bangle makers are ignorant of something. What is it? What would happen if laws were
enforced strictly?
The bangle-makers are unaware of the fact that child labour is illegal and has been banned by law. The
industry is hazardous to their health. Many children become blind before reaching adulthood. If the law
were enforced strictly, 20000 children would be released from working hard throughout the day at hot
furnaces with high temperatures.
19. `Savita is a symbol of innocence and efficiency’. Comment.
Savita is a young girl. She has put on a drab pink dress. She is soldering pieces of glass. Her hands move
mechanically and efficiently like the tongs of a machine. She is innocent and does not understand the
sanctity of the bangles that she is working so hard to create.
20. Why can’t the bangle makers not organise themselves into a cooperative?
Most of the young bangle makers are subjected to exploitation at the hands of the middlemen. They are
frightened of the police who usually haul them up, beat them and drag them to jail for daring to form co-
operatives. There is no leader among them to help out and their parents are too old and helpless. Hence,
the idea of organizing themselves into a cooperative becomes too far-fetched.
21. Who is Mukesh? What is his dream?
Mukesh is a young boy from a poor family of Firozabad. His family is under heavy debt and is working in a
bangle-making factory for generations. But Mukesh is different and dreams of becoming a motor mechanic
and drive a car.
22. Why could the bangle makers not organise themselves into a cooperative?
The bangle makers could not organise themselves into a cooperative due to being exploited by the
middlemen. They are not able to break the vicious circle which is created by the middlemen, sahukars,
politicians, bureaucrats and policemen.
23. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family members?
Though Mukesh belongs to a bangle maker family, he has his ambition to be a motor mechanic. He
doesn’t want to be subjected to the exploitation of the middlemen. He wants to break the generations-old
family tradition of bangle making.
24. Why had the ragpickers come to live in Seemapuri?
The ragpickers are the migrants from Bangladesh. They have been living at Seemapuri since 1971. They
have no identity and no permit. They only have ration cards that get their names on the voters’ list and
enable them to buy grain. These are refugees from Bangladesh who come and settled in Seemapuri 45
years ago.
25. To which country did Saheb’s parents originally belong? Why did they come to India?
Saheb’s parents originally belonged to Bangladesh. They left their village in Dhaka in 1971 due to extreme
poverty and migrated to Delhi and started living at Seemapuri.
26. In what sense is garbage gold to the ragpickers? Or
What does garbage mean to the children of Seemapuri and to their parents?
Garbage is gold to the ragpickers because in the garbage, they hope to get something useful for them, or
some money, or some articles which can be sold at the junk shop to fetch them money. For the
ragpickers, garbage is a means of their livelihood. For children of the ragpickers, garbage is wrapped in
wonder. They find new things in the garbage every day.
27. Whom does Anees Jung Name for the sorry plight of the bangle makers?
Anees Jung says the bangle makers of Firozabad are caught in the vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen,
police, bureaucrats and politicians who keep on exploiting them. Due to this, bangle makers are not able
to organize themselves into a cooperative.
28. How is Mukesh different from other bangle makers of Firozabad? Or
Describe Mukesh as an ambitious person.
Mukesh, a young boy of a bangle makers’ family in Firozabad, is different from others because he is
ambitious and wants to break the generations-old traditions. He, unlike others, doesn’t want to make
bangles. He wants to be a motor mechanic and drive a car.
29. How was Saheb’s life at the tea stall?
Saheb lost his freedom as a child at the tea stall. Though earning? 800 per month and two times meal, he
was not happy. Now he was no more his own master. He had to obey his employer and had lost the
carefree life that he had earlier.
30. Justify the title `Lost Spring’.
Spring symbolizes ‘childhood’. In the chapter ‘Lost Spring’, Anees Jung has described the lost childhood of
thousands of poor children in our country who live in slums like Seemapuri or work in the bangle industry
of Firozabad.
31. What was Saheb full name? Why was it ironical?
Saheb’s full name was ‘Saheb-e-Alam’ which means the master of the universe. But, on the contrary,
Saheb is a victim of poverty. He lives in a slum and is not able to get a meal. So the name of Saheb is
highly ironical.
32. ‘Seemapuri is on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it metaphorically.’ What does
the author mean by this?
Seemapuri is on the periphery of Delhi which is a metropolitan city and the capital of India. The living
conditions at Seemapuri are highly pathetic. This place is devoid of even basic facilities such as to as
sewage drainage and running water. The houses are made of mud with the roof of tin and tarpaulin. It is
beyond imagination that such a place is part of a progressive and developed capital of the country.
33. ‘Together they have imposed the baggage on the child that he cannot put down.’ Who do
‘they’ refer to? What is the ‘baggage’ and why can the child not get rid of it?
‘They’ refers to the sahukars, middlemen, bureaucrats, politicians and policemen. Together all these
forces have created a vicious circle for the bangle makers. The ‘baggage’ refers to the burden or the
compulsion to work in the bangle factories. The child cannot refuse to work in these factories due to the
heavy debt on his parents. As a result, they are compelled to work in hazardous conditions.
24. ‘When I sense a flash of it in Mukesh I am cheered.’ What is this a reference to and why
does it make the author happy?
This refers to the fact that Mukesh had the courage to think differently and dream of a better life. Unlike
others, Mukesh had dared to dream. This is something which makes the author happy. She is pleased to
see the spark of optimism and determination in Mukesh’ eyes.
ESSAY TYPE QUESTIONS
1. ‘The beauty of the glass bangles of Firozabad contrasts with the misery of people who
produce them’. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangle industry. Discuss the
endless spiral of poverty, apathy, greed and injustice present there.
The lesson ‘Lost Spring’ describes the pathetic condition of the bangle-makers. On the one hand, it is the
plight of the street children forced into labour early in life and denied the opportunity of studying in
schools. The glass industry has its own hazards. The illegal employment of very young children and the
pathetic working conditions leads to many children becoming blind. They work in glass furnaces with high
temperatures. Their dingy cells have no light, nor any ventilation. Boys and girls work under these
conditions while welding pieces of coloured glass to make bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the
dark than to the light outside. They thus often lose their eyesight at a young age.
Over and above this, it is the apathy and callousness of society and the political class to the sufferings of
the poor that makes us feel sympathetic towards these bangle makers. The poverty-stricken bangle
makers also suffer because of the exploitation at tthe he hands of the middlemen and politicians. They do
not improve their lot and instead get only beaten up by the police. They are unable to organize
themselves. Hence, their life is full of sufferings i.e. physical and emotional.
2. “For the children, it is wrapped in wonder, for the elders, it is a means of survival.” What
kind of life do the rag-pickers of Seemapuri lead? Answer in about 120-150 words.
Seemapuri is a settlement of ragpickers. It is a place on the outskirts of Delhi. Those who live here are
squatters who came from Bangladesh in 1971. They live here without an identity and permits. They do
have ration cards that enable them to vote and buy grain. Food is more important for them than their
identity. Children grow up to become partners in survival. And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking.
Through the years it has acquired the ‘proportions of a fine art’. An army of barefoot children appears in
the morning with their plastic bags on their shoulders. They disappear by noon. Garbage has a different
meaning for children. For them, it is wrapped in `wonder’. They may find a rupee even a ten rupee note
or a silver coin. There is always hope of finding more. But Seemapuri is a hell. Ragpickers live in
structures of mud. They have roofs of tin and tarpaulin. There is no sewage, drainage or running water. It
is unimaginable that it is a part of Delhi.
3. ‘Grinding poverty and traditions condemn the children of ragpickers or bangle makers to a
life of exploitation. Such children are deprived of all opportunities in life. Mukesh, who opts out
of the existing profession of his forefathers by resolving to start a new job of a motor mechanic
symbolises the modern youth. What lesson do we learn from Mukesh’s example?
No doubt grinding poverty and tradition have condemned the children of ragpickers and bangle makers to
a life of exploitation. The ragpickers’ children have accepted their fate to be barefoot as their tradition.
Similarly, bangle makers persist with bangle making, saying it is their karma. Their spirits due to constant
suppression and servitude make them incapable of raising their voices against injustice and exploitation.
Mukeshsymbolises the modern youth who dares to fight with their destiny and change it. He has hope and
aspiration to do differently and better his future. In spite of the environment, he is living in, and with no
support from his family, Mukesh wants to break the age-old tradition to work as a bangle maker
throughout his life. He wants to be a motor mechanic. This shows that one should not give up hope even
in the worst circumstances and always strive to do better.
4. ‘Lost Spring’ explains the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn thousands of people
to a lift of abject poverty. Do you agree? Why/Why not?
‘Lost Spring’ is indeed a description of the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn thousands of
people to a life of abject poverty.
Saheb, a young ragpicker is doomed to live a miserable life of poverty. He wants to go to school and play
tennis. Due to poverty, he has to even give up his freedom and start working as a helper at a tea shop.
Here he is burdened with the commands of his employer and is forced to live a miserable life. Another
such example is that of Mukesh who belongs to a bangle makers family in Firozabad. He wants to be a
motor mechanic. But his family traditions and poverty have forced him to work in the inhumane conditions
of a bangle factory, in dark rooms and near hot furnaces.
Thus, the poor and destitute of both Seemapuri and Firozabad are caught in the web of poverty,
servitude, suppression and exploitation.
5. 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?
Anees Jung in her story ‘Lost Spring’ analyses the grinding poverty and traditions which condemn the
small children to live a miserable life of exploitation. Street children or the ragpickers of Seemapuri are
forced to either rely on the garbage for their livelihood or work as labourers. These children live in a
condition of extreme exploitation throughout their lives due to their poverty. Similar is the situation of
children from the bangle making families of Firozabad. Here the children are forced to accept bangle’
making as their doom due to poverty and family tradition.
The author has also given a story of resistance and fortitude. In spite of the harsh conditions of poverty
and exploitation, there are children like Mukesh who have refused to accept their fate. They have their
ambition to do something different and better. The author stresses the need to aspire for betterment. No
doubt for this one needs to be daring, confident, diligent and hardworking.
6. Describe the circumstances which keep the workers in the bangle industry in poverty.
The bangle makers of Firozabad make beautiful bangles. But these people work in a very unhygienic
atmosphere. They work in glass furnaces at high temperatures, in dingy cells without sufficient air and
light. In spite of so much hard work, these people live in a state of poverty because they work in an
unorganized manner and are exploited by the middlemen. This results in their poor state. Even if they try
to get organized, they get beaten up by the police. They are not able to come out of the vicious circle of
their exploiters: middlemen, policemen, sahukars, lawmakers, bureaucrats and politicians. They have
been repeatedly exploited physically as well as economically for generations and so are forced to live a life
of poverty.
7. Describe the life of ragpickers at Seemapuri. Why is this place, in spite of being on the
periphery of Delhi, considered miles away from it?
In 1971, some families migrated from Bangladesh and took refuge, at the outskirt of Delhi, at a place
called Seemapuri. It is a colony where about 10,000 ragpickers and their families live in structures of
mud, with the roof of tin or tarpaulin. They are devoid of basic facilities like sewage, drainage or running
water. They have no identity but a ration card to have their names on the voters’ list. They have never
bothered for their identity because for them food is the prime focus. Children of these families work as
ragpickers and garbage for them is the only means of survival.
The place Seemapuri, at the periphery of Delhi, the capital of India, yet is miles apart from Delhi
metaphorically. The place is devoid of even basic amenities in contrast to the highly developed and
progressive Delhi.
8. ‘Saheb is no longer his own master. Mukesh insists on being his own master.’ Discuss.
Both Saheb and Mukesh, symbolise the exploited children in India who are forced to live a life of poverty.
Saheb is a ragpicker who lives at Seemapuri. His only means of survival is garbage. He lives in a
subliminal condition. Finally, he starts working at a tea stall where he completely loses his freedom and
childhood. But he has compromised with his fate. He has accepted his condition and has completely given
up himself. Mukesh, on the other hand, is a boy who also belongs to a very poor family but doesn’t give
up and compromise with circumstances. Though he belongs to a bangle maker’s family and is destined to
work as a bangle maker, he refuses to accept it. He has his own ambition to become a motor mechanic.
He doesn’t want to be dominated and exploited by others. He wants to be his own master and take his
own decisions.
9. The paradoxes of the society that we live in are aptly featured in ‘Lost Spring’.Comment.
‘Lost Spring’ is a vivid description of the grinding poverty and tradition that condemn the children in our
country to a life of poverty and exploitation.
Saheb, a small boy, who is a ragpicker and relies on garbage for his living, seems to be very enthusiastic
about going to school. But he never gets this opportunity and his entire childhood is lost in solving the
greatest problem of his life, i.e. to earn a meal. He has to compromise with his freedom and joy of
childhood and works at a tea stall to earn money.
Mukesh, who was born into a bangle maker’s family of Firozabad, wants to be a motor mechanic. He
works in the most hazardous conditions in the glass furnaces with high temperature and no lights. People
of his community are caught in the vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats and
politicians. Mukesh wants to be his own master and do something different.
The story very clearly describes the reality of our society.
10. Justify the title of the story ‘Lost Spring’.
Childhood is considered the spring of human life. It is full of exuberance and playfulness. But the children
of ragpickers of Seemapuri and bangle makers of Firozabad are deprived of this period; their life. They
never enjoy the carefreeness of their childhood. They have to assist their poor parents in earning their
living since the very tender age.
In fact, the story brings out the reality of our society where poor children work as ragpickers and bangle
bakers in inhuman and hazardous conditions. The plight of these children highlights the apathy of the rich
and powerful people of the society who have no concern for them.
‘Lost Spring’ refers to those moments of childhood which are full of happiness, growth and carefree spirit
and which have been snatched from the children of Seemapuri and Firozabad. The title justifies the story
which makes an effort to sensitize the people towards these poor children. It emphasizes the need to save
the childhood of these poor children and provide them with their basic rights of a decent life and good
education.
11. “For the children, it is wrapped in wonder, for the elders, it is a means of survival.” What
kind of life do the rag-pickers of Seemapuri lead? Answer in about 120-150 words.
Seemapuri is a settlement of ragpickers. It is a place on the outskirts of Delhi. Those who live here are
squatters who came from Bangladesh in 1971. They live here without an identity and permits. They do
have ration cards that enable them to vote and buy grain. Food is more important for them than their
identity. Children grow up to become partners in survival. And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking.
Through the years it has acquired the ‘proportions of fine art’. An army of barefoot children appears in the
morning with their plastic bags on their shoulders. They disappear by noon. Garbage has a different
meaning for children. For them, it is wrapped in `wonder’. They may find a rupee even a ten rupee note
or a silver coin. There is always hope of finding more. But Seemapuri is a hell. Ragpickers live in
structures of mud. They have roofs of tin and tarpaulin. There is no sewage, drainage or running water. It
is unimaginable that it is a part of Delhi.