Lost Spring - Anees Jung -class-12

LOST  SPRING
Stories   of  a  Stolen  Childhood -  Anees  Jung
Common  Questions  And  Answers    :   For  1  Mark  Each :

       1.       Who  is  the  author  of  “Lost  Spring ? ”

Ans  :  Anees  Jung  is  the  author  of “Lost  Spring ”.

       2.       What  does  Mukesh  want  to  be ?

Ans :  Mukesh  wants  to  be  a  Motor  Mechanic .

       3.       What  is  “Lost  Spring  about ” ?

Ans  :  ‘Lost  Spring ’  is  about  the  plight of  poverty  stricken children of  India .

       4.       Where  was  the  original  home  of  Saheb’s  family  ?

Ans  :  The  original  home  of  Saheb’s  family  was  in  Bangladesh .

       5.       What  does  the  author  of  “Lost  Spring ” find Saheb  doing  every  morning ?

Ans  :  The  author  of  “Lost  Spring ” finds  Saheb  scrounging  for  gold  in  the  garbage  dumps in  his  neighbourhood.

      6.       What  does   Saheb  look  for  in  the garbage dumps  ?

Ans :  Saheb looks  for gold  in  the  garbage  dumps .

      7.       Where has  Saheb come  from ?

Ans  :  Saheb has  come  from  Bangladesh .

      8.       What  does  the ‘garbage ’ mean for  the elders of  Seemapuri ?

Ans :  For  the  elders  of  Seemapuri  ‘garbage ’ mean the  means of  survival .

      9.       Where  does  Mukesh  live ?

Ans :  Mukesh lives  in  Firozabad .

     10.   Why  have  Saheb and  his  family migrated  to  Seemapuri ?

Ans :  Saheb  and  his  family  have  migrated   to  Seemapuri  because  there were  many  storms swept  away their  fields  and  homes in  Bangladesh .

11. Where  does  Saheb  originally  hail  from  ? 


Ans :  Saheb  originally  hails  from  Bangladesh . 

For  2  Mark  Each   :

     1.       Is  Saheb  happy working  at  the  tea  stall  ?  Why  ?

Ans  :  No  , Saheb is  not  happy working  at  the  tea  stall .

           The  steel  canister  now  he  carried  seemed heavier  than the  plastic bag  he  had  carried  now  carried  as  a  ragpicker . The  bag was  his  own .  The  canister  belonged  to  the  owner  of the  tea  stall . Saheb was no  longer his  own  master .  

     2.       What  is  the  significance of  bangles  in  an Indian  Society  ?

Ans  :  In Indian society  bangles symbolize  a married woman’s  ‘Suhag ’, auspiciousness in marriage . It customary  for an Indian bride to wear red bangles .

     3.       ‘Garbage to  them is  gold ’. Why  does  the  author  say  so  about  the  ragpickers ?

Ans :  ‘Garbage to them is  gold ’. The  author says  so about the ragpickers because  Saheb  looks  for  gold  in  the  garbage dump . It is  their daily  bread , a roof over  their heads , even if it is  leaking roof . But for  a child  it  is  even more .

     4.       What  is  the  irony  inherent  in  Saheb’s  full  name  ?

Ans  :  Saheb’s  full  name Saheb-e- Alam means  ‘Lord of the Universe ’. But  Saheb was  only  a  barefoot  ragpicker  who was not even master of his  own fate .  Nothing could be more ironical than calling a poor ragpicker  like him the ‘ Lord  of  the  Universe .’

     5.       What  does  Saheb look  for  in  the  garbage dumps  ?  Where  is  he  and  where  was  he  come from ?

Ans  :  Saheb  looks  for  gold  in  the  garbage  dumps . Saheb  is  in  Seemapuri  and  he  was come  from  Bangladesh .

     6.       What  explanation  does  the  author  of  ‘Lost  Spring ’ offer for  the  children not  wearing footwear ?

Ans :  The  explanation  that the poor children walk barefoot not  because  of  poverty but  because  it is a  tradition  in India to stay barefoot is only an excuse to explain away perpetual state of poverty .

     7.       What  is  Firozabad famous for and why ?

Ans  :  Firozabad  is  famous for its  bangles  . It  is  the  centre of  Indian glass –blowing industry where most families have been engaged for  generations in  making bangles for all the women of  the country .

     8.       Why  do  the young  inhabitants of  Firozabad end up losing  their  eyesight ?

Ans  :  In  Firozabad  most  families are  engaged  in  glass – making industry . In every dark hutment young boys and girls with their fathers and mothers  sit welding of coloured glass into circles  of  bangles in front of flickering oil lamps . Their eyes are more adjusted  to the dark than to the light outside . That is  why they often  lose their eyesight even before they become adults.

     9.       What are  two  different  worlds  in Firozabad ?

Ans  :  The  author  finds  two  distinct  worlds  in  Firozabad  - one is  the  families  of  the  bangle – makers  caught in a web of  poverty , burdened by the stigma of  caste in which they are born and the other is a vicious circle of  the ‘Sahukar’s , the  middlemen , the policemen , the keepers of law , the bureaucrats  and  the bpoliticians  who  exploit the bangle –makers .

    10.   What  was  the  promise  made  by Anees Jung to  Saheb ?

Ans :  Anees  Jung  promised  Saheb that she would  start  a  school and asked  him to come because  there were no any school in  Saheb’s  neighbourhood.

11. What  is  the  actual  name  of  Saheb ?  What  does  it  signify  ? 

Ans :  The  actual  name of  Saheb  is  "Saheb-e-Alam" . It  signifies  'Lord of the Universe '. 

For  5  mark  Each : 

     1.       Describe  the  miserable  plight  of  the  people of  Firozabad  ?

Ans  :  Firozabad  is  the  centre of  glass blowing industry  where  families have spent  generations working around  furnaces , welding glass , making bangles  for  all the  women of  the country . Born in the caste of  bangle makers , they have seen nothing but bangles . Despite hard labour they had never enough to eat or to send their sons and daughters to school . As a result what they do is to teach the children what they do know – the art of bangle –making . In every dark hut of the town children with their parents sit before flickering oil lamps welding coloured glasses into bangles . Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside . That is why many  children lose their eyesight even before they are adults . The cry not having money to do anything else except sticking to their traditional bangle making and not having enough to eat rings in every home . Ages of exploitation have killed their initiative and the ability to protest . They are so caught in the vicious circle of  middlemen that they have began to believe that born in the caste bangle –makers they are doomed to suffer. They are thus forced into a spiral which moves from poverty to apathy and to injustice .

     2.       Describe  the  bangle makers of  Firozabad . How  does  the  vicious  circle  of  the  Sahukars ,  the  middleman never  allow them to  come out  of  their property ?

         Ans :  Most people in Firozabad are engaged in making glass bangles. But these people who have spent generations working around furnaces,  welding glass and making bangles for all the women of the country have always led a miserable life. They have never earned enough money even to feed their families. Few of them can afford to send their sons and daughters to school. As a result they teach their children what they know -the art of bangle making. Therefore in Firozabad today there are more than 20,000 children working in the glass furnaces with high temperatures in dingy cells without air and light. Ages of continuous suffering have made them believe that born in the caste of bangle makers they are doomed to suffer for god given lineage cannot be broken. In fact they are victims of worst kind of exploitation   by the vicious circle of Sahukars. The middlemen, the  policemen and  bureaucrats, This vicious circle of middlemen have never allowed  the bangle makers to be organized in co-operatives. It is in the interest of the vicious circle to keep these bangle makers in a perpetual state of poverty. There is no leader among them to help them to get out of this situation. These helpless bangle makers are trapped in a spiral that moves from poverty to apathy, to greed and to injustice.