Lost Spring Summary Class 12 | Anees Jung | Chapter 2 | Flamingo |
Lost Spring Summary Class 12 | Anees Jung | Chapter 2 | Flamingo
Lost Spring Summary
Lost Spring revolves around stories of two children who have been gripped badly by child labour. In this chapter, Anees Jung shares her experience with two children namely Saheb and Mukesh who are forced to work as child labourers despite their wishes. They are deprived of their basic requirements and necessities. Apart from that, she analyses the grinding poverty and traditions which condemn these children to a life of exploitation.
‘Sometimes I find a Rupee in the garbage’
In the first part, she talks about a boy namely Saheb whose family came to India from Bangladesh in 1971 when their homes and fields were swept away by the storms. She encounters him every day searching for rags in her neighborhood. His regular visits encourage the narrator to ask Saheb if he goes to school. When denied, she makes a hollow promise to boy which makes her feel embarrassed time and again.
The more she meets Saheb, the better she knows him. She gets to know that Saheb has an army of barefoot boys who roam here and there uselessly and that is too barefoot. On enquiry, she gets to hear many excuses from the gang which only highlights their grinding and abject poverty that they have been suffering from ages.
Her acquaintance with the barefoot boy leads him to the streets of Seemapuri which is a haunt of rag pickers. According to her data, around 10000 families are living over there devoid of sewage, drainage and other basic necessities required for the survival of human beings. There lanes are choked with garbage and stinking. Besides, she gets to know that people are engaged in only one business i.e. rag picking.
She gets to know about Saheb’s interest as well that he is fond of playing tennis even though it is out of his reach. Even, one of the mornings she gets to see Saheb wearing a pair of tennis shoes which are the rejected shoes of a rich boy due to a hole in one of them.
Then one of the days, she gets to see Saheb working at a tea stall. On enquiring him, she gets to know that he gets to earn Rs.800 per month along with two square meal per day but he loses his carefree look. According to the narrator, earlier Saheb was his own master but now he words under someone. He is no longer his own master according to the narrator.
“I want to drive a car”
In the second part, she visits Firozabad which is a small town of U.P and a center of glass blowing industry. She finds more than 20000 children over there in the pretext of mature labour. She even condemns the laws which are made in India but never enforced.
There she meets a boy Mukesh who is different from other bangle makers. He does not want to continue his patriarchal business rather he wants to become a motor mechanic. He makes the narrator aware of the pathetic conditions wherein the young bangle makers work. According to him, they work in dingy cells, ill-ventilated rooms and small cubicles and often lose their eye-sight before being adult. Her acquaintance with Mukesh leads her to Firozabad which is full of stinking lanes, crumbling walls and wobbly doors. People are engaged in bangle making whether they are young or old. No one knows anything else than bangle making. In Firozabad, the narrator, meets members of Mukesh’s family. On talking to them, she finds them conservative and superstitious who blame their Karma. She talks to group of young men who fear of organizing themselves into cooperatives because of politicians, bureaucrats, sahukars and middlemen.
She even mentions about a young girl Savita whose hands move quicker than that of tongs and machines. But the irony is, she herself does not know about the sanctity of wearing bangles. She takes pleasure in seeing the attitude of Mukesh who is adamant to become a motor mechanic and change his permanently written destiny according to his guardians.
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Short Answer Type Questions of Lost Spring
Q1. Where did the rag-packing families of Seemapuri come from? Why did they have to leave their native place?
According to Saheb, their departure from Bangladesh was caused by storms which destroyed their fields, lands, home and everything they had with them. But in reality, they came from since they had no source of income there to survive.
Q2. What advice does Anees Jung give Saheb-e-Alam? Why does it sound hollow to her?
The narrator noticed Saheb picking up rags in front of her home every day. She promised Saheb to open her own school and advised him to study there free of cost. It sounded hollow to her as she knew that it takes longer to build a school. In short, she had made a hollow promise to him which could not be kept.
Q3. “Garbage to them is gold.” Explain this statement.
People of Seemapuri are rag pickers and they depend on it solely for meeting their both ends. Yes, there is no doubt that garbage is gold for them because it is the only mean of earning & survival for the families living in Seempuri. It is their daily bread and roof on their head. That’s why they consider it as important as gold is.
Q4. Why does Anees Jung relate the story of a man from Udipi?
Once a man from Udipi met & told the narrator about a boy who would always go to temple and pray for a pair of shoes and how, later on, he got that pair of shoes. Narrator, just to highlight the poverty of Seemapuri barefoot boys, who do not have slippers and shoes to wear, relate this story.
Q5. How does rag picking mean different to children and elders?
Rag-picking is the only source of income for the people living in Seemapuri but its meaning varies from person to person. For children, it is something wrapped in wonder since they get to earn little bit by selling of that rubbish. For elders, it is their daily bread and roof over their heads.
Q6. “Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi Yet miles away from it” What does the narrator mean by this statement?
This statement signifies that Seemapuri is not so developed as the other areas of Delhi are. It is home to more than 10000 rag pickers who live there and depend on rag picking altogether. It is located in Delhi legitimately but nothing it legitimate here. There is no sign of development in Seemapuri therefore the narrator makes this statement.
Q7. How did Saheb get a pair of tennis shoes? Why does he explain the author how he had got them?
Actually, Saheb has got a pair of tennis shoes from a rich boy who has discarded them because of a hole in one of them. He is extremely excited on taking in the shoes because his dream has come true of wearing tennis shoes. He had always a dream of playing tennis and looking alike the tennis players.
Q8. Is Saheb happy working at tea stall? Do you think this job will affect his life adversaly?
Saheb is not happy working at tea stall. Earlier he used to be his own master, picked up the rags from the place whichever he liked, roamed freely here and there but now he works under someone at a minimal salary of Rs. 800 per month along with two square meals. Yes, I think working at tea stall will lower his confidence of growing richer and being his own master in life.
Q9. What excuses does the army of barefoot boy make for not wearing chappals or shoes?
The army of barefoot boy makes plenty of excuses for not wearing footwear. One of them explains that he does not wear chappals because his mother does not get them down from the shelf, another one calls it a fashion of remaining barefoot. But in reality, these children cannot afford to have a pair of footwear as they belong to lower class families which hardly gets two square meals per day to eat.
Q10. “Survival in Seemapuri means rag picking” What does the narrator mean by this statement?
The narrator wants to say that people of Seemapuri have got an art of rag picking. This art makes them capable enough to meet their both ends and to earn two square meal per day. They are purely and solely dependent on rag-picking for their survival. According to the narrator, it is their daily bread and roof over their head.
Q11. What does Mukesh dream of? Why does the narrator feel pleased on seeing him?
Mukesh dreams of being a motor mechanic and drive a car. The narrator feels elated on seeing Mukesh because his dreams bigger than other which seems to be out of his reach. When narrator talks to him, his ability of dreaming differently brings cheer to the narrator.
Q12. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Firozabad is famous for bangles and bangle-making. It is the center of glass blowing industry where all kinds of bangle are manufactured there. Each and every family of Firozabad is engaged in the business of bangle making for centuries.
Q13. What vicious circle are the bangle makers trapped in?
The bangle makers know only one thing that is how to make bangles. If they try to get into another business, the local police arrest & drag them to jail. Moreover, fake cases are registered over them. All of that is done on the instructions of bureaucrats, politicians and the middlemen of the town.
Q14. Briefly describe the working conditions in the bangle making units of Firozablad?
Condition of bangle making units of Firozabad is pathetic and miserable. They work in front of hot furnaces, in dingy cells, ill-ventilated areas and unhygienic conditions. Besides, most of them, lose their eyesight become blind before their adulthood.
Q15. What is the irony in Saheb’s name? How does his name differ from his identity?
Saheb’s is a rag picker who lives in Seemapuri with other rag-picking families. His name suggests that he is the lord of the Universe but, in reality, he is merely a poor rag picker who hardly gets to eat two square meal per day.
Q16. Who is Savita? Does she know about the sanctity of bangle making?
Savita is a young bangle maker who knows all ins and outs of bangle making but she has no idea about why bangles are worn by married women. According to the narrator, she will feel the importance of putting on bangles when she gets married to someone.
Q17. Mention the hazards of working of working in the glass bangles industry.
Firozabad, which is famous for bangle making, is a haunt of bangle makers. All the bangle makers live under unhygienic condition such as; streets remain full of garbage, no drainage and sewage system, human and animals co-exist in the same houses, houses made of mud with roof of tin and tarpaulin. They don’t have proper ventilation and they live in small framed homes.
Q18. What is the theme of the chapter ‘Lost Spring’? What issue does it highlight?
The theme depicts about the lost childhood of the children who live in Seemapuri and Firozabad. They get lost off this world as spring does. They have no future and clarity about their life. Moreover, their life is as bad as that of animals.
Q19. “Few planes fly over Firozabad” What is the irony in this statement?
The irony in this statement is that Firozabad seems to be located somewhere near a developed which has an airport near by. But people of Firozabad have never flown by air. So it becomes a dream for the people of Firozabad.
Q20. What has Mukesh’s father achieved so far in his life?
Mukesh’s father, who has been a bangle maker for many years, has not even succeeded in sending his children to the school. Moreover, he has been able to renovate his house. Besides, he has failed to achieve any other thing in his life. He knows one thing that is bangle making therefore he has taught them the same.
Q21. What common complaints does Anees Jung get to hear in every bangle making household?
The narrator roams in the streets of Firozabad in order to find out the real cause of their poverty and miserable conditions. While researching, she gets to hear common complaints in every house i.e poverty and apathy. Youngsters echo the lament of elders whereas elders hold youngsters for their apathy.
Q22. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
Saheb is looking for valuables (Gold) in the garbage dumps. He lives in Seemapuri and has come from Bangladesh. He is a ragpicker by profession and owns an ironical name.
Q23. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
When Anees Jung enquires the children why they are not wearing footwear, they start making excuses. One of them replies that he wants shoes whereas the other one says his mother doesn’t bring them down from the shelf. According to her, these are only excuses to explain away their perpetual state of poverty.
Q24. Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall? Explain.
Saheb used to work as a ragpicker before he started working at a tea stall. Earlier, he used to be his own master and do whatever he could. But, now he works at a tea stall where he has lost his carefree look. Though he is paid Rs 800 with two square meals yet he seems unhappy.
Q25. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Mukesh hails from a conservative family that has spent generations in the same business of bangle making. On the contrary, Mukesh wants to become a motor mechanic and drive a car. His attitude is optimistic whereas his family has a pessimistic approach towards life.
Q26. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
The topmost reason for their migration is their financial crisis they are undergoing. Since they can’t help their families arrange two square meals, they migrate themselves from villages to cities whereas some take this step to raise their standard of living.
Q27. 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 to this statement that promises made to poor children are rarely kept. It is often seen that people get carried away by their emotions and make hollow promises on the spot like the one made by the narrator of opening a school for Saheb. This happens due to the emotions which arise after seeing the deprived people.
Q28. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
Having read the chapter, we got to know a vicious circle that comprises of politicians, middlemen and bureaucrats conspires to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty. They don’t let them start any other business. If dared, they are dragged to jail and beaten like animals. Besides, fake cases are registered over them for doing something illegal.
Long Answer Type Questions of Lost Spring
Q1. Childhood is meant for playing and educating oneself in order to climb the rungs of success’s ladder not to waste in child labour. Do you agree to this statement? Give reasons in support to your answer.
Yes, I agree to this statement that childhood is meant for play and education. It is the best phase of one’s life which should not be wasted in useless working and activity especially in child labour. In this phase, a child does not know about his worries and remains out of all stress and dilemmas of this world and enjoy to the fullest. But, as we see, in Seemapuri and Firozabad, all the children be they twelve, thirteen of fourteen, are found to be working as child labourers in bangle making units. They work in dingy cell, ill ventilated rooms and atmosphere, around furnaces and under hazardous conditions. They work for the sake of little amount & due to their parental pressure of earning money. Moreover, they lose their golden period searching for their earnings and can’t enjoy this golden phase. Very few of them can come out of this vicious circle, created by bureaucrats, politicians and middlemen, but most of them get trapped in it forever. Their future becomes unsecured and they fail at every stage of their life. As a result, they are born poor and they die poor too.
Q2.Who do you think, has a better attitude to life- Saheb or Mukesh? Support your answer with relevant reasons in about 150 words.
According to me, Mukesh has a better attitude of living life because he does not want to pursue the same business which is being continued by his father and forefather for many years. He dreams of something that has never been dreamt by anybody. He wants to buy a car and drive it. On the other hand, Saheb who is a rag picker seems satisfied with his new job at tea stall. Although, he has lost his carefree look, yet he seems satisfied with his life. He does not have big dreams like Mukesh but he wants to do something else except rag picking. On the whole, Mukesh has better perspective than Saheb who believes in being his own master rather than working as a bangle maker throughout the life. Mukesh has seen his father spending his entire life as a bangle maker but not achieved anything so far. Therefore, he keeps a different vision in his eyes.
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# Lost Spring Summary
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