Physical and mental Don’t get education

THE LOST SPRING

sufferings
(Loss of Childhood)
Loss of freedom to enjoy Involvement in menial jobs

Activity: Discussion Child Labour & Child Rights in India

Myth or Reality - Factories Act, 1948 and the Mines Act, 1952, banned the practice of using
children below the age of 14 and 18, in their respective production processes Child Labour
(Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986 which prevents the employment of children below the
age of 14 years in life-threatening occupations identified in a list by the law Juvenile Justice (Care
and Protection) of children Act of 2000 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), in 1992 and
made the offence punishable with imprisonment from three months to one year or with fine no
less than INR 10,000–20,000 rupees or with both. The Right to Education Act, passed in 2009, was
supposed to go beyond punishing people for child labour to creating a conducive environment for
building the capabilities of all Indian children, so that they could have a complete education and
enter the workforce out of choice and not compulsion. However, even after all this, child labour
continues to be the norm in a lot of industries.
What we can do? How can you do your bit to save children from being exploited?

Main Characters

Saheb-e-Alam

The weight of tin canister is heavier A rag-picker whose name means

than the bag of rags. lord of the universe

He is thus unhappy 10 years old, a poor migrant

Later works in a tea stall, but is no

Mostly barefoot, gets a discarded
more master of his own
pair of tennis shoes

Mukesh
He is ready to travel long way to A child labour in family profession of
garage. bangle making at Firozabad.

Mukesh wants to become a motor Dust of polishing glass bangles

mechanic and his own master adversely affects the eyes and lungs.

Does not get even two times meal From an impoverished family but
every day. dares to dream

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A nee s Ju n g is an  In d ian au th o r jo u rn alist an d

colu m n ist

Sh e started her career in w riti ng w ith th e  You th

Tim es, a T im es o f Ind ia  p u blica tio n

Ju n g's Lost Sprin g: Sto ries of sto len childh ood  (20 05)
fo cuses o n child ren from de p rived b a ckgrou n d s

THEME:
“Lost Spring” deals with the miserable plight of the street children forced into labour early in life
and denied the opportunity of schooling. The author has taken the example of Saheb-E-Alam, a
rag picker and Mukesh, a bangle maker. Both of them find themselves in a vicious circle of social
stigma, poverty and exploitation. While Saheb gives up rag-picking in favour of a job at a tea-
shop, Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic. Both of them have an ardent desire to study and
both of them would love to play if only their busy lives would permit it. Saheb and Mukesh
represent a growing number of refugees, migrants and poor who are being forced into a life of
penury. Another theme that runs parallel to the major theme is the callousness of society and the
political class of these peopl’s misery. There is an utter lack of compassion, empathy and
commitment for the uplift of these children of a lesser God. Thus, the newspaper feature „Lost
spring‟ sensitizes the reader to the miserable plight of the poorest of the poor and emphasizes the
urgent need to end the vicious cycle of exploitation through education, awareness, cooperative
organization and empowerment.

Story of Saheb-e-Alam
Story of Mukesh
Read the extract carefully and answer the following questions by selecting the correct option:
“Mukesh insists on being his own master. “I will be a motor mechanic,” he announces. “Do you
know anything about cars?” I ask. “I will learn to drive a car,” he answers, looking straight into
my eyes. His dream looms like a mirage amidst the dust of streets that fill his town Firozabad,
famous for its 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 all the women in the land it seems”
i. The sentence, ‘he answers, looking straight into my eyes.’ implies that
a. Mukesh had some problem in his vision.
b. Mukesh was scared and doubtful about what he said to the narrator.
c. Mukesh wanted to scare the narrator with his straight looks.
d. Mukesh was very clear about his goal.
ii. “Mukesh insists on being his own master.” The use of word ‘insists’ denotes
a. The present condition of Mukesh and his determination to change it.
b. His family has been working ever since as bonded labour therefore he wants to
break this vicious cycle.
c. Mukesh behaves like a child wants to drive a car.
d. Both a and b
iii. The literary device used in the line, ‘His dream looms like a mirage amidst the dust of
streets that fill his town Firozabad, famous for its bangles.’ is
a. Personification
b. Simile
c. Hyperbole
d. Paradox
iv. How is Mukesh’s attitude towards his situation different from that of his family?
a. Mukesh insists on being his own master.
b. He stands out with a positive attitude which is so different from that of his family.
c. He wants to rebuild his destiny and not to be a glass bangle maker.
d. All the above.
1. Explain the significance of the title 'Lost Spring".
• Spring is the season of optimism and hope. It symbolises life.
• unfortunately, millions of children in our country waste their childhood in rag
picking and other hazardous industries.
• the joys of childhood, the vibrance of spring is lost either in the garbage or in dingy
cells with furnaces.
• the grinding poverty and traditions condemn these children to a life of exploitation.
• they see very little hope of escaping from their impoverished life of misery &
deprivation.
• moreover, years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to
dream.
• they are entangled in a spiral that moves from poverty to apathy to greed and
injustice.

2. What is the irony in Saheb’s name?

 Sahibs name Saheb-e-Alam means Lord of the universe this is so ironical
because the actual existence of Sahib is that of abject poverty.
 Earns a living by rag-picking
  he roams the streets from morning to noon, scrounging garbage and looking
for a Rupee or two
 so, one can see that his name contradicts his living which is totally ironical

3. Living conditions in Seemapuri -Expound.

• on the outskirts of Delhi, yet miles away from it, home of 10,000 rag pickers
• make their living by rag-picking
• food and survival more important than an identity
• garbage to them is gold because it is a means of survival

4. What is Garbage to the children and adults?

 Garbage to the children is wrapped in wonder because each time when they
find a rupee or two, they are totally wrapped in wonder and excited to
scrounge for more
 Whereas for the adult’s garbage is survival it gives a roof over the heads and
food to eat
5. Hazards of Working in Glass Bangle Factory -Explain.
• work place – small and dingy
• long working hours in front of hot furnaces
• boys and girls assist parents in the dim light of flickering oil lamp
• eyes more adjusted to dark than light.
• dust from polishing bangles affect their eyes, skin and health
• exploited by money lenders, police, bureaucrats, politicians.
• fear of being ill-treated by police.
• live in a state of intense poverty
• live in stinky lanes
• overcrowded place with humans and animals.

6. Why they couldn’t form themselves into cooperatives?

 They could not organise themselves into a Cooperative because

they had fallen into the vicious circle of middleman who trapped
their fathers and forefathers
 Moreover, if they get organised into a cooperative there will be
hauled by the police beaten and dragged into jail for doing
something illegal.
 So, they cannot form into a cooperative because there was no leader among them.
 No one who could help them see things differently.
 Their fathers were so tired that they could talk endlessly in a spiral
that moves from poverty to apathy to greed and to injustice.

7. Two worlds: comment.

 The two distinct worlds were; firstly, the family caught in the web
of poverty, burdened by the stigma of caste in which they were
born that is, bangle making.
 Secondly, a vicious circle of the Sahukars, the middleman, the
policeman, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the
politicians . Together they have imposed the baggage on the child
that he cannot put down and before he is aware the poor child
 accepts it as naturally as his father.

8. How Mukesh will achieve his dream:

 Mukesh will achieve his dream by ensuring that he will walk

miles to reach the garage to learn and become a Motor
Mechanic.
 He was ready to work hard in order to make his dream come
true and was optimistic that he will toil to fulfill his dream and
never to look back.
 Thus, his determination is commendable to achieve his target.
 He dares to dream and be different from other

9. Paradox in the story:

 Paradoxes of society that we live in are aptly featured in this lesson
 Seemapuri’s living condition in contrast to Delhi’s
 Firozabad presents a strange paradox.
 Contrast the beauty of the glass bangles of Firozabad with the misery of the
people who produce them

1. Give a brief account of life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam
settled in Seemapuri.
Most of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri were
refugees from Bangladesh who had fled their country and migrated
to Delhi from Dhaka in the wake of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Their
dwellings were structures of mud, tin and tarpaulin with no
sewage, drainage, or running water. Picking garbage and rags
helped them to earn their daily bread, gave them a roof over their
head and was their only means of livelihood and survival. Though
these squatters of Seemapuri have no identity but they do have
valid ration cards that enable them to buy grain. Living in
Seemapuri, which is on the periphery of Delhi, is like a living hell.
Children here grow up to become partners in survival to their
parents. An army of barefoot children appear every morning,
carrying their plastic bags on their shoulders and disappear by
noon. They are forced to live a life of abject poverty that results in
the loss of childhood innocence.

2. ‘Lost Spring’ explains the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn
thousands of people to a life of abject poverty. Do you agree? Why/Why not?

‘Lost Spring’ is a good narration of grinding poverty and traditions to

which thousands of people have succumbed. The story revolves
around the pitiable condition of poor children who have been forced to
live in slums and work hard in dirty conditions. The story is divided
into two parts. The first part tells the writer’s impression about the life
 of poor rag pickers who have migrated from Bangladesh, but now have
settled in the Seemapuri area of Delhi.

The second part narrates the miserable life of the bangle makers in the
town of Firozabad. The stark reality of these families is that in spite of
back-breaking hard work that they put in, they cannot have two square
meals a day. Besides, they are victims of exploitation by those above
them and also suffer the consequences of blind belief in traditions.

3. Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it,
Metaphorically. Comment.
 Seemapuri is a place on the outskirts of Delhi where 10000 rag
pickers and their families live.
 The people living there are squatters who migrated from
Bangladesh in 1971
 The Rag pickers live in the structures of mud and tarpaulin
devoid of sewage, drainage or running water.
 No one can imagine that such a place exists on the Periphery of
Delhi the capital of India. It stands in stark contrast to the
metropolitan city of Delhi
 The main city of Delhi and Seemapuri at its Periphery provide
an exemplary case of contradiction.
 In Delhi there is luxury and affluence and there are a lot of
opportunities and dreams. But in Seemapuri there is squalor,
hopelessness and despair.
 Seemapuri is a place on the Periphery and miles away from
Delhi, it means she is comparing not only the physical distance
but also their standard of living.
4. What was Saheb’s new job?
 Saheb got a new job in a tea stall down the road.
 The stall keeper gives him 800 rupees and all his meals
 but, he does not like his new job because, he has lost his carefree
look.
 Moreover, the Steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag
he used to carry so lightly over his shoulders.
 The bag was his but the canister belongs to the man who owns
the tea shop.
 So, Saheb is no longer his own master, he lost his freedom and
carefree life

LINKS FOR REITERATION

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9l0K8Of7aU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ-wxr-2K98