LOST SPRING

(STORIES OF STOLEN CHILDHOOD)

- ANEES JUNG

Introduction:

This lesson is an excerpt from the author Anees Jung’s book ‘Lost Spring’- stories of stolen childhood.
The author interviewed child labourers from different parts of the country. The lesson is divided into
two parts. The first part describes the plight of poor ragpickers of Seemapuri. The second part describes
the poor plight of poor ragpickers of Seemapuri. The second part describes the miserable condition of
bangle makers. The author analyses the grinding poverty and conditions which condemn these children
to a life of exploitation.

Theme:

The plight of street children forced into labour early in life and denied the opportunity of schooling.

Sub – theme

The callousness of society and the political class to the sufferings of the poor.

Characters:

Anees Jung—author and narrator

Saheb – ragpicker

Mukesh – bangle maker

Savita – bangle maker

EXTRACTS:

A) Food is more important for survival than an identity. “If at the end of the day we can feed our
families and go to bed without an aching stomach , we would rather live here than in the
fields that gave us no grain,” say a group of women in tattered saris when I ask them why they
left their beautiful land of green fields and rivers.
i) The phrase ‘transit homes’ refer to the dwellings that are
Ans) temporary
ii) “Garbage to them is gold.” Identify the figure of speech.
Ans) hyperbole
iii) Where did these women migrate from?
Ans) Dhaka
iv) What does ‘acquired the proportions of a fine art’ mean?
Ans) Rag-picking has attained the position of a skill.

B) Listening to them I see two distinct worlds – one of the family caught in a web of poverty,
burdened by the stigma of caste in which they are born the other vicious circle of the
sahukars, the middle men ,the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and politicians.
 i) Who does ‘I’ refer to?

Ans) Anees Jung

ii) “family caught in a web of poverty” Identify the literary device used here.
Ans) metaphor
iii) What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in
poverty?
Ans) Stigma of caste and a vicious circle of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen
and the politicians
iv) What does ‘bureaucrats’ mean?
Ans) Government officials

SHORT ANSWWERS:

1. Why did Saheb’s parents leave Dhaka and migrate to India?

Ans) Saheb’s parents lived in Bangladesh amidst the green fields of Dhaka. There were many
storms that swept away their fields and homes. So, they migrated to India and settled in
Seemapuri looking for an occupation.

2. How is Saheb’s name full of irony?

Ans) Saheb’s full name is Saheb -e – Alam meaning ‘lord of the universe’ but he is a poverty –
stricken, barefooted, homeless ragpicker who scrounges the garbage dumps of Delhi to earn his
livelihood. His name is in total contrast to his adversity. Thus, it is deeply ironical.

3. What did garbage mean to the children of Seemapuri and to their parents?
Ans) Garbage means ‘gold’ to the poor rag-pickers because it can be sold for cash. For children
garbage has a meaning different from what it means to their parents. For the children, it is
wrapped in wonder and for elders, it is a means of survival.

4. Despite being refugees, how do people in Seeemapuri have ration cards?

Ans) The refugee population of Seemapuri represents a large vote bank for various political
parties and at some stage these illegal occupants of government land around cities are provided
ration cards to benefit political leaders in the election process. Using these cards, they can get
grains from government agencies.

5. What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy?

Ans) Saheb took up the job of working in a tea stall. He was not happy even though it provided
him with a fixed monthly income of rupees 800. It has taken away the privilege of being his own
master.

6. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

Ans) The city of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh is famous for its bangles. It is in the centre of India’s
glass-blowing industry where families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding
glass, making bangles adorn the wrist of women.
 7. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Ans) Working in the glass bangles industry is physically and mentally hazardous. About 20,000
children work in the glass furnaces with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light.
Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. They often lose their eyesight
before they become adults. Often, glass splinters inure the workers, and pieces of glass cut into
the bare feet of children. Other hazards are lung and heart related diseases.

8. What is Mukesh’s dream? Do you think he will be able to fulfil his dream? Why/ Why not?
Ans) Mukesh belongs to the family of bangle-makers. His dream is to become a motor-mechanic
and drive a car. I think he will be able to fulfil his dream because he is determined to walk to a
garage which is a long way from his home.

9. Why could the bangle-makers not organize themselves into a cooperative?

Ans) The bangle-makers could not organize themselves into cooperative because they were
trapped in the vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats and politicians,
who exploited them. Even if they tried to organize themselves, they will be hauled up by the
police, beaten and and dragged to jail for doing something illegal.

10. Which two distinct worlds does Anees Jung see?

Ans) Anees Jung sees two distinct worlds, one world like Mukesh’s family caught in the web of
poverty, burdened by the stigma of caste in which they are born, the other a vicious circle of
sahukars, middlemen, policemen, keepers of law, bureaucrats and politicians.

LONG ANSWER:

1. “Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi, yet miles away from it, metaphorically.”

Ans) Seemapuri is a place on the outskirts of Delhi where 10,000 rag-pickers and their
families live. The people living there are squatters who migrated from Bangladesh in 1971.
The rag-pickers live in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage,
drainage of running water.

No one an imagine that such a place exists on the periphery of Delhi, the capital of India. It
stands stark contrast to the metropolitan city of Delhi. In Delhi there is luxury and affluence,
there are a host of opportunities and dreams, and in Seemapuri there is squalor,
hopelessness and despair. There is no chance for the inhabitants of this area to strive
towards the attainment of the prospects offered by Delhi.

Thus, although Seemapuri is located at the periphery of Delhi, in the real sense, Delhi is
many miles away from it.