Important Long/ Detailed Answer Type Questions- to be answered in about 100 -150 words

each
Q1. ‘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

Ans. 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 the 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.

Q2. “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.
[All India 2017]

Ans. 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?

Ans.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.
Mukesh symbolises 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.

8. ‘Saheb is no longer his own master. Mukesh insists on being his own master.’ Discuss.

Ans. 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.