THE LOST 1
SPRING
Presented by:
Anubhav Dash
Sristi Sthiti Dhal
Malayaj Padarath Gupta
ABOUT THE POET
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Anees Jung (1964) was born in Rourkela and spent her
childhood and adolescence in Hyderabad. She
received her education in Hyderabad and in the
United States of America. Her parents were both writers.
Anees Jung began her career as a writer in India. She
has been an editor and columnist for major newspapers
in India and abroad. and has authored several books.
The following is an excerpt from her book titled Lost
Spring. Stories of Stolen Childhood Here she analyses
the grinding poverty and traditions which condemn
these children to a life of exploitation.
LOST SPRING Things like identity,
education, shoes and Hardly manage food
sports are their for themselves.
‘Sometimes I find a Rupee in the garbage.’
unfulfilled dreams. 3
Underprivileged people
Things like a coin only get the bare minimum
or torn shoes are for survival.
Looking for as precious as
Settled at Seemapuri.
‘valuables’ in the ‘gold’ for them.
garbage. They had come to the big
city in the hope of finding
Ragpicker boys
This signifies that these good life there.
people have ambitions and Rag-picking has acquired
desires too. They are squatters the proportions of a fine
For children, garbage who came from art.
is wrapped in wonder, Bangladesh back in
for the elders it is a 1971.
means of survival. Starts out as a boy
with dreams, but
Saheb–e–Alam loses his freedom
Saheb believes in of being his own
the school that the False hopes His name, which means ‘lord of master during the
author said she universe’, juxtaposes his life. end.
would open.
LOST SPRING
“I want to drive a car”
It is their karam,
their destiny. Traditions
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The old of the village question
Shrinking lanes whether it is possible to break
choked with the god-given lineage.
garbage,
Living Conditions Bangle makers in
Past homes that
remain hovels Firozabad.
with crumbling
walls. Crowds of families of Every other family in
humans and animals Firozabad is engaged in
coexisting in a primeval bangle making.
Their eyes are more
state. adjusted to the dark than Working Conditions
to the light outside.
They lose their eyesight
There is no leader Working in the glass
Problems while before they become
among them. Mukesh’s dream adults.
furnaces with high
forming cooperatives temperatures in dingy
cells without air and
Who will be He wanted to be a car mechanic. light.
hauled up by the Cars were all that he had seen on the roads of his
police, beaten and town and so, he could not dream any further.
dragged to jail?
LOST SPRING
Key takeaways 5
Both stories bring forward the social disparity still very
prevalent among us. People born into the underprivileged part
of the economy are humans, just like us. They have their
dreams and wishes in life. But these are taken away from them
while running to get the bare minimum to survive. They have
to sacrifice even their freedom to fulfill their basic amenities.
Kids like Saheb and Mukesh have to succumb to their situation
and give up on their aspirations for earning money.
LOST SPRING
Crossword 6
1 Down:
I. To search for
2 2. In the middle of something
3
3. To worry
4. Taking short and quick breathes
4
Across:
3. Empty
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5. Existing in large numbers
6. Torn
7. Speaking in a confident way but without
careful thought
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ANSWERS
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1
S
C 2
A
R 3 B L E A K
M
O 4P
I O
5
A B O U N D A T
N S N H
6
G T A T T E R E D
I I R
N N
G 7G L I B L Y
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DHARAVI:
THE KINGDOM
OF POVERTY
DHARAVI
Asia's largest slum, Dharavi, lies in the heart of India's financial capital, Mumbai
(Bombay). Dharavi has more than 600,000 people residing in 100,000 makeshift
homes and one of the world's highest population densities at more than 12,000
persons per acre. It is home to more than a million people. Today's Dharavi bears no
resemblance to the fishing village it once was. It is one unending stretch of dirty
lanes, open sewers, and cramped huts. In a city where house rents are among the
highest in the world, Dharavi provides a cheap and affordable option to those who
move to Mumbai to earn their living. Rents here can be as low as 185 rupees
($4/£2.20) per month. As Dharavi is between Mumbai's two main suburban rail
lines, most people find it convenient for work. Even in the smallest rooms, there is
usually a cooking gas stove and continuous electricity. About 10 to 15 people live in
the same house, and over 15,000 people use the same toilet daily with no sewage
systems.
PRE-EMINENCE
Close to the Bandra Kurla Complex, one of the wealthiest business hubs in Asia,
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Dharavi's proximity to Mumbai's two main suburban rail lines makes it convenient for
people to go to work. With a highly multi-religious, multi-ethnic, and diverse
settlement, it is also one of the most literate slums in India, with a literacy rate of
69%. Proposals for its redevelopment have come out periodically, but most of these
plans failed because of a lack of financial banking and/or political support. The
government has proposed transforming the slum into a modern township, with proper
housing and shopping complexes, hospitals, and a key role in bringing this slum to
prominence. It has featured in films like 'Slumdog Millionaire' and the more recent
'Gully Boy'. Dharavi plays host to tourists who want a whiff of what life is like for slum-
dwellers in India. Tourists are taken on tours through the narrow alleyways of the
slum to showcase the hot business hub it has become over the past few years.
DHARAVI IS NOT JUST A SLUM, IT’S A THRIVING HUB
OF INDUSTRY
The commercial sector of Dharavi is home to varied, thriving small businesses belonging
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to people of various backgrounds. Its massive annual turnover results from about
20,000 single-room factories, terracotta potters, plastic recyclers, metal smiths,
embroidery workers, etc. Products made in Dharavi are not just distributed all over the
country, but, are even exported to markets abroad such as the United States and the
UAE. The widespread concept of small business that exists around the globe today
prevailed in Dharavi much before it became popular. Today, multiple businesses like
these operate successfully out of Dharavi through online ventures. Its slum is far
different from the general perception of the slum. It is a slum that has 5,000
businesses, as well as industries that export the products of these businesses. It is a
slum with an annual turnover of more than $ 1 billion. They show us what we can do
with the waste of recycling industries and unused waste from dumps. It is not just a
slum, but it's a slum with immense opportunities within.
ADVERSITIES OF SLUM LIFE
The Dharavi slums face a lot of problems like noise, water, and air
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pollution, it also has no sewage or drainage systems. Every day the
potters' brick kilns send huge black clouds into the air which pollutes
the air, making the patients' cases in the hospitals worse. Children
play amongst sewage waste. Doctors deal with 4,000 cases a day of
diphtheria and typhoid. Next to the open sewers are water pipes,
which can crack and take in sewage. Dharavi slum is based around
this water pipe built on an old rubbish tip. The people have not
planned this settlement and have no legal rights to the land. There
are also toxic wastes in the slum including hugely dangerous heavy
metals. Dharavi is made up of 12 different neighborhoods and there
are no maps or road signs. These problems exist because these
people aren't living on their own property. Because it is a poor piece
of land, the government is trying to kick them out so that they can
start a new project, this causes many problems and issues for the
people such as poverty and hunger.
EDUCATION
To keep on improving the lives of 100 children and their families,
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The Salvation Army continued its work through new one-year
projects. These one-year projects, which started in early 2017,
aim to provide access to education, nutrition, recreation, and a
healthy environment to make slum children aware of their social
and health risks. Literary classes and preschool and after-school
programs are being provided for children for five days a week.
There are literary classes for parents three days a week.
Participants get a basic education in English, Hindi, and Urdu
languages. Furthermore, mothers are joining a tailoring class two
nights a week to gain a skill to be able to earn a livelihood. The
programs are located on the Salvation Army compound so the
children have a safe place to go to after school which reduces
their chances of getting involved in human trafficking. To make
the project sustainable, PR workers are being hired to raise
funds for the operating costs of the programs.
BIBLIOGRAPH 14
Y
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharavi
http://www.writingby.com/salvation-army/education-for-slum-children-in-india/
https://thedesigngesture.com/dharavi-in-mumbai/
https://www.business-standard.com/about/where-is-dharavi-slum
https://dharavislumindia.weebly.com/dharavi-problems.html
https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2017/10/a-visit-to-dharavi-its-not-a-slum-its-a-slum-
with-the-immense-opportunities-lie-within/
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THANK YOU!
