Lesson- 2
Lost Spring
Q1.What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?A.Sahib is a young boy who is engaged in rag-picking.He is looking for money in the garbage dumps.Presently he is living at Seemapuri.His family has come from Bangladesh in the hope of a good life.
Q.2What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
A.The author does not accept the argument of some people that it is a tradition to stay barefoot. She considers aperpetuall state of poverty as the main reason.
Q3.What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
A.Firozabad is famous for its glass- blowing industry.Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles.Many families have spent generations in this work and they are still engagedin it.
Q4. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
A.Glass bangle makers work in dark hutments.The dust of polishing glass bangles before the flames of flickering oil lamps, makes them lose their eyesight. Lack of proper air and sunlight also affects them badly.
Q.5How is Mukesh's attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
A.Mukesh comes from a family of bangle makers.Unlike his family members,he does not want to cling to bangle making.He wants to be the master of his own. He wants to become a motor-mechanic.
Additional Questions
Q6.Why did Saheb’s family settle at Seemapuri?
A.Saheb’s family settled at Seemapuri as their fields and home in Dhaka got destroyed by many storms so they left their country in search of living and survival and came to India.
Q7.Why does Anees Jung's promise to open school seemhollow?
A.Her promise to open School seems hollow because she really does not mean it.She says it half jokingly and without any serious thinking.She herself knows she does not really mean it.
Q8.Why does the author describe Seemapuri as miles away from Delhi?
A.The author describes Seemapuri as miles away from Delhi because this area lacks all the basic facilities that are available in Delhi.Inspite of being close to Delhi, it is quite different from the heart of the city.
Q9.Why does the author mean by the expression 'Garbage to them is gold'?
A. By the expression, the author means to say that garbage is a means of livelihood to the ragpickers. it gives them food and shelter.Sometimes children even find coins in it. So it is very precious to them.
Q.10.In what ways has rag -picking become 'a fine art'?
A.The author's remark is ironical but true.Rag- picking has become an art with rag-pickers. They know what to collect, how to separate their collection into different types and where to sell it for a good price.
Q.11.Why is Saheb not happy working at the tea- stall?
A. Sahib is not happy working at tea stall because here he had lost his freedom.Now he is no
more the master of himself. He feels like a slave and this has drained away his happiness.
Q.12.Why was the Steel canister heavier to carry for Saheb than his plastic bag?
A.The Steel canister belonged to the owner of the tea-stall, whereas the plastic bag was his own.The steel canister was burdensome to him as it was to be carried as a compulsion. The plastic bag was his own, which he carried willingly.
Q.13.Why can't the bangle makers organise themselves into a Cooperative to fight poverty?
A.The bangle- makers are victims of middle men and money lenders.The police beats the bangle- makers and sends them to jail if they dare to organise themselves. They have no leader among them to help them.
Q.14.How can you say that Mukesh was bold and rebel?
A.Mukesh was bold in that he dared to challenge the established order. He wanted to become a motor mechanic, not a bangle- maker. He was a rebel as he wanted to do something different.
Q.15.Why did Mukesh not dream of flying airplanes?
A.He was poor and he knew his limits. He had seen cars and he would dream of becoming a motorM.To be a pilot was beyond his thoughts.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q.1. Describe the living conditions of Seemapuri slums.
A.Seemapuri is situated on the Periphery of Delhi.A ten thousand rag-pickerslive here in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin.They do not have sewage, drainage or running water. Children grow up in these small structures and help their parents in their survival. Rag -picking is the only way for survival in Seemapuri. Garbage to them is gold. people here live in utter poverty. They are devoid of even the basic amenities of life.Health, education, sports, etc. are not even in their dreams.Their poverty does not allow them to live a hygienic and healthy life. They cannot even think of good life and keep engaged in rag-picking or the some type of manual jobs.
Q.2.What are the reasons that are responsible for bangle makers plight?
A.There are several reasons for their plight. Firstly,They are fatalists.They believe that they must suffer as the fate has ordained so.Born in the caste of bangle- makers, they find themselves unable to do anything different.The society in different to their lot.The administration and the police join hands with the middleman and money- lenders to keep them in a state of perpetual poverty.Any attempt on the fact of the bangle- makers to organise themselves is looked upon with suspicion by their exploiters and the law- enforcing agencies.They are beaten up or thrown into jail for attempting to do. This has killed their capacity to take any initiative. They find themselves surrounded on all sides with apathy of the government and the society.They are in a way,trapped in a vicious circle.Something drastic must be done to improve their lot.
Q.3.Describe the two types of words mentioned by Anees Jung In the 'Lost spring'
A.Anees Jung describes two types of words that impose such a baggage on the children of poor families that they cannot put down. First is the world of the family that is caught in a web of poverty. The children are burdened with the stigma of caste in which they are born. The other world is a vicious circle of the Sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, and the keepers of law,the bureaucrats and the politicians. These two worlds together we aveanet of misfortune for the children of poor families.Their poverty does not allow them even to think of a good lifestyle.The society on the other hand is very cruel to them in general. People have no sympathy with these less fortunate ones and hinder their dreams of a good life.