Class 12 chapter 2 lost spring

About the Author: Anees Jung was born in Rourkela and spent her childhood and
adolescence in Hyderabad. She received her education in Hyderabad and in the United
State of America. She is the author of several books including’ unveiling India’, Night of the
New Moon’, Seven sisters’, and Breaking the Silence’. The following is an excerpt from her
book titled, stories of lost childhood’ .Here she analyses the grinding poverty and traditions
which condemns these children to a life of exploitation.

Answer the following questions:

1. How in your opinion, can Mukesh realize his dream?

Ans. Mukesh is the son of poor bangle maker of Firozabad. Most of the young men of
Firozabad have no imitative or ability to dream. But Mukesh is an exception..He has
the capacity to take courage and break from the traditional family occupation. He has
the strong will power also. He doesn’t want to be a pawn in the hands of the middle
man or money lenders. He insists on being his own master. By becoming a motor
mechanic. .He can realize his dream by joining a garage and learn the job of repairing
cars and driving them. He will have to overcome many hurdles before he over comes
he succeeds. Then comes transport problem. Money is the first one..He will have to
earn some money himself. The garage is a long away from his home.. He will have to
cover up twice a day anyhow by walking on foot.paitence, hard work, firm will and
determination to learn will help him realize his dream.

2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?

Ans. The glass bangle industry has many health hazards. It usually employs small children.
It is illegal to employ very young children in hazardous industries, but certain forces
like, middle men, money lenders, police and politicians combine to entrap the poor
workers. Let us consider the place where bangle maker’s work. It is a cottage
industry. They work in glass furnace with high temperatures. The dingy cells are
without air and light .Boys and girls work hard next to lines of flames of flickering oil
lamps. They weld pieces of colored glass in to circles of bangles. Their eyes are more
adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. That is why they often end losing their
eyesight before they becomes adult. Glass blowing, welding and soldering pieces of
glass all are health hazards .Even the dust from polishing the glass of bangles
adversely affects the eyes and even adult go blind. Thus surroundings, prevailing
conditions and the type of job involved all prove risky to the health of the workers.

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3. What are the dreams of the people like ‘Saheb-e-Alam’ and Mukesh? Could these be
realized? What is the reality of the situation?

Ans. Poor rag-pickers like Saheb spend the early years of their lives looking for gold in
garbage dumps.the parents of these street children have no fixed income. They wage
war against poverty and hunger. They have no dreams expect finding the means of
survival. Garbage to them is gold. It is the source of their daily bread. And provides a
roof over their heads.. He ends up as a servant at tea stall and loses his freedom.
Mukesh the son of bangle maker of Firozabad has a dream of becoming a motor
mechanic. He wants to learn a drive a car..He thinks of joining a garage to fulfill his
dream.. He knows that the garage is a far away, yet he has decided to walk. He
realizes his reality and is willing to overcome the obstacles. His daring to rise and
decision to get free from the trap laid by vicious money lenders and middle men
arouse a sense of hope.Deprived of education, proper food and up bring, these
children are forced in to labor early in life.

4. Firozabad presents a strange paradox. Contrast the beauty of the glass bangles of
Firozabad with the misery of the people who produce them. Firozabad the centre of India’s
glass –blowing industry, is famous for its bangles. Spirals of bangles of various colors can be
seen lying in mounds in yards or piled in four wheeled carts. These bangles have shining
bright colors, sunny gold, royal blue pink etc. every color is born out of seven color of rain
bow.. The bangles makers lead a miserable life. They know no other work than bangle
making. They neither courage nor money to start a trade. Or job. They spent generation in
the clutches of middle men and money lenders. Extreme poverty forces them to remain
hungry and they work all day. Mukesh’s father has failed to send his two sons to school.
Young boys are tired as their fathers.. Their work at hot furnace makes them to blind
prematurely

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Dear students,

Please note: Kindly write down all these notes in your new note book and learn don’t waste
your time.

I am giving you English assignment prepare a 5 minutes presentation in any given topic and
bring it in a pen drive when you come to the school. Write your names in your pen drive .It
will be included for the internal assessments.

Topics are given below choose any one:

1 Biography of any important sports person in the world.

2 Dependence of technology making human less intelligent
3 Tourism in India
4 Sports and games
5 The trip I enjoyed the most
6 My favorite TV program me.
7 Poverty in India
8 Hobbies and Interest
9 Important historical event in India from 2016 to 2020.
10 Current education system in India.
11 Digital India