LOST SPRING

YEH PADHO AUR PURA CHAPTER ON TIPS:

Important Notes
• I – Sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage.
1. The writer encounters Saheb every morning scrounging for gold in the garbage.
2. Saheb-e-Alam, a refugee from Dhaka, Bangladesh is a ragpicker.
3. Wants to go to school, but can’t – very poor.
4. Lives in Seemapuri – a locality on the periphery of Delhi without any basic amenities.
5. Most of the rag pickers live here.
6. Food is more important for them than identity.
7. Rag picking is different for children and adult.
8. For adults – a mean of survival
9. For children – wrapped in wonders
10. Sahib gets a job in tea stall, earns Rs. 800/- and all his meal but still unhappy
11. Loses his freedom and carefree look.
II – I want to drive a car.
1. The writer comes across Mukesh in Firozabad.
2. His family is engaged in making bangles but Mukesh insists on being his own master.
3. He desires to become a motor mechanic.
4. They work in dingy cells without air and light and furnaces with high temperatures.
5. As a result, most of them become blind at a very young age.
6. They don’t have money to do anything except carry on the business of making bangles.
7. They can’t organize into a co-operative.
8. They are afraid of being hauled up by the Police, beaten and dragged to jail for doing
something illegal.
9. There is no leader among them.
10. They talk of poverty, apathy, greed and injustice.
11. So poor that they can’t even dream – to do anything means to dare – and daring is not
part of their growing.
12. The author is cheered when she senses a flash of it in Mukesh who wants to be a motor
mechanic.

APNI KAKSHA 1
Multiple Choice Questions based on an extract.
Extract-1
"Why do you do this?" I ask Saheb whom I encounter every morning scrounging for gold in
the garbage dumps of my neighbourhood. Saheb left his home long ago. Set amidst the
green fields of Dhaka, his home is not even a distant memory. There were many storms
that swept away their fields and homes, his mother tells him. That's why they left, looking
for gold in the big city where he now lives. "I have nothing else to do," he mutters, looking
away. "Go to school," I say glibly, realising immediately how hollow the advice must sound.
"There is no school in my neighbourhood. When they build one, I will go."

i ) Who is ‘I’ in the above lines?

a) Anees Jung
b) Jack Finney
c) Alphonse Daudet
d) Colin Dexte
Ans a)

ii ) Which chapter has this extract been taken from?

a) Lost Spring
b) The Last Lesson
c) Deep Water
d) The Rattrap
Ans b)

iii.) What does the word ‘Amidst’ mean?

a) In the middle of
b) In the corner of
c) In the right side of
d) In the left side of
Ans a)

iv.) Why does the word ‘Glibly’ mean?

a) Superfically
b) Intrinsically
c) Confidently
d) None of these
Ans a)

APNI KAKSHA 2
 Extract-02
"If I start a school, will you come?" I ask, half-joking. "Yes," he says, smiling broadly.
A few days later I see him running up to me. "Is your school ready?" "It takes longer
to build a school," I say, embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant.
But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world. After months of
knowing him, I ask him his name. "Saheb-e-Alam," he announces. He does not know
what it means. If he knew its meaning - lord of the universe - he would have a hard
time believing it.

i ) Why does the narrator feel embarrassed?

a) For making a fake promise
b) For making a promise that she can keep
c) For making a real promise
d) For not making any promise
Ans a)

ii ) Which literary device is there in sahib’s name?

a) Satire
b) Irony
c) Paradox
d) Hyperbole
Ans b)

iii.) What does phrase ‘Abound in’ mean?

a) Pullulate with
b) Teem in
c) Exist in large quantity
d) All of these
Ans d)

iv.) Find out the synonym of the word ‘Bleak’ from the following.
a) Black
b) Dim
c) Hopeless
d) All of these
Ans d)

APNI KAKSHA 3
 Extract-03

Unaware of what his name represents, he roams the streets with his friends, an
army of barefoot boys who appear like the morning birds and disappear at noon.
Over the months, I have come to recognise each of them. "Why aren't you wearing
chappals?" I ask one. "My mother did not bring them down from the shelf," he
answers simply. "Even if she did he will throw them off," adds another who is
wearing shoes that do not match. When I comment on it, he shuffles his feet and
says nothing. "I want shoes," says a third boy who has never owned a pair all his
life. Travelling across the country I have seen children walking barefoot, in cities,
on village roads. It is not lack of money but a tradition to stay barefoot, is one
explanation. I wonder if this is only an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of
poverty.

i ) What is the factual reason for not wearing chappals?

a) Their Poverty
b) Their fashion
c) Their inability to not get the chappals down from the shelf
d) Their excuses
Ans a)

ii ) What does the word ‘Barefoot’ mean?

a) Without footwear
b) With footwear
c) Neither i nor ii
d) Both i and ii
Ans a)

iii.) Which literary device has been used in ‘Who appear like the morning birds’?
a) Synecdoche
b) Metonymy
c) Zeugma
d) Simile
Ans d)

iv.) Replace the phrase ‘Lack of form the following.

a) Deficiency of
b) Scarcity of
c) Shortage of
d) All of these
Ans d)

APNI KAKSHA 4
 Extract-04
For one who has walked barefoot, even shoes with a hole is a dream come true. But
the game he is watching so intently is out of his reach. This morning, Saheb is on his
way to the milk booth. In his hand is a steel canister. "I now work in a tea stall down
the road," he says, pointing in the distance. "I am paid 800 rupees and all my
meals." Does he like the job? I ask. His face, I see, has lost the carefree look. The
steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his
shoulder. The bag was his. The canister belongs to the man who owns the tea shop.
Saheb is no longer his own master!

i ) Where is Saheb employed mow?

a) At coffee shop
b) At a tea stall
c) At a bangle making industry
d) At a garage
Ans b)

ii ) What does the narrator mean by “The bag was his”?

a) He was a slave earlier
b) He was his own owner earlier
c) He is his owner now
d) None of these
Ans b)

iii.) What is Saheb’s attitude towards life?

a) Optimistic
b) Pessimistic
c) Reserved
d) Progressive
Ans b)

iv.) What is Saheb’s dream come true?

a) He has found a rupee note
b) He has found a ten rupee note
c) He has got a new pair of tennis shoes
d) He has got a rejected pair of tennis shoes
Ans d)

APNI KAKSHA 5
 Stand Alone MCQs
1. Mukesh wants to learn to become a motor mechanic by
(a) finding a tutor
(b) going to a garage to learn
(c) by reading books
(d) by joining a school
Ans. (b) going to a garage to learn

2. What bothers the author most about the bangle makers?

(a) the stigma of poverty and caste
(b) the affluence of the landlords
(c) the behaviour of the factory owners
(d) the labour laws
Ans (a) the stigma of poverty and caste

3. “One wonders if he has achieved what many have failed to achieve in their lifetime.
He has a roof over his head”; these lines were said in reference to the condition of
(a) the elderly woman’s old husband
(b) Mukesh’s father
(c) the bangle factory owner
(d) Mukesh’s elder brother
Ans (a) the elderly woman’s old husband

4. Which of the objects below best serves as a symbol of an Indian woman’s `suhag’?
(a) bindi
(b) sindoor
(c) bangles
(d) henna-dyed hands
Ans (c) bangles

5. Sunny-gold, paddy green, royal blue, pink, purple, every colour born out of the
seven colours of the rainbow. What is this a reference to?
(a) clothes
(b) birds
(c) bangles
(d) bindis
Ans (c) bangles

APNI KAKSHA 6
6. What was the profession of Mukesh’s father before he became a bangle-maker?
(a) tailor
(b) carpenter
(c) plumber
(d) Mason
Ans (a) tailor

7. The frail woman in Mukesh’s house is his

(a) mother
(b) elder brother’s wife
(c) wife
(d) niece
Ans: (b) elder brother’s wife

8. If laws were to be enforced, it would bring about change and relief in the lives of
about
(a) ten thousand children
(b) twenty thousand children
(c) hundred children
(d) a thousand children
Ans: (b) twenty thousand children

9. Bangle industry flourishes in the town of

(a) Ferozepur
(b) Firozabad
(c) Ferozgarh
(d) Farukhabad
Ans: (b) Firozabad

10. Mukesh belonged to a family of

(a) farmers
(b) rag-pickers
(c) bangle makers
(d) motor mechanics
Ans: (c) bangle makers

APNI KAKSHA 7
11. One day, Saheb was seen by the author, watching some young men playing
(a) cricket
(b) tennis
(c) hockey
(d) soccer
Ans: (b) tennis

12. According to the author, rag picking has become, over the years, a
(a) profession
(b) fine art
(c) tradition
(d) culture
Ans: (b) fine art

13. The rag pickers have no identity, but they have

(a) permits
(b) passports
(c) ration cards
(d) licenses
Ans: (a) permits

14. The colony of ragpickers is situated in

(a) the south of Delhi
(b) Mongolpuri
(c) Jehangirpuri
(d) Seemapuri
Ans: (d) Seemapuri

15. What did the man from Udipi pray for, when he was young?
(a) a pair of trousers
(b) a pair of shoes
(c) a few friends
(d) an opportunity to study in a school
Ans: (b) a pair of shoes

APNI KAKSHA 8
16. One explanation which the author gets about children choosing to remain barefoot
is
(a) they have no money
(b) tradition
(c) no matching pairs
(d) like to wear only chappals
Ans: (b) tradition

17. ‘Is your school ready? Who asked this Question?

(a) Saheb’s mother
(b) Saheb’s friends
(c) the author
(d) Saheb
Ans:(d) Saheb

18. What were Saheb and his family looking for in Delhi?
(a) dollars
(b) rupees
(c) pounds
(d) gold
Ans: (d) gold

19. Saheb’s home, before Delhi, was in

(a) Bengal
(b) Orissa
(c) Dhaka
(d) Bihar
Ans: (c) Dhaka

20. ’Why do you do this?’ This Question was asked by the author to
(a) the bangle sellers
(b) Mahesh
(c) Saheb
(d) Saheb’s mother
Ans: (c) Saheb

APNI KAKSHA 9
21. What is Mukesh’s dream?
(a) To be a doctor
(b) To be a merchant
(c) To be a rogue
(d) To be a motor- mechanic
Ans: (d) To be a motor- mechanic

22. What is the means of survival in Seemapuri?

(a) Work
(b) Merchandising
(c) Education
(d) Ragpicking
Ans: (d) Ragpicking

23. Firozabad is the centre of which industry?

(a) Cotton industry
(b) Furniture industry
(c) Textile industry
(d) Glassblowing industry
Ans: (d) Glassblowing industry

24. What compels the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad to poverty?

(a) Cast and ancestral profession
(b) Karam theory and society
(c) Bureaucrats and politicians
(d) All of these
Ans: (d) All of these

25. Who is Mukesh?

(a) Student
(b) Worker
(c) Bangle maker
(d) Ragpicker
Ans: (c) Bangle maker

APNI KAKSHA 10
26. What makes the working conditions of the children worst in the glass industry?
(a) Dark dingy cells without light and air
(b) Dazzling and sparking of welding light
(c) High temperature
(d) All of these
Ans: (d) All of these

27. Who employs the local families of Firozabad?

(a) Bureaucrats
(b) Merchants
(c) Politicians
(d) The glass blowing industry
Ans: (d) The glass blowing industry

28. What efforts can help Mukesh materialise his dream of becoming a car driver?
(a) Hard work
(b) Going to garage
(c) Guidance of his owner
(d) All these
Answer: (d) All these

29. Why did Saheb leave Dhaka?

(a) Because of lack of resources
(b) Because of lack of enough food
(c) Because of friends
(d) Because of parents
Ans: (b) Because of lack of enough food

30. What forced Saheb to be a ragpicker?

(a) Hard work
(b) Destiny
(c) People around him
(d) Acute poverty
Ans: (d) Acute poverty

APNI KAKSHA 11
31. Why did Saheb go through garbage dumps?
(a) To find a silver coin
(b) A rupee
(c) A ten rupee note
(d) All of these
Ans: (d) All of these

32. What does the title ‘Lost Spring’ symbolise?

(a) Lost blooming childhood
(b) Autumn season
(c) Lost money
(d) Lost age
Ans: (a) Lost blooming childhood

33. What do the boys appear like to the author in the story?
(a) Morning crows
(b) Evening crows
(c) Morning birds
(d) Evening Birds
Ans: (c) Morning birds

34. Where was Saheb employed?

(a) At a tea stall in Seemapuri
(b) At a saree shop
(c) At a jewellery shop
(d) At a sweet shop
Ans: (a) At a tea stall in Seemapuri

35. Why did Saheb -e- Alam not go to school?

(a) Not interested
(b) Had no money to pay fees
(c) Wanted to go for movie
(d) Wanted to earn money
Ans: (b) Had no money to pay fees

APNI KAKSHA 12
THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he
come from?
Ans. Saheb is looking for gold in the garbage dumps. He is in the neighbourhood of the author.
Saheb has come from Bangladesh. He Came with his mother in 1971. His house was set
amidst the green fields of Dhaka. Storms swept away their fields and homes. So they left
the country.

Q2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?

Ans. One explanation offered by the author is that it is a tradition to stay barefoot. It is not lack
of money. He wonders if this is only an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of
poverty. He also remembers the story of a poor body who prayed to the goddess for a
pair of shoes.

Q3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.

Ans. No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall. He is no longer his own master. His face
has lost the carefree look. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would
carry so lightly over his shoulder. The bag was his. The canister belongs to the man who
owns the tea-shop.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

Ans. The city of Firozabad is famous for its bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged
in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. Families have spent
generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for the women in
the land.

Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?

Ans. Boys and girls with their fathers and mothers sit in dark hutments, next to lines of flames
of flickering oil lamps. They weld pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their
eyes are more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. They often end up losing
eyesight before they become adults. Even the dust from polishing the glass of bangles is
injurious to eyes. Many workers have become blind. The furnaces have very high
temperature and therefore very dangerous.

APNI KAKSHA 13
Q3. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?

Ans. Mukesh’s grandmother thinks that the god-given lineage can never be broken. Her son
and grandsons are bom in the caste of bangle makers. They have seen nothing but
bangles.

Mukesh’s father has taught them what he knows—the art of making bangles. But Mukesh
wants to be a motor mechanic. He will go to a garage and learn, though the garage is far
away from his home

Understanding the Text

Q1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to
cities?

Ans. People migrate from villages to cities in search of livelihood. Their fields fail to provide
them means of survival. Cities provide employment, jobs or other means of getting food.
The problem in case of the poor is to feed the hungry members. Survival is of primary
concern.

Q2. Would you agree that promises made to the poor children are rarely kept? Why do
you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?

Ans. The promises made to the poor are rarely kept. The author asks Saheb half-joking,
whether he will come to her school if she starts one. Saheb agrees to do so. A few days
later he asks if the school is ready. The writer feels embarrassed at having made a
promise that was not meant. Promises like hers abound in every comer of their bleak
world.

Q3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in
poverty?

Ans. Certain forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty.
These include the moneylenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the
bureaucrats, and the politicians. Together they impose a heavy burden on the child.

Short Answer questions

1. How many ragpickers used to live in Seemapuri, Delhi? How did they settle there?

Ans. In Seemapuri, Delhi, more than 10,000 ragpickers used to live. They have lived there for
more than thirty years as they are the squatters who came from Bangladesh in 1971.

2. What was the meaning of garbage for children? What did they find in it?

Ans. For children, garbage was wrapped in wonder. In it, they sometimes found rupee, even a
ten rupee note and therefore they didn’t stop scrounging in hope of finding more.
APNI KAKSHA 14
3. Why could the bangle-makers not organise themselves into a cooperative?

Ans. The bangle-makers could not organise themselves into a cooperative because they were
trapped in the vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats and
politicians, who exploited them. If they tried to organise themselves, they would be
beaten by the police and put in jail.

4. Why did ‘Anees Jung’ ask Saheb about the school? What was its impact on Saheb?

Ans ‘Anees Jung’ asked Saheb about the school because she wanted to know about the
intention of Saheb regarding studies. At the author’s offer Saheb immediately got ready to
join the school, though the author offered him non-seriously.

5. Why did Saheb and other ragpickers not wear chappals? What excuse did they give
for it?

Ans. Saheb and other ragpickers did not wear chappals because its their tradition to wander
barefoot and they didn’t like to wear also. They excused that their mother didn’t give
them from the shelf.

6. It is his Karam, his Destiny.” Explain.

Ans. Mukesh’s grandmother believes in destiny. She believes that they cannot God-given
lineage. It is their destiny to suffer like this. They were born in the caste of bangle-makers
and will always be one, for they do not have any control over their destiny.

7. Describe Mukesh as an ambitious person.

Ans. Mukesh is an ambitious person because he wants to become a motor-mechanic by

breaking free from the vicious web of generations of families being involved in bangle-
making. He has the courage to dream of becoming a motor mechanic, thus breaking free
from destiny.

8. What is Mukesh’s dream?

Ans. Mukesh belongs to the bangle-makers of Firozabad where each family is engaged in
bangle-making. On asking, Mukesh says, “I will be a motor-mechanic. I will learn to drive
a car.” Thus, he wants to be his own master. However, because he is caught up in the
vicious cycle created by others, he will not be able to realise his dream and will remain a
bangle-maker.

9. Describe the irony in Sahib’s name?

Ans. Saheb is a poor ragpicker who lives in Seemapuri. His full name is Saheb-e-Alan’, which
means Lord of the Universe’.

APNI KAKSHA 15
 The irony lies in the meaning of his name itself. According to his name, he should be a
king and enjoy all the luxuries of life. But unfortunately, he is a barefoot ragpicker, who
lacks even the basic necessities.

10. What does the bangles symbolize? What is the role of bangle makers of Firozabad?

Ans. The bangles symbolize an Indian woman’s ‘Suhaag’. The bangle makers of Firozabad
produce the largest quantity of bangles in the country and export bangles to all over the
world.

11. Why could the bangle makers not organise themselves into a co-operative? What
do they face if they do so?

Ans. The bangle makers couldn’t organise themselves into a co-operative because if they do so,
they are hauled up by the police, beaten and dragged to jail. They face the middlemen,
police and other selfish people.

12. Why did Mukesh volunteer to take the narrator home? Who were there in the
home?

Ans. Mukesh volunteered to take the narrator to his home because his house was being rebuilt
and he wanted to show it to her. In the home, there were many members as Mukesh’s
elder brother, his (brother’s) wife, Mukesh’s father, grandmother and few animals.

Important Long Question Answers

1. What is the vicious circle of middlemen? How are they trapped since the time of
their forefathers? Can they get organised? If not, why? Explain.

Ans. The vicious circle of middleman is surely very vicious. Actually, whenever these bangle
makers step out to come forward for any other work, they are hauled up and stopped by
the policemen and sahukars, middleman, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the
politicians. Whenever, they even think of any other trade, their thinking and abilities are
killed. And this vicious circle of so called gentlemen of the society seems more powerful
than a web of spider. They have been trapped since the time of their forefathers due to
the same reason because this legacy is being transferred to every next generation. And
due to this naturally felt and given legacy, the child accepts it very ordinarily. They can
never be organised so easily because the middlemen, and others do not let them
organised because of their own greed and selfishness. These so called important persons
of the society thinks only of themselves and do the fake promises showing the false
sympathy. So, their (bangle maker’s) reform remains a challenge for them as well as for
government.

APNI KAKSHA 16
2. Give a brief account of life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in
Seemapuri.

Ans. Seemapuri is a slum area located on the periphery of Delhi. Most of the residents of
Seemapuri consist of people who are refugees from Bangladesh. Saheb’s family is emong
them. The area consists of mud structures, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. They do not
have facilities of sewage, drainage or running water. About 10000 ragpickers live here.
Their only means of livelihood is finding saleable items from rubbish. Thus, for them, the
rubbish is as valuable as gold, for their survival depends on what they find in the rubbish.
These ragpickers have lived here for more than thirty years without any identity. They do
not have permits but have ration cards, thanks to the selfish whims and wishes of the
politicians. With these, they can get their name on the voter’s lists and also buy grains for
themselves at a subsidised rate.

3. Who was Saheb? What was the plight that compelled him to wander in the streets
of Delhi for ragpicking?

Ans. Saheb who belonged to the family of ragpickers was a young boy wandering in the streets
of Delhi with his friends. They were the squatters from Dhaka, Bangladesh where the
storm has destroyed their green fields and homes. They were so poor that they could not
go to school. Their parents were depend on ragpicking only for their livelihood and
unable to bear any other expense except foodings. In total their poverty was the plight
that compel Saheb and others like him to wander in the streets of Delhi for ragpicking.

4. How is Mukesh’s attitude towards his situation different from that of Saheb? Why?

Ans. Mukesh belongs to a bangle-making family, but he is not content with this profession. He
dares to dream of becoming a motor-mechanic and driving cars. He has strong will power
and wants to achieve what he dreams about, unlike other people in his family. In contrast
to this, Saheb is a ragpicker who is content with his life, but becomes unhappy when he
gets a job at a tea stall, even though now he is probably earning more and on a regular
basis. Saheb is unhappy because he has lost his independence, which he had as However,
Saheb accepts his new situation, whereas Mukesh want to break free from tradition. This
is because Mukesh is more courageous and a ragpicker. determined than Saheb will ever
be.

APNI KAKSHA 17
5. Every other house in Firozabad is engaged in glass industry. In every other yard,

there finds the spiral of bangles. Even then the makers remain in miserable

condition. What are the reasons? Explain with the suggestions to overcome this

situation.

Ans. In India, Firozabad is the largest manufacturer of the bangles. Every other house in

Firozabad is engaged in glass industry. In every other yard, there finds the spiral of

bangles out what an irony that these families always remain in miserable condition. The

reasons behind it are a lot in many ways as since generations, they’ve been engaged in

only bangle making and not seen any other thing never so they are tolally dependent on

this trade, whenever they think or effort for any other trade, they are stopped and hauled

up by the police and other persons like middlemen, sahukars, the keepers of law, the

bureaucrats and the politicians. Their condition can only be reformed by the combined

efforts of bangle makers and the government both. Their products should be given

‘Hallmark’ and kept free from taxes. They should be given opportunity to sell their

products directly to the companies and the mediators must be removed. Even the

government can give subsidy and casy low interest loan to these poor bangle makers.

6. Who was Mukesh? What did he want to do in his life and what did he not want to

follow?

Ans Mukesh was a member of the family from Firozabad, engaged in bangle making, His

whole family since last many generations, was involved in only bangle making. So, no

person of such bangle making families could think of any other work naturally. As

because of family trade, he himself too had to do the same work but Mukesh never

wanted to follow that tradition. Actually, he wanted to be a motor mechanic for which he

had to take a great pain going against his family tradition and members, without support

taking the training. going very far from his house for learning etc. When the author asked

him about his good, he straight-forwardly replied for motor mechanic.

APNI KAKSHA 18
Previous Year Questions

Q.1. To which country did Saheb’s parents originally belong? Why did they come to
India? (Compartment 2014)

or

Why did Saheb’s parents leave Dhaka and migrate to India? (Compartment 2014)

or

Why had the ragpickers come to live in Seemapuri? (Foreign 2014)

Ans. Saheb’s parents belonged to Dhaka in Bangladesh, where they lived amidst green fields.
They and the other ragpickers left their homes many years ago and migrated to India in
search of a livelihood, as their homes and fields were destroyed in storms. This forced
them to come to India, where they settled in the slums of Seemapuri.

Q.2. What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy? (All India 2014 Modified)

Ans. Saheb took up work at a tea stall, where he had to perform several odd jobs, including
getting milk from the milk booth. He was not happy, as he had lost his independence.
Though he earned ? 800, and got all his meals free, he was no longer his own master.

Q.3. In what sense is garbage gold to the ragpickers? (Compartment 2014)

or

Garbage to them is gold; why does the author say so about the ragpickers? (Delhi
2008)

Ans. Garbage is gold to the ragpickers of Seemapuri because it provides them items which can
be sold for cash, which can buy them food and is a means of survival. Moreover, it is gold
also because the ragpickers can find stray coins and currency notes in it.

Q.4. How is Mukesh different from the other bangle makers of Firozabad? (Delhi 2014;
Modified)

Ans. Mukesh has the courage to dream big in spite of all adversity, whereas the other bangle
makers of Firozabad have resigned to their fate, and have suppressed all their hopes and
desires. Mukesh refuses to follow the ‘God-given lineage’ of bangle making and wants to
be a motor mechanic when he grows up.

Q.5. Whom does Anees Jung blame for the sorry plight of the bangle makers?

(Compartment 2014)

Ans. Anees Jung blames the middlemen, the policemen, the lawmakers, the bureaucrats and
the politicians for the sorry plight of the bangle makers. These people conspire against

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 and exploit the poor bangle makers. They pay them meagre wages, do not let them form
co-operatives, and compel their children to join the same trade at an early age.

Q.6. What is Mukesh’s dream? Do you think he will be able to fulfil his dream? Why?
Why not? (Compartment 2014)

or

What was Mukesh’s dream? In your opinion, did he achieve his dream? (Foreign
2009) or

Is it possible for Mukesh to realise his dream? Justify your answer. (All India 2009)

Ans. Mukesh’s dream is to become a motor-mechanic. It is no doubt difficult for Mukesh to

achieve his dream, as he is torn between his desires and his family tradition, which he
cannot escape. Besides, he has to face a number of obstacles in the form of sahukars,
middlemen, bureaucrats, law makers, politicians etc. However, his will to work hard, and
his strong determination could make him achieve his dream. ‘
Q7. In spite of despair and disease pervading the lives of the slum children, they are
not devoid of hope. How far do you agree? (Delhi 2013)

Ans. In spite of growing up amidst despair and disease, children who live in the slum have the
desire to achieve something big in life, like Mukesh. This shows that they are not devoid
of hope. Saheb, a ragpicker, is eager to go to a school and learn. Mukesh, who works in
dark, dingy cells making bangles, dreams of becoming a motor mechanic, which is very
much against his family tradition.

Q8. Who is Mukesh? What is his dream? (Delhi 2012)

Ans. Mukesh is a child labourer who Works in a glass bangle making factory that is situated in
Firozabad. Though Mukesh belongs to a poor family which is engaged in bangle making,
he dreams of becoming a motor mechanic when he grows up.

Q.9. Why could the bangle makers not organise themselves into a cooperative? (All
India 2012)

Ans. The bangle makers could not organise themselves into a cooperative because they were
trapped in the vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen, policemen, up bureaucrats and
politicians. If they tried to organise themselves, they would be beaten by up the police
and put in jail.

Q.10. Mention any two hazards of working in the bangle industry. (Foreign 2011)

Ans. The glass bangle industry offers a very unhealthy and hazardous environment to the
people working in it. They have to work in the glass furnaces with high temperature in

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 dingy cells without air and light. Workers, including child labourers, lose their eyesight at
an early age. Slogging for long, relentless hours also has adverse effects on their bodies.

Q.11. Why does the author say that the bangle makers are caught in a vicious web?

(All India 2010)

Ans. The bangle makers in Firozabad are exploited at the hands of the Sahukars, middlemen,
policemen, law makers, bureaucrats and politicians. They toil day and night, but are not

paid appropriate wages and are steeped in poverty. They cannot form cooperatives for
their betterment. Moreover, their children are also compelled to join the same trade at an
early age and cannot dare to take up any other profession.

Q12. Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall? How do you know? (Foreign 2010, All India
2009)

Ans. Saheb is not happy working at the tea stall. He is paid a fixed wage of Rs 800, and also
receives all his meals free. But the author notices that his face has lost its carefree look,
which makes it evident that he is not happy. He has lost his independence, and is no
longer his own master.

Q.1. Give a brief account of life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in

Seemapuri. (Delhi 2011)

Ans. The author’s acquaintance with Saheb and other barefoot ragpickers introduced her to
Seemapuri. It is a slum area located on the periphery of Delhi. The residents of Seemapuri
consist of people who left Bangladesh in the 1971 War and are basically refugees. Saheb’s
family is among them. The area does not have facilities of sewage, drainage or running
water. About 10000 ragpickers live here. Their only means of livelihood is ragpicking,
and they treat rags as valuable as gold. These ragpickers have lived here for more than
thirty years without any identity. They do not have permits but have ration cards, with
which they can get their names on the voter’s list and also buy grains at subsidised rates.

Q2. ’Lost Spring’ explains the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn thousands
of people to a life of abject poverty. Do you agree? Why/Why not? (All India 2011)

Ans. ‘Lost Spring’ is a good narration of grinding poverty and traditions to which thousands of
people have succumbed. The story revolves around the pitiable condition of poor
children who have been forced to live in slums and work hard in dirty conditions. The
story is divided into two parts. The first part tells the writer’s impression about the life of
poor ragpickers who have migrated froin Bangladesh, but now have settled in the
Seemapuri area of Delhi. The second part narrates the miserable life of the bangle makers
in the town of Firozabad. The stark reality of these families is that in spite of back-

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 breaking hard work that they put in, they cannot have two square meals a day. Besides,
they are victims of exploitation by those above them and also suffer the consequences of
blind belief in traditions.

Q.3. The bangle makers of Firozabad make beautiful bangles and make everyone happy

but they live and die in squalor. Elaborate. (Delhi 2010)

Ans. Firozabad is the hub of India’s glass-blowing industry where families have spent
generations making bangles to adorn married women. The stark reality of these families
is that in spite of the back breaking hard work that they put in, they cannot have two
square meals a day.

They work in deplorable conditions and many lose their eyesight early. To top it all, they
live in unhygienic conditions where there is a lack of basic amenities too.

The sad reality is that the workers cannot organise themselves into a cooperative. They
are devoid of all enthusiasm and do not dare to dream of anything better. The fear of the
police and lack of leadership among themselves have confined them to a vicious circle of
poverty, indifference and greed. Thus, while they bring happiness to everyone’s life, their
own life is steeped in poverty and squalor.

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