Engl

ish Flamingo Chapter - 2

Lost Spring

Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context:
i. looking for
Ans: Try to locate or discover

ii. slog their daylight hours

Ans: Struggle persistently during the daytime

iii. roof over his head

Ans: A place to live

iv. perpetual state of poverty

Ans: endless impoverishment

v. dark hutments
Ans: encampment of huts devoid of any light

vi. imposed the baggage on the child

Ans: force the profession on the child

Think as you read:

1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has
he come from?
Ans: Saheb was searching for rupee notes, coins, and other useful objects in the
garbage dumps. Their family was uprooted from their village in Dhaka,
Bangladesh, and had no option but to shift to Seemapuri, a slum on the outskirts
of Delhi, and look for a source of income.

2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing
footwear?
Ans: One of the explanations that the author comes across when she saw many
shoe-less rag-picking children in her neighborhood was that it was a tradition to
remain barefoot among them and other poor children in the country. She soon
realized that her justification was wrong and just supported this idea and state of
utter destitution.
3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall? Explain.
Ans: Saheb valued his freedom and had a carefree look on his face. Working at
the tea stall meant sacrificing this freedom since he had a master to obey. The job
paid him 800 rupees and all his meals but he felt that the weight of the steel
canister was more than his rag-picking plastic bag and he was not content with it.

Think as you Read:

1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

Ans: Firozabad is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry and is especially
famous for glass bangles.

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

Ans: The glass bangles industry is a hazardous industry. The workers often end up
blind if they are exposed to the work for many years. The furnaces are set in
extremely elevated temperatures and lack proper ventilation. Since most of the
workers are poor, they work without protective eye gear and leaves them blind.
Burns and cuts while working are quite frequent and inhaling the fumes can lead
to lung cancer. The workers put their lives in danger to fill their stomachs.

3. How is Mukesh's attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Ans: Mukesh’s family wanted him to learn the art of bangle making and carry the
skill forward. It was quite common for the kids to learn the art and carry forward
the family profession. But Mukesh wanted to be a motor mechanic and drive a
car. He dreamt and was halfway towards his goal. The people of his community
considered that it was their fate to work as bangle makers to earn their bread.
Mukesh was resolute to learn the intricacies of being a mechanic and travel to
learn it. His determination made him rise above his family members.

Understanding The Text

1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages
to cities?
Ans: People move to cities in search of work and aid to fill their stomachs. There
are better opportunities for work in the cities, compared to villages. Better health
and civic facilities are also present in the large cities and towns to meet the
demands of the population there. Sometimes natural calamities and destruction
of land also force farmers to shift to the city for labour work.
In the story, Saheb and his family had to shift to Seemapuri because their
farmland in Dhaka got destroyed in the storms. They had no alternative other
than shifting to the city to fill their empty stomachs.
2. Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept? Why
do you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?
Ans: Yes, I believe that the promises made to the poor children are seldom kept.
Their dreams and aspirations are just considered to be part of their imaginative
brain and hence are not taken seriously. It is painful to see a young kid’s dream
not being encouraged which makes them less motivated to pursue them. People
seldom make promises with the kids just to avoid shattering their hearts.
In the story, the narrator makes a promise to Saheb about opening a school and
encourages him to study. She sows a seed of hope in his heart, and when after a
few days he enquires her about the school, she realizes how hollow her promise
was and she was embarrassed about her action.

3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad
in poverty?
Ans: The people working in the bangle industry are forced to work in that industry
since that’s the only craft they know to fill their stomachs. They aren't skilled in
any other field and have accepted it as their fate to work in the bangle industry
and be exploited by the deceptive middlemen. A proper legal system and the
social system should be provided to them so that they can flourish with the help
of their craft and come out of perpetual poverty.

Thinking about the Text:

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

Ans: Mukesh wanted to become a motor mechanic and drive a car. It was a
dream not typical for someone who was living in the slums and hence by dream
big he had already raised himself on a pedestal. He will have to face many
obstacles but with his willpower and determination, I believe he can achieve his
dream. He was willing to take a long walk to learn the skill shows the
determination and passion he holds. He just needs to take these small steps and
work on them religiously.

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

Ans: The glass bangles industry is a hazardous industry. The workers often end up
blind if they are exposed to the work for many years. The furnaces are set in
extremely elevated temperatures and lack proper ventilation. Since most of the
workers are poor, they work without protective eye gear and leaves them blind.
Burns and cuts while working are quite frequent and inhaling the fumes can lead
to lung cancer. The workers put their lives in danger to fill their stomachs.
3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Ans: Poor families have more kids because they feel that the more the number of
working hands, the easier it will be to sustain the family. What they don't realize
is that young years for kids are to devote themselves to studies and playing
instead of toiling hard to earn.
Industries and local food restaurants prefer kids as workforce since they charge
less and work for a greater number of hours. They could be exploited easily
without expecting them to revolt anytime soon. These hazardous conditions can
not only cripple them physically but cause ailments that could lead to their death.
Government should keep a better check on these industries and implement
proper laws to regulate the workforce. Strict actions must be taken if any factory
is noticed appointing young lids as working staff. The public should be aware of
these things and shouldn't encourage such behaviour.

Thinking about language:

1. Although this text speaks of factual events and situations of misery it

transforms these situations with almost poetical prose into a literary
experience. How does it do so? Here are some literary devices:
• Hyperbole is a way of speaking or writing that makes something sound better
or more exciting than it really is. For example, Garbage to them is gold.
• A Metaphor, as you may know, compares two things or ideas that are not very
similar. A metaphor describes a thing in terms of a single quality or feature of
some other thing; we can say that a metaphor "transfers" the quality of one
thing to another. For example, The road was a ribbon of light.
• Simile is a word or phrase that compares one thing with another using the
words "like" or "as". For example: As white as snow.

Carefully read the following phrases and sentences taken from the text. Can you
identify the literary device in each example?

1. Saheb-e-Alam which means the lord of the universe is directly in contrast to

what Saheb is in reality.
Ans: Irony

2. Drowned in an air of desolation.

Ans: Metaphor has been used in the sentence. It compares two things or ideas
that are not remarkably similar. Air has no density, and one can practically drown
in air. Even then it has been used by the author to show the gravity of things
happening.
3. Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it,
metaphorically
Ans: Antithesis has been used in the sentence. It is used either as a proposition
that reverses a previously mentioned proposition. The author mentions
Seemapuri is present on the periphery of Delhi and then juxtaposes it by saying its
miles away and contrasts the present idea.

4. For the children it is wrapped in wonder; for the elders, it is a means of

survival.
Ans: Antithesis has been used in the sentence. It is used either as a proposition
that reverses a previously mentioned proposition. The author contrasts the idea
for adults and children. For children, it is a thing of wonder while for adults it is
just survival.

5. As her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine, I wonder if she
knows the sanctity of the bangles she helps make.
Ans: Simile has been used in the sentence. It is used when we compare things or
people using as, like, etc. In the sentence, hands are compared with tongs of a
machine.

6. She still has bangles on her wrist, but not light in her eyes.
Ans: Pun has been used in the sentence. A pun is used to imply a humorous
effect. The writer mentions that there were bangles on her wrist but no happiness
or light in her eyes, creating a humorous effect.

7. Few airplanes fly over Firozabad.

Ans: Pun has been used in the sentence. A pun implies a humorous effect.
Firozabad is near Delhi and many planes fly from there since it is the capital. The
statement has been used to create slight laughter.

8. Web of poverty.
Ans: Metaphor has been used in the sentence. It compares two ideas or things
that are not remarkably similar. Poverty does not from a physical web but is still
compared with it to show its networking and density.

9. Scrounging for gold.

Ans: Metaphor has been used in the sentence. It compares two ideas or things
that are not remarkably similar. Gold is a precious metal and cannot be begged
for and hence the ideas are not related.
10. And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Through the years, it has
acquired the proportions of fine art.
Ans: Hyperbole
11. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so
lightly over his shoulder
Ans: Paradox

2. The beauty of the glass bangles of Firozabad contrasts with the misery of the
people who produce them.
This paradox is also found in some other situations, for example, those who work
in gold and diamond mines, or carpet weaving factories, and the products of their
labor, the lives of construction workers, and the buildings they build. (i)Look
around and find examples of such paradoxes.
(ii)Write a paragraph of about 200 to 250 words on any one of them. You can
start by making notes.
Here is an example of how one such paragraph may begin:

You never see the poor in this town. By day they toil, working cranes and
earthmovers, squirreling deep into the hot sand to lay the foundations of
chrome. By night they are banished to bleak labour camps at the outskirts of
the city...
Ans: You never see the poor in this town. By day they toil, working cranes and
earthmovers, squirreling deep into the hot sand to lay the foundations of chrome.
By night they are banished to bleak labour camps at the outskirts of the city. Poor
live miserably but it does not mean they lack skills. There are various fine fabrics
and hand embroideries that are done by the locals in India and are famous and
have demand across the world. Lack of proper investment and financial exposure
forces them to live in filthy conditions. Their condition is so worse, especially in
these times of crisis that they have to sell their work at minimum prices to sustain
themselves and their families. They work hard the entire day and then just have
to sell off their stuff to earn the wages for survival. They are illiterate and often
exploited. The worst risk is not to the workers but to the skill is lost. Since the
craft is not well paying only a few artisans prefer to learn the skill further. This
reduces the number of people involved in the craft and eventually after some
centuries the craft is no more. They do not know the loss they are facing and how
the technology could be used to earn more than just the survival amount. The rich
and privileged should respect them for the work and time that they give and
provide them properly for the work they do.