43. HS2ndYr- Lost Spring (89)

1. Who is the writer of Lost Spring?

Ans:- Anees Jung is the author of Lost Spring.

2. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where did he come from?

Ans:- Saheb is looking for gold in the garbage dumps. He and his family came from Bangladesh's Dhaka and now lived in the author's neighborhood.

3. What does the author think about the children for not wearing footwear?

Ans:- The author thought that it is a tradition to stay barefoot. He was thinking if poverty was not the reason for wearing the same and also remembers the story of a poor boy who prayed to the goddess for a pair of shoes.

4. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Why?

Ans:- No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall. He is no longer his own master. He does not has the carefree look anymore. The tea-stall owner's steel canister that he uses now is much heavier than the plastic bag which was his own and he would carry so lightly over his shoulder.

5. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

Ans:- Firozabad is the center of India's glass-blowing industry and is famous for bangles. Almost every family was engaged in making the same. These families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass and for making bangles.

6. What are the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?

Ans:- Glass bangles industry has numerous hazards. The young children have to sit with their parents in dark hutments, next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps. Then they weld pieces of coloured glass into bangle circles. They often lose eyesight due to less light. The dust from polishing the glass bangles also cause injury to their eyes. The furnaces have very high temperature and therefore very dangerous.

7. Why do people migrate from villages to cities?

Ans:- people migrate from villages to cities in search of livelihood. Their lands and economy fail to provide employment, jobs or other means of getting food. Their main concern is survival.

8. Who was Saheb? What was he doing? What was his profession?

Ans:- Saheb was a young boy from Dhaka. He was looking for gold in the garbage dumps of the city. Rag-picking was his profession.

9. What is the meaning of Saheb's full name? What did it mean?

Ans:- Saheb's full name was Saheb-e-Alam. It meant the lord of the universe.

10. Who is Mukesh?

Ans:- Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle maker of Firozabad.

11. Where did the ragpickers live?

Ans:- The ragpickers lived at Seemapuri which was in Delhi.

12. What does the garbage mean for the elders of Seemapuri?

Ans:- The poorer elders of Seemapuri looked for items in the garbage which could be sold for money which was like 'gold' for them because it helped them to earn their bread and maintain shelter. For the elders the garbage was a means of survival.

13. Where did Mukesh live?

Ans:- Mukesh lived in a dusty and stinky lanes of street of Firozabad in half-built huts.

14. Briefly describe Seemapuri.

Ans:- Seemapuri is an adjacent town which is situated on the borders of Delhi. There are thousands of ragpickers who live in that area. The settlers are mostly immigrants from Bangladesh who came in 1971. They live here with just one identity of having ration cards which enables them to buy grains or vote. Their houses are of mud and have roofs of tin and tarpaulin. Their is no sewage, drainage or running water. Their children who grow up as their partners to survival are barefeeted ragpickers who help them in earning by selling things which they collect from the garbage.

15. What does Mukesh want to become?

Ans:- Mukesh wanted to become a motor mechanic by going to a garage to learn.

16. What bothers the author most?

Ans:- The stigma of poverty and caste bothers the author most.

17. What is the symbol of an Indian woman's 'suhag?'

Ans:- Bangles is the symbol of an Indian woman's 'suhag'.

18. What did Mukesh's father do?

Ans:- Mukesh's father was a tailor.

19. Who was the woman in Mukesh's house?

Ans:- The frail woman in Mukesh's house was his elder brother's wife.

20. Which colours of were the bangles?

Ans:- The bangles were sunny-gold, paddy green, royal blue, pink, purple and every colour born out of the seven colours of the rainbow.

21. What could have changed the lives of the children?

Ans:- If laws were to be enforced then it would bring about change and relief in the lives of about twenty thousand children.

22. Where did the bangle industry flourish?

Ans:- Bangle industry flourished in Firozabad.

23. What was Saheb watching one day?

Ans:- One day the author found Saheb watching some young men playing tennis.

24. What has become fine art?

Ans:- According to the author, rag picking has become fine art over the years.

25. What was the identity of the ragpickers?

Ans:- Permits were the identity of the ragpickers.

26. What did the man from Udipi pray for?

Ans:- The man from Udipi prayed for a pair of shoes.

27. What was the tradition?

Ans:- The author found that the ragpicking children choosing to remain barefoot was a tradition.

28. Where was Saheb's home before Delhi?

Ans:- Dhaka was Saheb's home before Delhi.

29. Who is Mukesh?

Ans:- Mukesh is a banglemaker.

30. What was the working conditions in the glass industry?

Ans:- The glass industry had dark, dingy cells or rooms without light and air. The temperature was very high. The dazzling and sparking of welding light was harmful for the children working there.

31. How could Mukesh change his destiny?

Ans:- Hard work, going to the garage and guidance of his owner could change Mukesh's destiny for what he wanted to become.

32. Why did Saheb leave Dhaka?

Ans:- Lack of enough food and effects of storm compelled Saheb to leave Dhaka.

33. What forced Saheb to be a ragpicker in Delhi?

Ans:- Acute poverty again forced Saheb to become a ragpicker in Delhi.

34. What does the title symbolise?

Ans:- The title symbolises lost childhood.

35. What are morning birds?

Ans:- To the author the boys look like the morning birds.

36. Where was Saheb employed?

Ans:- Saheb was employed at a tea stall.

37. Why did Saheb not go to school?

Ans:- Saheb had no money to pay fees. So he could not go to school.

38. What does the writer mean when she says, ‘Saheb is no longer his own master’?

Ans:- Since Saheb now works in a tea-stall, he is now bound to his master and feels burdened. The steel canister he carries is very heavy as compared to his light plastic bag. The bag was his own and the canister belongs to his master whose orders he now has to follow. So he is no longer his own master.

39. Is it possible for Mukesh to realize his dream? Justify your answer?

A:- Mukesh’s determination is going to prove instrumental in helping him to realize his dream. His dream can become a reality only if he is able to find a garage where he can be taken in as an apprentice and then he will have to learn how to drive a car. He will then be able to graduate himself to be a good mechanic.

40. Do you think Saheb was happy to work at the tea stall? Answer giving reasons.

A:- Since Saheb now works in a tea-stall, he is now bound to his master and feels burdened. The steel canister he carries is very heavy as compared to his light plastic bag. The bag was his own and the canister belongs to his master whose orders he now has to follow. So he is no longer his own master.

41. What does the title, ‘Lost Spring’ convey?

A:- The title ‘Lost Spring’ conveys how millions of children in India lose out on living the ‘spring’ of their lives, that is their childhood. The best phase of life is lost in the hardships involved to earn their livelihood. Poverty forces these young children to work in the most inhuman conditions as a result of which they miss out on the fun of childhood which hampers their growth.

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

A:- The author says that the bangle makers are caught in a vicious web which starts from poverty, to indifferences, then to greed and finally to injustice. Mind-numbing toil kills their hopes and dreams. They cannot organise themselves into cooperatives and have fallen into a vicious circle of ‘sahukars’, middlemen and the police so they get condemned to poverty and perpetual exploitation.

43. What does the writer mean when she says, ‘Saheb is no longer his own master’?

A:- Since Saheb now works in a tea-stall, he is now bound to his master and feels burdened. The steel canister he carries is very heavy as compared to his light plastic bag. The bag was his own and the canister belongs to his master whose orders he now has to follow. So he is no longer his own master.

44. Who is Mukesh? What is his dream?

A:- Mukesh is a child labourer in a glass factory in Firozabad. Belonging to a family of bangle makers, he shows no fascination towards bangle-making and insists on being his own master. He dreams of becoming a motor mechanic. He desires to go to a garage and get the required training for this job.

45. Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall? Why/ Why not?

A:- No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea stall. Even though, he now gets a fixed income of ?800 alongwith all his meals, he has lost his freedom and his carefree days. He is no longer his own master and is bound and burdened by the steel canister he now has to carry.

46. Why could the bangle-makers not organise themselves into a co-operative?

A:- The bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web which starts from poverty to indifferences then to greed and finally to injustice. Mind-numbing toil kills their hopes and dreams.

The bangle makers of Ferozabad were not able to organise themselves into a cooperative because they had got trapped in a vicious circle j of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, j the bureaucrats and the politicians. Together they had imposed a baggage on these people 1 which they could not put down.

47. Mention any two problems faced by the bangle sellers. 

A:- The bangle makers had to work in the glass furnaces with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light. They are exposed to various health hazards like losing their eyesight as they work in abysmal conditions in dark and dingy cells. They were also caught in a web of poverty, burdened by the stigma of caste in which they were born and also caught in a vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen and policeman.

48. Garbage has two different meanings—one for the children and another for the adults. Comment.

A:- For the children garbage has a different meaning from what it means for the adults. For the children it is wrapped in wonder, their eyes light-up when they find a rupee or a ten-rupee note in it. They search the garbage excitedly with the hope of finding something more. But for the elders it is a means of survival.

49. Why didn’t the bangle makers of Ferozabad organise themselves into a cooperative?

A:- The bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web which starts from poverty to indifferences then to greed and finally to injustice. Mind-numbing toil kills their hopes and dreams.

The bangle makers of Ferozabad were not able to organise themselves into a cooperative because they had got trapped in a vicious circle j of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, j the bureaucrats and the politicians. Together they had imposed a baggage on these people 1 which they could not put down.

50. How is Mukesh’s attitude towards life different from that of his family?

A:- Unlike his family Mukesh insists on being his own master. He dreams to be a motor mechanic which in itself is a daring thought because he wants to break away from the family’s work of making bangles wherein his forefathers have spent generations working around furnaces.

51. Why can’t the bangle makers of Ferozabad organize themselves into a cooperative?

A:- The bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web which starts from poverty to indifferences then to greed and finally to injustice. Mind-numbing toil kills their hopes and dreams.

The bangle makers of Ferozabad were not able to organise themselves into a cooperative because they had got trapped in a vicious circle j of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, j the bureaucrats and the politicians. Together they had imposed a baggage on these people 1 which they could not put down.

52. Why is Saheb unhappy working at the tea i stall?

A:- Saheb was unhappy while working at the tea- stall because he was no longer the master of his own life. He lost his freedom and carefree look. He had to live and work under the instructions of the owner of the tea-stall. He was not at liberty to go out and spend time with his friends.

53. Survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. , Comment.

A:- Survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Over the years it has acquired the proportions of a fine art. For the slum dwellers of Seemapuri, rag-picking is their daily bread, it gives them the roof over their heads and is the very means for their survival.

54. It is ‘a tradition to stay barefoot ‘ What is the attitude of the rag-pickers of Seemapuri towards wearing shoes?

A:- The rag-pickers of Seemapuri have different attitudes towards wearing shoes. One boy does not feel like wearing shoes. Another boy who has never owned a pair of shoes all his life wants them. But the author feels it its not lack of money but a tradition to stay barefoot for these poor people.

55. A young man in Ferozabad is burdened under the baggage of two worlds. What are they?

A:- The two worlds that burden a young man in Ferozabad include one of the family, caught in the web of poverty, burdened by the stigma of ” caste in which they are born; the other a vicious circle of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians.

56. How is Mukesh different from the other bangle makers of Firozabad?

A:- Mukesh was different from other bangle makers because he wanted to be his own master. He had a dream of becoming a motor mechanic whereas other bangle makers did not even dare to dream but had accepted their fate.

57. What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy? A:- Saheb took up a job in a tea stall. Though he gets 800 rupees and all his meals, he is not happy and his face has lost the carefree look. He is bound and burdened as he now has to follow the orders of his master and is no longer his own master.

58. Why did Saheb’s parents leave Dhaka and migrate to India?

A:- Saheb’s home was set amidst the green fields of Dhaka. His mother told him that many storms had swept away their fields and homes. For this reason his parents were forced to leave Dhaka and migrate to India, looking for gold in the big city where they now live.

59. What is Mukesh’s dream? Do you think he will be able to fulfil his dream? Why? Why not? A:- Mukesh’s dream is to learn to drive a car and become a motor mechanic. His dream is likely to be fulfilled because one can sense a kind of determination in him to ensure the fulfillment of his dream. Though the garage is a long way from his home he is willing to walk to learn despite the odds against him.

60. In what sense is garbage gold to the ragpickers?

A:- The rag-pickers of Seemapuri consider garbage as nothing less than gold. For the elders it is their only means of survival as it provides them with their daily bread. For the innocent chil¬dren it is wrapped in wonder as they marvel at the chance of finding a coin, a currency note or a curio that really thrills them and gives them a hope of finding more elusive notes.

61. Whom does Anees Jung blame for the sorry plight of the bangle makers’?

A:- Anees Jung blames the family of the bangle makers, who are caught in a web of poverty, burdened by the stigma of the caste in which they are born and the vicious circle of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians for the sorry plight of the bangle makers.

62. To which country did Saheb’s parents originally belong? Why did they come to India?

A:- Saheb’s parents originally belonged to Dhaka in Bangladesh. His home, which was set amidst the green fields of Dhaka, had been swept away due to the storms and that was when his parents had left their native place and come to the big city in search of livelihood.

63. Most of us do not raise our voice against injustice in our society and tend to remain

mute spectators. Anees Jung in her article, l “Lost Childhood” vividly highlights the I miserable life of street children and bangle makers of Firozabad. She wants us to act. Which qualities does she want the children to develop?

A:- Anees Jung feels at there is dire need to provide these poverty-stricken children a life of dignity and respect. This can mainly be done j through the medium of education, which will further provide them with opportunities wherein they will be able to pursue their dreams. There is utter lack of compassion and concern for unfortunate children like Saheb and Mukesh. They are caught in a vicious circle of poverty and exploitation. The author wants all i children to become aware of their basic rights which will empower them and enable them to j organise themselves into cooperatives whereby j they will not be ruthlessly exploited.

64. What does Saheb look for in the garbage 1 dumps?

A:- According to the author Saheb scrounges for ‘gold’ in the garbage dumps. ‘Gold’ here infers . to items that are valuable to him like used clothes, shoes, plastic scrap, stray coins or 1 currency notes. For children like Saheb, i garbage is ‘wrapped in wonder’.

65. What did garbage mean to the children of Seemapuri and to their parents?

A:- The rag-pickers of Seemapuri consider garbage as nothing less than gold. For the elders it is their only means of survival as it provides them with their daily bread. For the innocent chil¬dren it is wrapped in wonder as they marvel at the chance of finding a coin, a currency note or a curio that really thrills them and gives them a hope of finding more elusive notes.

66. "It is his karam, his destiny.” What is Mukesh’s family’s attitude towards their situation?

A:- Mukesh’s family have accepted their misery and impoverished condition as factors that have been ordained by destiny. Years of depravation and suffering has made them accept their condition passively in the name of fate or destiny. They feel that a God-given lineage can never be broken and have accepted bangle making as his destiny.

67. Describe the irony in Saheb’s name.

A:- Saheb’s full name is Saheb-e-Alam which means ‘Lord of the Universe’. But ironically Saheb is a poverty-stricken ragpicker who scrounges the garbage dumps to earn his livelihood. His name is in complete contrast to his miserable existence.

68. What does the reference to chappals in ‘Lost Spring7 tell us about the economic condition of the rag pickers?

A:- The reference to chappals in ‘Lost Spring’ tells us that the ragpickers were poverty-stricken. The fact that they are not able to buy chappals reflects their extreme state of poverty because of which they are unable to buy basic things.

69. How was Mukesh different from other bangle makers?

A:- Mukesh was different from other bangle makers because he wanted to be his own master. He had a dream of becoming a motor mechanic whereas other bangle makers did not even dare to dream but had accepted their fate.

70. Why was Saheb unhappy while working at the tea-stall?

A:- Saheb was unhappy while working at the tea- stall because he was no longer the master of his own life. He lost his freedom and carefree look. He had to live and work under the instructions of the owner of the tea-stall. He was not at liberty to go out and spend time with his friends.

71. Which industry was a boon and also bane for the people of Firozabad? How?

A:- The glass-bangles making industry was a boon and also bane for the people of Firozabad. The industry has given them a means of livelihood but the hazardous working conditions in the hot furnaces take a toll on their physical health.

72. How are Saheb and Mukesh different from each other?

A:- Mukesh’s attitude towards life was different from that of Saheb. Unlike Saheb he was optimistic about his future and so he dared to dream. He wanted to become a motor mechanic and also wanted to learn to drive a car. Saheb lacked determination so he harboured no dreams or ambitions about his future.

73. The bangle-makers of Ferozabad make bea-utiful bangles and make everyone happy but they live and die in squalor. Elaborate.

A:- Through the story of the bangle-makers of Ferozabad, the author expresses her concern over their exploitation in the hazardous job of bangle-making. Extreme poverty, hard work and dismal working conditions result in the loss of the childhood of children who are in this profession. The working conditions of all bangle-makers are pathetic and miserable. They work in high temperature, badly lit and poorly ventilated glass furnaces due to which child workers especially are at risk of losing their eyesight at an early age and get prone to other health hazards. The stinking lanes of Ferozabad are choked with garbage and humans and animals live together in these hovels. There is no development or progress in their lives with the passage of time. They have no choice but to work in these inhuman conditions. Mind-numbing toil kills their dreams and hopes. They are condemned to live and die in squalor, subjected to a life of poverty and perpetual exploitation.

74. Why did Saheb become a ragpicker? What did j he look for in the garbage dumps?

A:- Saheb belongs to a Bangladeshi refugee family that migrated to Delhi from Dhaka in the wake of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Here he finds himself in a vicious circle of social stigma, poverty and exploitation. He represents a growing number of refugee migrant poor population who are forced to lead a life of penury. This migratory population settle on the periphery of big cities and start doing menial jobs to earn a living. Due to extreme poverty Saheb’s parents are unable to provide for him and so he ends up picking rags for his own survival as well as to support his parents. The author says that Saheb scrounges for ‘gold’ in the garbage. Anything valuable like used clothes, shoes, bits of metal, plastic scrap, stray coins and currency notes can be termed as gold for them.

75. What change did Anees Jung see in Saheb when she saw him standing by the gate of the neighbourhood club? 

A:- Saheb was a poor ragpicker who later takes up a job at a tea-stall in an attempt to be a master of his own destiny. But unfortunately this move further enslaves him. His new job replaces his light polythene bag with a heavy steel canister.

It even deprives him of roaming around with his friends without a care in the world. Earlier, though he did not have the security of a regular income, he had his freedom, and later he did have an assured income at the end of the month but he had lost his freedom. He was no more a free bird and his own master. He appeared burdened and forlorn. He was now a bonded labour who had surrendered his freedom. From being a spirited free bird who was not answerable to anyone he has become bound. He lives in a society where there is utter lack of compassion and commitment for the upliftment of these unfortunate children.

77. Describe the life of squatters at Seemapuri.

A:- Most of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri were refugees from Bangladesh

who had fled their country and migrated to Delhi from Dhaka in the wake of the 1971 Indo- Pak war. Their dwellings were structures of mud, tin and tarpaulin with no sewage, drainage or running water. Picking garbage and rags helped them to earn their daily bread, gave them a roof over their heads and was their only means of livelihood and survival. Though these squatters of Seemapuri have no identity but they do have valid ration cards that enable them to buy grain. Living in Seemapuri, which is on the periphery of Delhi, is like living in hell. Children here grow up to become partners in survival to their parents. An army of barefoot children appears every morning, carrying their plastic bags on their shoulders and disappear by noon. They are forced to live a life of abject poverty that results in the loss of childhood innocence.

Saheb, a ragpicker, roamed in the streets, scrounging for garbage, barefoot and deprived of education. Later he starts working in a tea stall but he loses his freedom and carefree life as he is no longer his own master.

78. What does Anees Jung tell us about life at Mukesh’s home in Ferozabad?

A:- Mukesh’s father represents the underpaid, over exploited bangle makers of Ferozabad who is a victim of his own caste and is caught in a vicious circle of Sahnkars, middlemen, politi¬cians and policemen. He leads a hand-to-mouth existence in a shack with his family which includes two elderly parents, two sons and a daughter-in-law. Lack of education and awareness, the stigma of caste and a vicious nexus of people who exploit them have killed all initiative and drive in the young and the old. Time seems to stand still in Mukesh’s home in Ferozabad. There is no progress and no development despite years of mind- numbing toil. All the labourers of Ferozabad are victims of middlemen and touts. Their desire to dream and dare is snubbed in their childhood. They have no choice but to accept their subservience silently as their spirit is broken and their initiative dormant.

79. ‘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?

A:- 'Lost Spring’ does indeed highlight the miserable plight of thousands of poor people whose life is completely marred by abject poverty and thoughtless traditions. They work extremely hard in the most pathetic conditions and accept poverty and exploitation as their destiny. Through the lives of Saheb-e-Alam, a ragpicker, and Mukesh, a bangle maker, the author highlights the vicious circle of social stigma and poverty which these people are subjected to. Saheb and Mukesh also represent a growing number of refugee migrants and people who are forced to live a life of penury. No one shows any kind of compassion or sensitivity to their pathetic plight and there is also no initiative or commitment for the upliftment of these downtrodden people. Acute poverty, no education and no infrastructural development has drained their energy and willpower and they have no choice but to accept their destiny of inevitable poverty.

80. What circumstances forced Mukesh not to pursue his family business of bangle making? Instead, what did he decide to do?

A:- Mukesh dares to dream of a different life and decides not to pursue his family business of bangle-making. He does not want to accept his life of misery in the name of destiny. Though he is born in a poverty-ridden family in the caste of bangle makers he dreams of a better future. He wants to break free from the vicious circle of sahukars and middlemen and carve a new beginning for himself by becoming a motor- mechanic. He knows what it is like to work in glass furnaces that are neither well-lit nor well- ventilated. They are dingy hovels with high temperatures. He has seen that the youngsters are weighed down by the baggage of generations of subservience and have forgotten to dream of an alternative world. So Mukesh’s dream of going to a garage and learning to be a motor-mechanic is an attempt to break free off the mind-numbing toil.

81. In 1971 Bangladeshi migrants came to Delhi ‘looking for gold in the big city’. What kind of life are they living in Seemapuri now?

A:- Most of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri were refugees from Bangladesh

who had fled their country and migrated to Delhi from Dhaka in the wake of the 1971 Indo- Pak war. Their dwellings were structures of mud, tin and tarpaulin with no sewage, drainage or running water. Picking garbage and rags helped them to earn their daily bread, gave them a roof over their heads and was their only means of livelihood and survival. Though these squatters of Seemapuri have no identity but they do have valid ration cards that enable them to buy grain. Living in Seemapuri, which is on the periphery of Delhi, is like living in hell. Children here grow up to become partners in survival to their parents. An army of barefoot children appears every morning, carrying their plastic bags on their shoulders and disappear by noon. They are forced to live a life of abject poverty that results in the loss of childhood innocence.

Saheb, a ragpicker, roamed in the streets, scrounging for garbage, barefoot and deprived of education. Later he starts working in a tea stall but he loses his freedom and carefree life as he is no longer his own master.

82. Describe the difficulties the bangle makers of Firozabad have to face in their lives. 

A:- Through the story of the bangle-makers of Ferozabad, the author expresses her concern over their exploitation in the hazardous job of bangle-making. Extreme poverty, hard work and dismal working conditions result in the loss of the childhood of children who are in this profession. The working conditions of all bangle-makers are pathetic and miserable. They work in high temperature, badly lit and poorly ventilated glass furnaces due to which child workers especially are at risk of losing their eyesight at an early age and get prone to other health hazards. The stinking lanes of Ferozabad are choked with garbage and humans and animals live together in these hovels. There is no development or progress in their lives with the passage of time. They have no choice but to work in these inhuman conditions. Mind-numbing toil kills their dreams and hopes. They are condemned to live and die in squalor, subjected to a life of poverty and perpetual exploitation.

83. Describe the circumstances which keep the workers in the bangle industry in poverty.

A:- Through the story of the bangle makers of Firozabad, the author expresses concern over their exploitation in the hazardous job of bangle making and addresses the circumstances which keep the workers in poverty. They live in stinking lanes, choked with garbage in homes. Their houses are hovels with families of humans and animals coexisting in a primeval state. They cannot organise themselves into cooperatives. Their families are caught in a web of poverty and in a vicious circle of the sahukars, the middlemen, the keepers of law, the policemen, the bureaucrats and the politicians who impose on them a baggage which they cannot put down. They move in a spiral from poverty, to apathy, to greed and to injustice.

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

A:- Mukesh’s attitude towards his situation is different from that of Saheb. Mukesh is more of a rebel who dares to be different and wishes to become a motor mechanic. Though, Mukesh too, like his community, is working in back breaking, mind-numbing glass industry but unlike his peers, the spark in him has not extinguished. He wants to break free from the vicious circle which his community has been caught in. Saheb, on the other hand, has enslaved himself. By taking up work in the tea stall he is no longer his own master. The difference in their attitude towards their situation can be attributed to the fact that Saheb is a rootless migrant from Bangladesh and Mukesh is a citizen of India. Moreover, Mukesh dares to dream. The author too senses a flash of daring in Mukesh and this is what makes his attitude a little more aggressive than Saheb.

85. “It is his karam, his destiny” that made Mukesh’s grandfather go blind. How did Mukesh disprove this belief by choosing a new vocation and making his own destiny?

A:- Mukesh disproved the belief of “his karam, his destiny” by choosing a new vocation in an attempt to make his own destiny. He decided to become a motor mechanic. He mustered the courage to break free from the family lineage of bangle making. He had seen his parents and others suffering because of the vicious circle of poverty and exploitation that they were caught in. Mukesh was ready to walk a long distance to reach the garage to learn the vocation of car mechanic. His determination is going to prove instrumental in helping him to realize his dream. Mukesh dares to dream of a different life and decides not to pursue his family business of bangle-making. He does not want to accept his life of misery in the name of destiny. Though he is born in a poverty-ridden family in the caste of bangle makers he dreams of a better future. He wants to break free from the vicious circle of sahukars and middlemen and carve a new beginning for himself by becoming a motor-mechanic. He knows what it is like to work in glass furnaces that are neither well-lit nor well-ventilated. They are dingy hovels with high temperatures. He has seen that the youngsters are weighed down by the baggage of generations of subservience and have forgotten to dream of an alternative world. So Mukesh’s dream of going to a garage and learning to be a motor-mechanic is an attempt to break-free off the mind-numbing toil.

86. What kind of life did Saheb lead at Seemapuri?

A:- Most of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri were refugees from Bangladesh

who had fled their country and migrated to Delhi from Dhaka in the wake of the 1971 Indo- Pak war. Their dwellings were structures of mud, tin and tarpaulin with no sewage, drainage or running water. Picking garbage and rags helped them to earn their daily bread, gave them a roof over their heads and was their only means of livelihood and survival. Though these squatters of Seemapuri have no identity but they do have valid ration cards that enable them to buy grain. Living in Seemapuri, which is on the periphery of Delhi, is like living in hell. Children here grow up to become partners in survival to their parents. An army of barefoot children appears every morning, carrying their plastic bags on their shoulders and disappear by noon. They are forced to live a life of abject poverty that results in the loss of childhood innocence.

Saheb, a ragpicker, roamed in the streets, scrounging for garbage, barefoot and deprived of education. Later he starts working in a tea stall but he loses his freedom and carefree life as he is no longer his own master.

87. Describe the living conditions prevailing in Firozabad. Mention why the bangle making business does not give bangle makers a comfortable life.

A:- Through the story of the bangle-makers of Ferozabad, the author expresses her concern over their exploitation in the hazardous job of bangle-making. Extreme poverty, hard work and dismal working conditions result in the loss of the childhood of children who are in this profession. The working conditions of all bangle-makers are pathetic and miserable. They work in high temperature, badly lit and poorly ventilated glass furnaces due to which child workers especially are at risk of losing their eyesight at an early age and get prone to other health hazards. The stinking lanes of Ferozabad are choked with garbage and humans and animals live together in these hovels. There is no development or progress in their lives with the passage of time. They have no choice but to work in these inhuman conditions. Mind-numbing toil kills their dreams and hopes. They are condemned to live and die in squalor, subjected to a life of poverty and perpetual exploitation.

88. ‘Garbage to them is gold’. How do ragpickers of Seemapuri survive?

A:- Garbage, for the ragpickers of Seemapuri, is considered to be nothing less than gold. Picking garbage helps them to earn their daily bread, gives them a roof over their head and is their only means of livelihood and survival. For the innocent children garbage is wrapped in wonder as they marvel at the prospect of finding a coin, a currency note or a curio that sustains their hope. These children grow up to become partners in survival with their parents. Seemapuri houses around 10,000 ragpickers mostly Bangladeshi refugees, who have lived there for more than thirty years without an identity and without permits. These people live in mud structures with roofs made of tin and tarpaulin. The ration cards that enable them to get their names on voters’ lists and enable them to buy grain and garbage are their means of survival. Food is more important to them for survival than an identity.

89. “For the children it is wrapped in wonder, for the elders it is a means of survival.” What kind of life do the rag-pickers of Seemapuri lead?

A:- Garbage, for the ragpickers of Seemapuri, is considered to be nothing less than gold. Picking garbage helps them to earn their daily bread, gives them a roof over their head and is their only means of livelihood and survival. For the innocent children garbage is wrapped in wonder as they marvel at the prospect of finding a coin, a currency note or a curio that sustains their hope. These children grow up to become partners in survival with their parents. Seemapuri houses around 10,000 ragpickers mostly Bangladeshi refugees, who have lived there for more than thirty years without an identity and without permits. These people live in mud structures with roofs made of tin and tarpaulin. The ration cards that enable them to get their names on voters’ lists and enable them to buy grain and garbage are their means of survival. Food is more important to them for survival than an identity.