Prose: Lost Spring

Very short answer type questions: (1 Marks)

1. Who is the author of ‘Lost Spring’? (HS 2012, 2014)

Ans. Anees Jung, an Indian woman writer, journalist and columnist is the author of
‘Lost Spring’.

2. What does Mukesh’s want to be ? (HS 2012, 2015)

Or,
What does Mukesh want to become (HS 2020)
Ans. Mukesh wanted to be his own master and not work under anyone. He dreamt
of being a motor mechanic and driving his own car.

3. What is ‘Lost Spring’ about? (HS 2013)

Ans. ‘Lost Spring’ is about two poor Indian children Saheb and Mukesh who
owing to the poverty had to lose their childhood happiness for the sake of
supporting their family.

4. Where is the original home of Saheb’s family? (HS 2013)

Or
Where does Saheb originally hail from? (HS 2019)

Ans. Saheb's original home was in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Their house and green
fields were destroyed by storm and then they migrated to India in search of a
livelihood.

5. What does the author of ‘Lost Spring’ find Saheb doing every morning?
(HS 2014, 2015)
Ans: The author of the lost spring finds Saheb scrounging for gold in the garbage
every morning which means that he searches something useful and precious things
like used clothes, shoes, plastic scrap, stray coins etc. for livelihood.

6. What does Saheb look for in the garbage dumps? (HS 2016, 2022).
Ans. Saheb scrounges the garbage dumps to find something that is valuable which
the author refers to as ‘gold’. He searches things like used clothes, shoes, plastic
scrap, stray coins etc. in the garbage dumps for livelihood.

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7. Where does Mukesh live? (HS 2017, 2022)
Ans. Mukesh lives in Firozabad. He belongs to the family of bangle maker. They
live in a half built hut at foul-smelling lane.

8. Why have Saheb and his family migrated to Seemapuri? (HS 2018)
Ans. Saheb's original home was in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Their house and green
fields were destroyed by storm and then they migrated to Seemapuri in search of a
livelihood.

9. What does the ‘garbage’ mean for the elders of Seemapuri? (HS 2017)
Ans: For the elders of Seemapuri, it is a means of survival because some of it could
be sold for cash. This, in turn, helps them buy food and sustain their livelihoods.
Moreover, it is also gold for them because the ragpickers at times find stray coins
and currency notes in it.

10. What is the original book from which his prose piece is an excerpt?
Ans. The prose piece is an excerpt of the book ‘Lost Spring, Stories of Stolen
Childhood’.

11. Who is Saheb?

Ans. Saheb is a young ragpicker, who scrounges the garbage dumps on the streets
of Delhi for his living. He was, however, originally from Dhaka.

12. Whom does the author encounter every day in the street?
Ans. Every day, the author encounters a young ragpicker, Saheb in the street.

13. What is Saheb’s full name?

Ans. Saheb’s full name is Saheb-e-Alam, which means ‘lord of the universe’.

14. What is the meaning of Saheb’s full name?

Ans. The meaning of Saheb-e-Alam is ‘lord of the universe’.

15. Whom did Saheb observe standing at the fenced gate of the
neighbourhood club?
Ans. Saheb stood at the fenced gate of the neighbourhood club and observed two
young men, dressed in white clothes, playing tennis.

16. What was Saheb wearing when he was at the gate of the club?
Ans. Saheb was wearing a dis-coloured shirt and shorts and also a pair of tennis
shoes with a hole in one of them.
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17. Where is Seemapuri?
Ans. Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi.

18. Who is Mukesh?

Ans. Mukesh is a young boy who worked in Firozabad, a small town famous for its
glass bangles.

19. Who is Savita?

Ans. In the chapter 'Lost Spring' by Anees Jung, Savita is a young, unmarried girl
who belongs to a family of a bangle makers in Firozabad.

20. Why is Mukesh proud to take the author to his home?

Ans. Mukesh was proud to take the author to his home because it was being
rebuilt.

21. Who is in charge of Mukesh’s household?

Ans. The daughter-in-law of the house who was Mukesh’s elder brother’s wife was
in charge of the household.

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Short Answer type questions (2 Marks)
1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come
from?

Ans. In the garbage dumps, Saheb looks for useful items that can be sold for cash. These items
can be sold for cash. They are just like ‘gold’ for him. Sometimes he finds a rupee even a ten
rupee note if luck favours.

Saheb and his family live in Simapuri, a slum on the periphery of Delhi. Saheb and his family
had migrated from Bangladesh.

2. What explanations does the author offer from the children not wearing footwear?

Ans. Some of the children simply do not care to take the trouble of taking their slippers down
from the shelf to wear them. Another explanation she receives is that not wearing footwear is a
tradition. However, she feels that it is simply an excuse to hide a perpetual state of poverty, as
many families cannot afford to buy footwear for their children.

3. Is Saheb happy working at tea stall?

Ans. Saheb got a job at a tea stall where he was paid Rs. 800 and all his meals but Saheb seems
unhappy because he has lost his freedom. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag.
The bag was his but the canister belongs to the owner. Saheb is no longer his own master.

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

Ans. Garbage means ‘gold’ to the poor ragpickers because some of it can be sold for cash, thus
becoming a means of survival for the children of Seemapuri and for their parents. It is providing
them their daily bread and a roof over their heads.

5. Who was Saheb? What was his full name? What was the irony about his name?

Or

What is the actual name of Saheb? What does it signify?

Ans. Saheb is a poor rag-picker who lives in Seemapuri. His full name is ‘Saheb-e-Alam’, which
means ‘Lord of the Universe’.

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 rag picker, who lacks even the
basic necessities.

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6. Why is Mukesh realistic about his dreams?

Ans. Mukesh has his own aims and dreams and wants to be his own master. He does not always
want to remain a bangle-maker. He wants to go to a garage and get the required training. He is
thus, determined to achieve his goal and become a motor mechanic.

7. What is Mukesh’s dream? Do you think he will be able to fulfill his dream? Why? Why
not?

Or

Who is Mukesh? What is his 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.

8. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

Ans. Firozabad is famous for its bangle-making industry. Beautiful bangles can be seen all over.
Every second family is engaged in the business of bangle-making. It is the centre of India’s
glass-blowing industry where families have spent generations working around furnaces.

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

Ans. The glass bangles industry has a very hazardous working environment. People work in the
glass furnaces with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light. Most end up losing
their eyesight even before they become adults. Adding to their misery, they are caught in a
vicious cycle of people who exploit them.

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

Or

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

Ans. The bangle-makers in Firozabad are exploited at the hands of the Sahukars, the middlemen,
the policemen, the lawmakers, the bureaucrats, and the politicians. Thus they remain steeped in
poverty. They cannot from cooperatives for their betterment. Moreover, their children are also
compelled to join the same trade at an early age, thus remaining in the vicious web.

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11. What was the promise made by the narrator to Saheb? Why was she embarrassed?

Ans. The author made a promise to open a school. The writer was embarrassed because she has
not opened the school yet and Saheb keeps of asking her, “Is your school ready”, she feels
embarrassed. She made a promise that was not meant.

12. 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.

13. Why had the rag pickers come to live in Seemapuri?

Or

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

Ans. Once Saheb’s parents lived in Bangladesh, amidst the green fields of Dhaka. There were
many storms that swept away their fields and homes. That’s why they migrated to Delhi and
settled down in Seemapuri looking for an occupation.

14. Why do the young inhabitants of Firozabad end up losing their eyesight?

Ans. The young boys and girls of Firozabad work with their fathers and mothers. They have a
flickering oil lamp in front of them. They weld pieces of glass in bangles. Their eyes get more
used to dark than to the light outside. Many of them lose their eyesight before they become an
adult.

15. What theme does ‘lost spring’ explore?

Or

What does the title ‘Lost Spring convey’?

Ans. Spring is associated with childhood. Just as spring is the season when flowers bloom,
similarly, childhood is the period when an individual bloom and grows. Anees Jung here presents
the horrific truth about the life of children in India who are victims of child labour and are not
allowed to grow and bloom freely. Their childhood or springtime is lost.

16. What is the significance of bangles in India society?

Ans. In Indian society, bangle symbolizes ‘suhaag’ for a married woman. An Indian bride
invariably wears red bangles in their wrist.

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17. Why does the Mukesh grandmother believe that a ‘god-given-lineage’ can never be
broken?

Or

‘It is his Karma, his destiny’- Explain.

Ans. Mukesh’s grandmother believes in destiny. She believes that they cannot escape from the
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.

18. What are the two different worlds in Firozabad?

Ans: The author noticed two different worlds- one of the families, caught in a web of poverty
burdened by the stigma of caste in which they are born; the other a vicious circle of sahukars, the
middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of the law, the bureaucrats and the politicians.

19. What was the promise made by Anees Jung to Saheb?

Ans: The author made a promise to open a school. The writer was embarrassed because she has
not opened the school yet and Saheb keeps of asking her, “Is your school ready”, she feels
embarrassed. She made a promise that was not meant.

Long Answer Type Questions (4 Marks)

1. Describe the miserable daylight of the people of Firozabad.

Ans. The bangle makers of Firozabad are exposed to multiple health hazards while working.
Many of them are children who work near hot furnaces during daylight, often losing their
eyesight before adulthood. Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all the initiative and the
ability to even think of talking up another profession. They are not able to organise themselves
into a cooperative due to bullying and exploitation by politicians, authorities, moneylenders, and
middlemen. They live in stinking lanes choked with garbage, having homes with crumbling
walls, wobbly doors, no windows, overcrowded with families of humans and animals coexisting
in a primeval state. They have not even enjoyed even one full meal in their entire life because of
their poverty.

2. 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
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wants to achieve what he dreams about, unlike other people in his family. In contrast to this,
Saheb is a rag picker 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.

3. Describe the bangle makers of Firozabad. How does the vicious circle of the sahukars
and the middlemen never allow them to come out of poverty?

Ans. The bangle makers of Firozabad have spent generations working around furnaces. Every
other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. They sit around lamps welding glass,
making bangles for all the women in the land.

These families are caught in the web of poverty. They are burdened by the stigma of caste. They
believe that they are born to this caste and thus bangle making is a god given lineage, out of
which they can never imagine a life. They cannot organize themselves into cooperatives for fear
of the police. Individual bangle makers are always caught in the vicious circle of the middlemen
and the sahukars. This vicious circle exploits them so much that they are left with so less money
that they have only enough to engage in bangle making. They cannot afford to have two meals a
day. Thus they live in abject poverty.

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