FLAMINGO: LOST SPRING

ANEES JUNG
_________________________________________________________________________
H W.
DO only five short answers from the worksheet and the following long
answer
Long Answer Question ( 150 words )
How does the story, ‘Lost Spring’ highlight the apathy of society and those in
power to end the vicious cycle of poverty?Support your answer with textual
evidence.
Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow:

1. “Why not organise yourselves into a cooperative?” I ask a group of young men who
have fallen into the vicious circle of middlemen who trapped their fathers and
forefathers.
a. Who are the ‘young men’ mentioned in the extract?
b. Explain the ‘vicious circle’.
c. Why did the author express the need to organise a cooperative?
d. Name the lesson and the author.

Ans . The bangle makers of Firozabad .

b) The vicious circle refers to the middlemen, moneylenders, bureaucrats, politicians
and the policemen who don’t let them grow.
c) They need to organize a cooperative so that they get the profit and are not fleeced
by the middlemen .
d) Lost Spring by Anees Jung

2. “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.

a. Who is the narrator?

b. Who is Saheb? Where is he coming from?
c. Why did he leave his home?
d. What is ‘gold’ mentioned in the passage?
Ans
a) Anees Jung is the narrator.
b) Saheb is a small boy who picks rags for a living. He hails from Dhaka.
 c) He left his home as his house and fields were destroyed by the storm.
d) Gold here refers to the valuable things they find in the garbage.

3. 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)His face, I see, has lost the carefree look. This means as per the assumption of the
author, in his looks, Saheb is …….

a) not burdened with the responsibility

b) burdened with the responsibility
c) Burdened but without any responsibility
d) Not burdened but feels responsible

ii)Choose the appropriate statements for ― Saheb is no longer his own master!
(i) Saheb carries his bag for rag picking.
(ii) Saheb works in a tea stall.
(iii) Saheb is paid 800 rupees.
(iv)Saheb carries a canister.

a) (i)(ii) & (iii)

b) (i)(ii) & (iv)
c) (i)(iii) & (iv)
d) (ii)(iii) & (iv)

iii)Read the statements given below.

Choose the correct statement to analyze the mental condition of Saheb-e-Alam.
a) He seems to be dignified working at the tea-stall.
b) He seems to be proud collecting milk from the milk booth.
c) He seems to be responsible carrying the steel canister.
d) He seems to be enjoying his freewheel at the tea-stall.

iv) Select the option/options that does NOT explain Saheb ‘s nature of thinking in his
new job at the tea stall.

(i) He thinks collecting milk is a part of his new job.

(ii) Canister is heavy, but he thinks he should carry it for survival.
(iii) He is earning 800 rupees and all meals, so he should justify the job.
(iv) He is a servant now; he can have a carefree life.

a) Only option (iii), b) Both options (ii)&(iv), c) Both options (i)&(iv), d) Only option
 (iv)

5. Choose the option that most appropriately fills in the blanks, for the following
description of the given extract.
People migrate from villages to cities in search of a better life. They want to earn
money so that they can lead a good life and (i)_______their children in a better way.
As cities have more (ii)________for work, this makes them migrate from the villages
to these big cities. (iii)________all miseries and challenges of life at young age, Saheb
even finds a job in a
tea stall, shifting from rag picking to (iv)_________his struggle for survival.

a) (i)give; (ii) scope; (iii) controlling; (iv) continue

b) (i) rare; (ii) opportunities; (iii) Accepting; (iv) prove
c) (i) provide; (ii) jobs; (iii) Denying; (iv) stop
d) (i) leave; (ii) chances; (iii) Chasing; (iv) deal

6. Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below:
Assertion: The police haul up the youth if they make a union.
Reason: The policemen are very efficient & arrest the wrong-doers promptly.
a. Both A & R are correct. R is the correct explanation of A
b. Both A & R are correct. R is not the correct explanation of A
c. A is correct, R is wrong
d. Neither A nor R is correct

Answer the following in about 30-40 words.

[Link] is Saheb’s name full of

irony?
[Link] does the author describe children of slums as partners in
survival?
[Link] being refugees, how do people in Seemapuri have ration
cards?
[Link] does working in the glass furnaces affect the young children?
[Link] is Mukesh different from Saheb?
[Link] can’t the people in Firozabad organize themselves into a
cooperative?
[Link] wanted to be a master of his own destiny,
Comment,
[Link] has, being born in the caste of bangle makers, become both a
destiny and a curse?
[Link] two distinct worlds does Anees Jung speak of with respect to
bangle makers?
10. Comment on the title ‘Lost Spring’.

Ans

1. Saheb’s full name is Saheb-e-Alam meaning the ‘Lord of the universe’. But
Saheb is poverty stricken, barefoot, homeless rag picker who scrounges the
garbage dumps of Delhi for living. His name is in total contrast to his very
existence and is thus deeply ironical.

2. In most families children are precious beings, cared for and looked after
right from their infancy. On the other side, children in Seemapuri are offspring
of homeless rag pickers. Due to extreme poverty, their parents are unable to
provide for them and they end up picking rags at an early age for their
survival and as support to their parents.
3. The refugee population of Seemapuri represents a large vote bank for
various political parties and they are provided ration cards to benefit
political sharks in the election process. Using these cards they can get
grains from government agencies.

4. Glass furnaces are ill-lit, unhygienic, and dingy. Working long hours in these
conditions bends the backs of children. They lose vision, have respiratory
problems-become old before their time.

5. Saheb was more resigned to his fate. He gave up his freedom as a rag
picker for a salaried job at a tea [Link] the other hand, Mukesh insisted
on being his own master. He was determined to be a motor mechanic. He
was not prepared to compromise his dreams and give in like Saheb.
 6. Serving middlemen, combined with lack of education and acute poverty has
broken the spirit of the younger generation also. They fear that organising
themselves into a cooperative movement will only make them bear the wrath
of police. They lack a leader amongst them and are aware that the vicious
nexus of sahukars, middlemen, politicians and police would not allow the
cooperative movement to take shape.

7. Saheb wanted to be a master of his own destiny. Like the affluent

children of his neighbourhood, he also wants to go to school and to play.
But poverty and the necessity to make both ends meet throw him in a
vicious circle of rag picking. His taking up a job at a tea stall is an attempt
to be master of his destiny. Unfortunately, it further enslaves him.
8. Being born in a caste of bangle makers in the city of Firozabad is both a
destiny and a curse. By virtue of their birth, extreme poverty, lack of education
and opportunity, they have to take up the profession of bangle making at an
early age. Their destiny becomes a curse as once in this profession, they are
in the grip of a vicious circle.

9. A child worker in Firozabad, according to the author is weighed down under

two distinct worlds. The first is the world of poverty ridden family and caste
stigma which dictates compromise and second is the world of sahukars,
middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats and politicians which dictates oppression.

10. Comment on the title ‘Lost Spring’.

The Childhood of human life is the spring period of one’s life. Children like
Saheb and Mukesh lead a miserable and pathetic life as they are forced to do
labour to earn living. Owing to poverty they do not get education. They are
deprived of the normal pleasures of childhood. Consequently they lose their
spring i.e childhood. Hence the title ‘Lost Spring’ is appropriate.

Long Answer Questions

Introduction .... two sentences...- name of the lesson and author, and the
theme......body (1 - 2 paragraphs)
[Link] most women, bangles are dreams in glass but for bangle makers of Firozabad
they are a vicious circle they cannot wriggle out of. Comment.

The chapter ‘Lost Spring’ written by Anees Jung highlights poor and pathetic
conditions that rob the child of his childhood.

In Firozabad bangle making is the most famous industry. Bangles – red, green, blue,
yellow etc. are a symbol of Suhag and an auspiciousness in marriage. In today’s
world it is a fashion statement for the young and old women alike. Glass bangles of
varied hues adorning a woman’s wrist provide a visual treat and music of their own
with their sweet clinking and tinkling . The rainbow colours and bright hues bangles
spread joy and happiness in the lives of women.

Ironically the bangle makers lead a miserable life underdeveloped industry, lack of
basic amenities and infrastructure. They work in glass furnaces which are ill lit, ill
ventilated and dingy hovels with high temperatures. They barely have a full meal a day
and live in shacks with temporary roofs, crumbling walls and wobbly doors. They lose
eyesight at a young age and live in a dark world with no help no hope.

[Link] the significance of title ‘Lost Spring’.

Ans: In this lesson, the author Anees Jung examines and analyses the grinding poverty
and tradition that condemn children to a life of exploitation.
Saheb is a ragpicker. His parents left behind a life of abject poverty in Bangladesh.
The families of rag pickers lives in Seemapuri in miserable conditions. The writer is
pained to see Saheb, whose name means the ruler of the Earth, lose the spark of
childhood. She proceeds to talk about Mukesh who wants to be his own master.
Hailing from Firozabad, the center of India’s bangle making and glass-blowing
industryhe has always worked in the glass-making [Link] family does not know it
is -illegal for children to work in such close to furnaces with high temperatures where
they are exposed to various health hazards like losing their eyesight. –
The bangle maker of Firozabad are burdened and have lost their ability to dream. They
are poor hopeless people and as pawns in the games that are played by Sahukars,
middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats, and the politicians.
The title is meaningful as they lost their spring (childhood). The writer has beautifully
essayed the story of stolen childhood with a view to sensitizing us to the plight of
these poor unfortunate children.
Lost Spring — Competency Based Questions
Q1. (Data-Based)
Saheb represents the 65% of children who work to survive. According to the data, he
falls into the category of those who have no access to school and must prioritize
immediate survival over education. This highlights the vicious cycle of poverty, where
the lack of schooling (only 15% attend regularly) ensures that the next generation
remains unskilled and trapped in menial labor, just like their parents.
Q2. (Short Reasoning)
The glass-bangle industry is "glittering" because it produces colorful, shiny
ornaments that symbolize suhaag (auspiciousness) for Indian women. Conversely, it
is because of the dingy,
unventilated cells where workers labor, and the metaphorical darkness of lost
eyesight and stolen
childhood that the workers face.
Q3. (Case-Based)
This situation relates directly to Saheb. Initially a "carefree" ragpicker, Saheb
eventually takes up a job at a tea stall. Though he earns ₹800 and meals, he loses his
freedom. The steel canister he carries feels heavier than the plastic bag he used for
ragpicking because he is no longer his own master; he has sacrificed his play and
identity to support his basic survival.
Q4. (Analytical Long Answer)
The chapter exposes exploitation through two distinct lenses:
Tradition: In Firozabad, the "God-given lineage" of bangle-making acts as
a mental trap.
Families believe they are destined by birth to do this work, which prevents them from
dreaming
of any other profession.
Society/System: The author highlights a "vicious circle" of sahukars,
middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats, and politicians. These powerful entities ensure
that the poor remain unorganized.
If the workers try to form a cooperative, they are hauled up by the police and beaten,
proving that
the legal and social machinery is rigged against them.
Q5. (Evaluative)
The author, Anees Jung, is emotionally involved rather than neutral. Her involvement is
evident in her empathetic tone and her decision to give these "faceless"
children a name and a voice. She uses poignant metaphors (like Saheb losing his
carefree look and expresses a sense of hope and relief when she sees a spark of
rebellion in Mukesh. Her writing is a protest against the systemic apathy she witnesses.
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