LOST SPRING

Question 1.
Who is Saheb? How can you say his name is ironic?
Answer:
Saheb lives at Seemapuri, an area situated at the periphery of Delhi. He is a poor
ragpicker. His full name is Saheb-e-Alam. It means lord of the universe. But ironically
Saheb is so poor that he can’t even afford buying footwear.

Question 2.
Whom did the author meet every day? Where had that person come from and why?
Answer:
Every day the author met a ragpicker young boy named Saheb, He had come from
Bangladesh. There were many storms. These storms swept away their fields and homes.
Tliat is why he, along with his parents, left his country

Question 3.
What did Saheb find sometimes in the garbage? What did he do then?
Answer:
Sometimes, Saheb found a rupee or a ten rupee note. When he found a silver coin in a
heap of garbage, he didn't stop scrounging. He always hoped to find more. He had an
entirely different meaning of garbage.

Question 4.
What does the reference to chappals in “Lost Spring” tell us about the economic
condition of the rag pickers?
Answer:
The rag pickers of the Seemapuri area , situated at the periphery of Delhi, are living a in
very miser-able condition. They lack all the basic facilities of life. They are so poor that
they can’t even afford to buy chappals. But to conceal their poverty they say that it is
their tradition to walk bare-footed.

Question 5.
What promise did the author make with Saheb? Why had she to feel small?
Answer:
Saheb used to roam here and there. The author advised him to go to school. But he said
that there was no school in the neighbourhood. At this the author said that she would
start school. But she had made this promise half-jokingly and was not at all serious
about it. After a few days Saheb came to her to ask if her school was ready. She had to
feel small. She never wanted to start a school. She said that promises like hers are
frequently made but hardly ever kept.

Question 6.
How does the author describe the area of Seemapuri?
Answer:
Seemapuri is situated at the periphery of Delhi. It is a sort of wilderness. Most of the
people living here are Bangladeshi immigrants. They live in structures made of mud, with
roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water. They are about
1000 in number and most of these are rag pickers.

Question 7.
What was the full name of Saheb? What did it mean? If he came to know the meaning of
his meaning what would be his reaction?
Answer:
The full name of Saheb was Saheb-e-Alam. It meant lord of the universe. It would be
difficult to believe about the meaning of his name. He was not a lord at all. He was a poor
ragpicker.

Question 8.
Why did the children not wear any footwear? What explanation did they give for it?
Answer:
The children were too poor to afford any footwear. They had become used to roam
bare-footed. Different boys gave different reasons for not wearing foot wear. Some
admitted that they couldn’t afford them while the others said that it was their tradition to
move bare-footed.

Question 9.
Where have the people living in Seemapuri come from? Why don’t they go back?
Answer:
The people living in Seemapuri have come from Bangladesh. It is a place of green fields.
Their land is very beautiful. But it is frequently swept by the storms. They had to starve
there. Therefore they immigrated to India and do not want to go back.

Question 10.
What was Saheb wearing one morning? Where did he get it?
Answer:
Saheb was wearing tennis shoes one morning. They were the discarded shoes of a rich
boy. There was a hole in one of the shoes and thus that rich boy discarded it. But for
Saheb who always walked bare footed even these shoes were like a dream come true.

Question 11.
Where did the author see Saheb one morning? What was he doing there?
Answer:
One winter morning, the author saw Saheb standing by the fence gate of the
neighbourhood club, watching young men playing tennis. He would go inside when no
one is around. The gatekeeper allowed him to use the swing. But the game which he was
watching so intently was beyond his reach.

Question 12.
The author says that Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from
it, metaphorically. What is the meaning of her statement?
Answer:
Seemapuri is situated on the periphery of Delhi. But it is devoid of all basic amenities.
Unlike Delhi it is not developed at all. Though it is quite near Delhi, it does not have any
effect on the city. Therefore the author is quite right in saying that Seemapuri is a place
on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it.

LONG ANSWERS

Question 1.
Where had the rag pickers come from? What value of life had been conveyed through
their condition?
Answer:
The rag pickers had come from Dhaka. There they had green fields. But there were many
storms that swept away their homes and fields. Therefore they had to leave their country
and come to Delhi. In Delhi they are living a very hard life. They are living in Seemapuri, a
place at the periphery of Delhi. There they are living in the structures of mud, with roofs
of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water.

The value of life conveyed through their condition is that every government should take
care of their people. They should be provided better employment opportunities so that
they are not compelled to migrate to other country. In this lesson it been shown that the
indifferent attitude of the Bangladeshi government has compelled its citizens to migrate
to India.

Question 2.
What does the writer want Saheb to do? She has to feel embarrassed later. Why?
Answer:
Saheb is a rag picker. The writer sees him every morning. One day, the writer advised him
to go to school. Saheb told her that there was no school in the neighbourhood. He further
said that when one would be constructed, he would definitely go. The writer asked him,
half-jokingly, if she started a school would he come.

Saheb replied in affirmative. After some days Saheb came running to her and said to her,
“Is your school ready?” the Writer had to feel embarrassed at this because she had made
a promise that was not [Link] writer wants to say promises are made to the poor but
they are never fulfilled. She shows this fact by giving her own example.
Question 3.
Give a brief account of the life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in
Seemapuri.
Answer:
Seemapuri is located on the periphery of Delhi. It is a slum area. About 10,000 people live
there. They all are ragpickers and have come from Bangladesh in 1971. They are living in
structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running
water. They have lived there for many years without permits but with ration cards that get
their names placed on voter lists and enable them to buy grain. Food is more important
for survival than an identity.

Wherever they find food they pitch their tents that become their transit homes. They are
involved in ragpicking. It has acquired the proportions of a fine art. Garbage to them is
gold. It is their daily bread, a roof over their heads, even if it is a leaking roof. For
children, garbage is a thing wrapped in wonder. They often scrounge it to find some
coins. On the whole we can say that the people living there are living a very hard life.

Question 4.
Where did the writer see Saheb one winter morning? What was he doing? What was he
wearing in his feet?
Answer:
The writer saw Saheb standing at the fenced gate of the neighbourhood club, watching
two young men dressed in white, playing tennis. Saheb liked tennis but he knew that
game was beyond his reach. However he used to go inside when no one was around. The
gatekeeper allowed him to use the swing.

The writer saw Saheb wearing tennis shoes . That looked strange over his discoloured
shirt and shorts. Someone had given them to Saheb. In fact they were the discarded
shoes of some rich boy. He had stopped them wearing because of a hole in one of them.
But Saheb who always walked barefoot, even shoes with a hole was a dream come true.

Question 5.
“For the children it is wrapped in wonder, for the elders it is a means of survival.” What
kind of life do the ragpickers of Seemapuri lived?
Answer:
The ragpickers lived in the area of Seemapuri located at the periphery of Delhi. Those
who live here are the Bangladeshi immigrants. They came here way back in 1971.
Seemapuri was then a wilderness. It still is but it is no longer empty. In structures of mud,
with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water, live 10,000
rag pickers. They have been living here without any identity. They have their names in the
voter lists and they have got their ration cards. It enables to buy them grain.
Survival in Seemapuri is ragpicking. For the elders ragpicking is their profession and
means of livelihood. But for the children it is even more. For them it is a sort of wonder.
They would sometimes get a coin or even a ten-rupee note in the garbage. They consider
ragpicking an activity full of fun and excitement.

Question 6.
‘Garbage to them is gold; How do the rag pickers of Seemapuri survive?
Answer:
About 10,000 Bangladeshi immigrants live in the Seemapuri area of Delhi. Seemapuri is
located at the periphery of Delhi. It is a wilderness. The rag pickers live in the structures
of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water. They
have been living here without any identity. They have their names in the voter lists and
they have got their ration cards.

It enables to buy them grain. Survival in Seemapuri is ragpicking. They do not know no
other profession but rag picking. They left their beautiful land of green fields because
there were frequent storms and as a result their houses and fields would swept away due
to them. As a result they had to starve. They pitched their tents wherever they find food.
They could earn their food only by ragpicking.

Question 7.
What do you know about the city of Firozabad?
Answer:
Firozabad is the centre of,bangle making industry in India. All over in India the bangles
are supplied from this city. But there is a dark side of this city also. Firozabad is a very
dirty city. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. They have been
engaged in this profession for many generations. Even then these people always remain
poor. The children are also involved in making bangles. They are forced to work for long
hours in very hot temperatures. They have to work in dingy cells without air and light.
They often lose the brightness of their eyes.

The bangle makers are caught in the vicious circle of sahukars, the middlemen, the
policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians. They are beaten and
put to jails if they try to organise themselves. Also the bangle makers are very poor. The
young men are forced to adopt their elders’ profession. Years of mind-numbing toil have
killed all initiative and the ability to [Link] this extract the writer has depicted that
picture of Firozabad which perhaps is not known to many other parts of India.

Question 8.
How in your views can Mukesh realise his dream?
Answer:
Mukesh is very different from the other members of his family. All the members of his
family have subsided themselves to the profession of bangle making and considered it
their destiny. But Mukesh wants to break these shackles of bangle making. He knows
that the profession of bangle making has given them nothing but poverty. Therefore he
wanted to become a car mechanic.

He hoped to alleviate the poverty of his family in this way. The garage is quite far away
from his home. But he is determined to fulfil his dream. He says that he will walk all the
way to the garage. This shows that Mukesh is quite a rebellious and determined boy. He
wants to break away with his family profession of bangle making.

Question 9.
It is illegal to employ children in the bangle industry. Even then many children are
employed in this industry in Firozabad. How?
Answer:
It is illegal to employ children in any industry in India. It is a punishable offence. But it is
seen that this law is not followed or rarely followed. The children work for very less
wages. They are very submissive and agile. They give almost the same or even more
production as compared to adult workers. Therefore most of the factory owners prefer to
employ children in their factories.

They are often able to deceive law. The reason is very clear. The vicious circle follows.
There are policemen, middlemen, keepers of law, bureaucrats and also politicians. They
all are mixed up to keep tender souls in the quagmire of hard labour. They kill all the
initiative and zeal of the children. They become so. discouraged that they quietly accept
all this a part of their destiny.

Question 10.
The bangle makers of Firozabad make beautiful bangles and make everyone happy but
they themselves live and die in squalor. Explain.
Answer:
In Firozabad, almost every family is involved in the business of bangle making. Firozabad
is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. The families here have spent generations
working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for all the women in the land.
But these bangle makers are very poor. They can’t earn enough to afford even two
square of meals.

Even the children are forced to live in dingy cells without air and light. About 20,000
children work in the glass-blowing industry. They are forced to work for very long hours
and also in very inhuman conditions. They often lose the brightness of their eyes. The
bangle makers live a very miserable life. Though they make everyone happy by making
beautiful bangles, they themselves live and die in very deplorable condition.