Lost Spring – the Stories of Stolen Childhood

PAnees Jung

Part 1 – “Sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage”

The lesson is written by Anees Jung, a journalist and writer. It talks about poverty and child labour in
India. The author narrates real-life stories of poor children. The first part is about a boy named Saheb-
e-Alam. Saheb lives in Seemapuri, a slum area near Delhi. His family came from Dhaka, Bangladesh,
after floods destroyed their fields. They migrated to India in search of a better life. But in Seemapuri,
life is full of poverty and unhygienic conditions. The people survive by ragpicking (collecting
garbage). Garbage is like gold to them because it provides money to survive. For the children, garbage
means hope and excitement. Saheb looks for coins, rupees, or anything useful in the garbage. The
author once asked him why he did this work. He replied that his family had no other means of living.
He wanted to go to school, but there were no schools in Seemapuri. The author jokingly said, “If I
start a school, will you come?” Saheb agreed, but the author felt guilty later because she couldn’t start
one. A year later, the author saw Saheb working at a tea stall. He now earns ₹800 a month and gets all
his meals. But he has lost his freedom and joy. Earlier, while ragpicking, he was his own master. Now
he is a servant to someone else. The author feels sad because Saheb’s carefree childhood is lost.

Part 2 – “I want to drive a car”

The second story is set in Firozabad, famous for bangle-making. The narrator meets Mukesh, a boy
who belongs to a family of bangle makers. Firozabad’s families have been making glass bangles for
generations. Mukesh says he wants to become a motor mechanic, not a bangle maker. The people of
Firozabad live in poverty, dirt, and poor health. Their houses are crowded, dark, and poorly ventilated.
Most families suffer from hunger, blindness, and poverty. The children start working very early in life,
missing school. The author meets Mukesh’s grandmother, who says, “It is our destiny to make
bangles.” This shows how the cycle of poverty and tradition traps them. They believe it is their fate,
not something they can change. The bangle workers are exploited by middlemen, police, and
politicians. They borrow money and remain in lifelong debt. Child labour and poor working
conditions are common. Mukesh, however, dreams to break free from this tradition. He wants to learn
to drive and earn money with dignity. The story ends with a ray of hope through Mukesh’s dream.

Main Themes (in simple words)

 Child labour and poverty
 Loss of childhood and dreams
 Social injustice and exploitation
 Tradition vs change
 Hope and determination to break free

Question & Answer:

Q1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come
from?
Ans. Saheb is looking for gold in the garbage dumps. He is in the neighbourhood of the author. Saheb
has come from Bangladesh. He Came with his mother in 1971. His house was set amidst the green
fields of Dhaka. Storms swept away their fields and homes. So,a they left the country.
Q2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Ans. One explanation offered by the author is that it is a tradition to stay barefoot. It is not lack of
money. He wonders if this is only an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of poverty. He also
remembers the story of a poor body who prayed to the goddess for a pair of shoes.
Q3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.
Ans. No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall. He is no longer his own master. His face 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.
Q1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Ans. The city of Firozabad is famous for its bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in
making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. Families have spent generations
working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for the women in the land.
Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?
Ans. Boys and girls with their fathers and mothers sit in dark hutments, next to lines of flames of
flickering oil lamps. They weld pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are more
adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. They often end up losing eyesight before they become
adults. Even the dust from polishing the glass of bangles is injurious to eyes. Many workers have
become blind. The furnaces have very high temperature and therefore very dangerous.
Q3. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Ans. Mukesh’s grandmother thinks that the god-given lineage can never be broken. Her son and
grandsons are bom in the caste of bangle makers. They have seen nothing but bangles.
Mukesh’s father has taught them what he knows—the art of making bangles. But Mukesh wants to be
a motor mechanic. He will go to a garage and learn, though the garage is far away from his home.
Q1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Ans. Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad. Most of the young men of Firozabad
have no initiative or ability to dream, but Mukesh is an exception. He has the capacity to take courage
and break from the traditional family occupation. He has strong will power also. He does not want to
be a pawn in the hands of the middlemen or moneylenders. He insists on being his own master by
becoming a motor mechanic.
He can realise his dream by joining a garage and learn the job of repairing cars and driving them. He
will have to overcome many hurdles before he succeeds. Then comes transport problem. Money is the
first one. He will have to earn some money himself. The garage is a long way from his home. He will
have to cover it twice everyday anyhow—by walking on foot.
Patience, hardwork, firm will and the determination to learn will help him realise his dream.
Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Ans. The glass bangles industry has many health hazards. It usually employs small children. It is
illegal to employ very young children in hazardous industries, but certain forces like ! middlemen,
moneylenders, police and politicians combine to entrap the poor workers.
Let us first consider the places where bangle makers work. It is a cottage industry. They work in the
glass furnaces with high temperatures. The dingy cells are without air and light. Boys and girls work
hard during day next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps.
They weld pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark
than to the light outside. That is why, they often end up losing their eyesight before they become
adults.
Glass blowing, welding and soldering pieces of glass are all health hazards. Even the dust from
polishing the glass of bangles adversely affects the eyes and even adults go blind. Thus, the
surroundings, prevailing conditions and the type of job involved-all prove risky to the health of the
workers.
Q3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Ans. Child labour should be eliminated because the children employed at tender age as i domestic
servants, dish-washers at road-side dhabas and in hazardous industries making glass bangles, biris,
crackers etc. lose the charm of the spring of their life. Their childhood is stolen. Burdened by the
responsibility of work, they become adults too soon. Most of them are undernourished, ill-fed,
uneducated, and poor. They have a stunted growth.
Child labour can be eliminated only through concerted efforts on the part of government agencies,
NGOs (Non-Government Organisations), co-operative societies and political leaders. Mere passing of
law will not help. Laws should be enacted faithfully. The children thrown out of work should be
rehabilitated and given proper food, clothes, education and pocket money. Their feelings, thoughts
and emotions should be respected. Let them enjoy sunshine and fresh air.