YOU READ

THZNKAS
17
Page
What Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps ? Where is he and where has he
come
is
Imp.)
from?
9What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
[Link] Saheb happy working
at the tea-stall Explain. ? (Imp.)
20
Page
4. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
5. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.

[Link] is Mukesh's attitude to his situation different from that ofhis family?
Answers

1. Saheb is Garbage is wrapped in wonder for him. He is looking for 'gold'

a ragpicker.
inthe garbage dumps. Sometimes he finds a rupee, even a ten rupee note. Ifluck favours,

he can find a silver coin too. There is always hope of findingsomething more. Saheb has

come from Dhaka in Bangladesh. Now he is living in Seemapuri. It is a settlement of

ragpickers at the outskirts of Delhi.

2 across the country the author has seen poor children walking barefoot,
Travelling
a
tradition for them to stay barefoot.
without shoes. One explanation is that it has become
 ilver
242
FLAMING30
But the author doubts it. The lack of
money is the most valid evnl
Saheb can't afford shoes. When Saheb gets a pair of shoes he SECTION-
explanation.
do
3. Saheb doesn't seenm to be happy at the Childr
working tea-stal1. Nou
burdened. The steel canister he holds now is very e feels
them
heavy. The
carry on his shoulderearlier was very light. The bag was plastic bour
nd
his own.T baghe and
to the [Link] is no longer his own [Link]
master used
canister to
Firozabad is famous for its bangles.
Every other family in Firorah.
belonos

making bangles. It is the centre of India's glass-blo bad is

generationsmaking bangles for all the women in India. engago
milies have
5. Workers the glass bangles industry
in
have to work in speny

have to face many health hazards. They go blind with the sub-human cou
dust
ust from conditions.
of bangles. They work in dark hutments.
Moreover, the The
polishing
remains unbearably high. temperature aroundt theglas3
the
6. Mukesh belongs to a family of bangle makers. But he has furnaces
no fascination t
making. He insists on being his own master. He wants to for
wants to go to a garage and get the become a motor bangle
required training for thejob. [Link]
mechanic. He
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT (Page 20)
What could be some
1.
ofthe reasons for the migration of people
2. Would you agree that from villages to citie )
promises made to poor are cities?
this happens in the incidents chldren rarelykept? Why do you
narrated in the text? uthis
think
3. What forces conspireto keep the workers in the
bangle industry of
Firozabad in Dovorts

a
Answers ([Link].)
1. More and more people are
migrating to cities. It has become a
migrate from villages to cities. The reasons for generaltrend. People
on land is migration are many. First of all,
[Link] can't provide job pressure

lack of job opportunities for all.

opportunitieshave made the people turn to Over-population and
cities. The second reason
migration is the mechanization of farming. Hence, the landless
of

at the farms. labourersdon't

They are compelled to move to cities for get wori

reason is the destructionof working in industries. The third

traditional arts and crafts in the
have any market for their villages. Artisans don't

goods and crafts in the

their products. All these villages. They need biggermarkets tor

factors lead to the

migration of from
people tovillages cities.

2. Yes, the promises made to

the poor children are
world. We
organise seminars to kept. We live
rarely kept. live in
a We
in a hypocritica
the
the has
dubious distinction of eliminate child labour in the country. India has
The
having maximum numbers of ld. The
rld.
more hazardous the
industry,themore child child-workersoranexamp
the firework workers it will employ. Take for an ex due
industry of Sivakasi in
to blasts in the Tamil [Link] Tahdren die 0u
die
factories. The year scores
administration sleeps over all these nts
Anees Jung presents a inc
genuine analysis of anu
bangle-making industry. The poor children employea innraragpicking the
children of 10,000 xpose
ragpickers of Seene
 hollow claims of the [Link] worst part is that it
happens just on the outskirts
of New Delhi. Ragpickers of
Seemapuri and the child workers in the glass industries of
Firozabad have never been to [Link] don'thave even shoes.
They have no dreams,
no initiative. They are the softest
targets for exploitation.

3. There are certain vested interests and forces that

conspire to keep theworkers in the
bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty. Anees
Jung rightlyanalyses that there are two
distinct worlds
operating in Firozabad. The first world consists of families
the business of making engaged in
bangles. They are exploited and are caught in a web of
The other world consists of 'sahukars' or poverty.
moneylenders, the middlemen and the
policemen. Together under their eyes 20,000 children work
illegally in glass furnaces
with high temperatures. Even the
young fall into the vicious circle of middlemen. These
agents trapped their fathers and forefathers as well. If the
young get themselves
organised they are 'hauled up' by the police. Years of
mind-numbing toil' has killed all1
initiative in them. They can't think of
organising themselves into a [Link]

Anees Jung fayaqu z7tt ,

people keep the workers in bangle industry helpless and

3 fs frrar farya
poor.

1 TAR 714 Ti T61 THR

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXTT

1. Houw, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream ?
t 2. Mention Imp.)
hazards of working in theglass bangles
the
industry. (Imp.)

.3. Why should child labour

Answers
be eliminated and how ?

Mukesh belongs to a family of

bangle-makers. The bangle-makers of Firozabad are
condemned to lead a life of poverty, misery and
an exception. He has not let
exploitation. But Mukesh seems to be
poverty kill his dreams. He doesn't want to follow the
bangles. He thinksand acts differentlythan the other members
traditionaljob of making
of his
family. He dreams to be a motor mechanic. He wants to drive a car one
day.
Mukesh seems to be determined. It is said that fortune favours the brave. Mukesh's
dream can be converted into a reality. Only he will have to find out a
garage where he
 244 FLAMINGO-PROSE SECTION-XI
can be admitted as an apprentice. Within no time he will graduate himself to be a good
mechanic. If he wants to become a taxi-driver, first of all he will have to learn how to
drive a car. He will get a licence only when he clears the driving test. After that he can
join any travel agency as a driver.
2 Working
of
in the glass bangles industry is quite hazardous. It employs about 20.000
of it
children
such tender ages. None them knows that is illegal for children to work in
industries. But nobody cares for the law in [Link] bangle-makers work
in
glass furnaces with high [Link] work in dingy cells without air and
light.
Their eyes are more to the dark than to the
adjusted light outside. That is why they
often end up losing their
eyesight before they become adults. Mukesh's grandfather
became blind with the dustfrom polishing the
glass [Link] ofmind-numbing
toil have killed all their
initiative and the ability to dream. Thousands of
sit with their fathers and boys and girls
mothers in dark hutments. They shape
pieces of coloured
glass into circles ofbangles.
3. It is a
crying shame that India has the maximum number of
world. It is a child-workers in the
stigma that puts our heads in shame. Childhood is the most tender
child needs love and care. It is age.A
quite unfortunate that all the major industries
large number of child-workers. About employ a
20,000 children work in the furnaces with
temperature in bangles industry in Firozabad. high
Carpet industry of Mirzapur
thousands of children. The worst
criminals are the firework-factories in employs
Employment ofchildren in such hazardous industries is Sivakasi.
illegal. It is banned by the law.
But the laws
against child-labour don't have teethin them.
must be [Link] those Those who employ children
who employ them in hazardous
behind the bars. Only industries must be sent
exemplary punishment can put an end to this
shameful practice.
HINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
 246

TYPE QUESTIONS
VI. SHORT ANSWER
about leaving their home in
in Dhak.
Dhaka and
Saheb's mother say
Q. 1. What did
to ?
coming Seemapuri
Or
? (CBSE 2016)
Where has Saheb come fromonce Bangladesh. They lived amidst
lived in
that they
Ans. Saheb's mother told him storms made their life unbearol
fields of Dhaka. Natural calamities like cyclonic
the green were ruined. That's why they had to leave their
their fields and homes. They
They swept away down in Seemapuri.
fields and homes. They
came to the big city and settled
2. Where does the narrator
Anees Jung encounterSaheb every morning ?
EQ. mp.)
for 'gold'in the garbage dumps of her
Ans. The narrator encounters Saheb searching can be seen 'scrounging for
is one of the army of barefoot boys. They
neighbourhood. Saheb who settleddown in Seemapuri
gold' in the garbage.
Most of them are migrants from Bangladesh
in 1971.
to the children of Seemapuri and to their parents?
Q.3. What did garbage mean
(CBSE 2015)
Or
What does Saheb look for in the garbage dumps ? (CBSE 2015, 16)
Ans. For the ragpickers of Seemapuri and Saheb, garbage is nothing less than gold. It
is their 'daily bread'. wrapped in wonder. Sometimes they find a ten-
For the children it is

rupee note or even a silver coin in a heap of garbage. For the elders it is a means of survival.
Saheb is a poor ragpicker of Seemapuri. Like other 10,000 children, he also looks for
gold' in the garbage. He roams the streets with his friends scanning the garbage heaps.
Sometimes he finds even a ten rupee note. If lucky, he can find a silver coin in a heap of
garbage. Garbage is wrapped in wonder for ragpickers like Saheb.
Q.4. Why is the narrator embarrassed at having made a promise that was not

meant' ? (Imp.)
Ans. The narrator asks Saheb to "go to school". Saheb
replies that there is no schoolin
the neighbourhood. The narrator
asks, half-joking,if he will go when she starts a school.
Saheb keeps on asking her : "Is your school
ready ?" She feels embarrassed. She made a
promise that was not meant'.
Q.5. Saheb'sfull name is "Saheb-e-Alam". Isn't it
ironical ?Justify your answer.
Or
Describe the irony in Saheb's namne.
Ans. After months of (CBSE 2016)
knowing, the narrator asks Saheb's name. He tells her that
called "Saheb-e-Alam". It he
means lord of the universe'. It
Alam' is a young barefoot is quite ironical that this
'Saheo
ragpicker. He scrounges for
gold in the garbage dumps of
Q. 6. What does the reference to Dein
economiccondition of the chappals in Lost Spring' tell us about
Ans. The army of rag-pickers? (CBSE 2016)
rag-pickers roamed about the
of barefoot boys like Saheb. streets in the army
morning. Itwas
Once the narrator
replied that his mother was too
asked why he was not wearing aheh
tells us about the
poor to buy them from the
market.
chappais als
The reference to the Ca pals
miserable economic
narrator doesn't believe that condition of the he
it is a rag-pickers of Seemapuriin
excuse to 'explain
tradition among
them Dely an
to stay barefoot. It was actuauy
away a perpetualstate of
poverty'.
 Q.7. Seemapuri is
'a place
on the periphery
of Delhi yet
miles
away from
metaphorically'. Justify this statement describing the colony or settlement ot
(V. Imp.)
ragpickers.
Ans. Seemapuri is the settlement of over 10,000 ragpickers who migrated here from
in on
It is it is from it,
Bangladesh 1971. theperiphery ofDelhi, yet milesaway metaphorically
in sub-human conditions. There is no sewage, drainage or running water. It 1s
People live
difficult to believe that such a little hell' can exist so near the capital of India.

Q.8.'Survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking'.Elucidate. mp.)

Ans. Seemapuri, a place on the outskirts of Delhi, is a settlement of ragpickers. Over
from Bangladesh in 1971, are engaged in this [Link]
10.000 people, mostly migrated
in the wonder. For elders
seroungefor gold garbage [Link] forchildren is wrapped in
it a means of survival. And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking.
is

Q.9. Food is more important for survival than an identityfor the ragpickers, saysthe
author. Do you agree ?Why ? (CBSE)
Ans. Anees Jung rightly thinks that food is more important for survival than an identity
for the ragpickers'. More than 10,000 ragpickers of Seemapuri have lived there for more than
without an identity. They had to leave their beautiful land in search of food.
thirty years
Wherever they find food, they pitch their tents. And survival in Seemapuri means ragpicking.
Q. 10. Through the years ragpicking has acquired the proportions of a fine art in
Seemapuri. Justify the statement.
Ans. In Seemapuri everyone is a partner in survival and hence, a ragpicker. All have to
work for [Link], they have become professionals. Ragpicking is no more a dull and
dirty job. It has become their bread-earner and a means of survival. It has acquired the

proportions of a fine art.

Q.11. For Saheb, 'even shoes with a hole'is a dream come true. Explain the statement.
Ans. Saheb, a poor ragpicker of Seemapuri, remained shoeless. Most of such children
remain [Link] parents couldn't afford to buy shoes for him. Saheb got discarded tennis
shoes of some rich boy. The rich boy refused to wear them because of a hole in one of them. For

Saheb even shoes with a hole is a dream come

true.
Q.12. How does Saheb working in a tea stall ?Is he happier there ?
feel
Or
Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall ?Why/Why not ? (CBSE2012)
Ans. Saheb now works in a tea stall down the road. He is paid 800 rupees and all his
But even then he doesn't seem to be happy. The steel canister he carries now is heavier
meals.

plastic bag he used to carry on his shoulders. He is 'no longer his own master'. He is
the
than
Just a servant now.

Q.13. Deseribe the fate of 20,000 child workers who work in the bangle-industry
of Firozabad in most hazardous conditions. Mention
any two hazards of
working in the glass bangles industry. (CBSE2012)
Or
Why do the young inhabitants of Firozabad end up losing their eyesight?
(CBSE2016)
[Link] glass industry in Firozabad employs more than 20,000 children. They work
tthe
illegally
glass furnaces with high temperatures. They work
in
dingy cells without air
ght They often sit with their parents in dark hutments. They weld pieces of coloured
1nto circle of bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside.
Why they often end up losing their eyesight before they become
5
adults.
 Who was Mukesh ?What was his dream in life ? What did he doto
to.
Q. 14.
achieve
it ?
Or
What was Mukesh's dream ?In your opinion did he achieveachieve hishis dro
dream ?

Or (CBSE
Who is Mukesh ?What is his dream ? (CBSE2012)
Ans. Young Mukesh belonged to a family of bangle-makers in Firozabad. Hedidn't
the profession of bangle-making. He entertained new dreams. He wanted to be 'his own masto

He wanted to become a motor mechanic. He would go to a garage and learn his art. He seer
to be determined to achieve his modest aim.
Q.15. Describe the kinds of bangles made in Firozabad.
Ans. Firozabad is famous for its bangles. The town produces all the bangles for tho
of of all sizes and here.
vomen India. Bangles colours are made One may have sunny gold or
a or
choice between royal blue, pink
paddy is purple. Every colour out of the
green. There
seven colours of the rainbow is available here.

E Q. 16. Little has moved with time in Firozabad, says Anees Jung.
so ? Why does she sav
([Link].)
Ans. The narrator is making a statement of facts. Actually, little has moved
with the
time in Firozabad'.The old
bangle-making industry goes on as usual. So goes on the exploitation
of bangle-makers with it. More than
20,000 young children work illegally in glass furnaces
with high temperature. The
continues unabated.
exploitation ofthemoney-lenders,
themiddlemen and the policemen
Q.17. Why does the author say that the
web ?
are caught in vicious
bangle-makers a
Ans. The bangle-makers of (CBSE 2010)
Firozabad have lost all initiativeand the abilityto dreamas
they are caught in the web of poverty.
They are also caught in a vicious circle of
lenders, the middlemen, the money-
keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the
stand on their feet and organise themselves [Link] can't
into a cooperative.
if they fight for their rights. They fear to be dragged tojail
Q. 18. Which forces conspire to keep the workers in the
Firozabad in poverty ? bangle industry at
Ans. The workers in the (CBSE)
of middlemen. They don't allow bangle industry in Firozabad have fallen
them to intothe vicious circle
always side with the middlemen to haul organise themselves into a cooperative. The
up the workers. They are police
Poverty, apathy,greed and injustice beaten and dragged
conspire to make them tojail.
Q. 19. What are the problems faced miserable.
Ans. The bangle makers
working in the
by the bangle makers
glass industry
? (CBSE)
First of all, they have to work in of Firozabad face
sub-human conditions. many problems.
glass furnaces with high They work in dingy cells or in the

.
web of poverty and temperatures. They become blind
[Link], quite [Link] have
them. falleninthe
middlemen and even
the policemen exploit
20. "It is his karam, his
destiny." What is
their situations? Mukesh's family's
Ans. "It is his karam, his attitude towards
they are a family of
destiny," says Mukesh's (CBSE2015)
bangle
makers. No in grandmother. She wants to
They know only one job and it is the one the family can ever say that
art of break the
making bangles. She
has watchedGod-given lineage.
going blind with the dust from the
polshing ot bangles. her ownhusband
Even then,
she can't afford to have
 249
LOST SPRING
mind except the making of bangles. She can't think like Mukesh who dreams
anythingelse in
any
a motor mechanic.
ofbecoming
Q.21. the
Why could bangle-makers not organise themselves intoa cooperative
(CBSE 2012, 16)
?
The
Ans. The bangle-makers of Firozabad can't ever attain economic independence.
vicious circle
of moneylenders, middlemen, politicians and the police frustrate their attempts.
jail for something 'illegal "
Theyfeartobe hauled up by the police, beaten and dragged to doing
Sothey have lost all initiative to organise themselves into a cooperative.
Q,22. How is Mukesh different from the others of his family ?Why is the author
cheered when she sees him ? (mp.)
his
Ans. Mukesh belongs to a poor family of bangle-makers. But he can dare challenge
fate. He is
determined. He has not let his hopes and dreams die. He wants to be a motor
Anees
[Link] doesn't dream of flying a machine but a car on the roads of Firozabad.
Jung is quite hopeful of his success.
Q.23. Justify the title of the lesson, Lost Spring'. (CBSE)
Ans. Lost Spring' of Anees Jung describes two stories of stolen childhood. Millions of
children in India waste their childhood in ragpicking or hazardous [Link]
is

the spring of life. But unfortunate children like Saheb and Mukesh waste this spring either in
the garbage or in the blast furnaces. Their best part of life is lost to the demands of survival.
Hence,the title is quite apt and logical.

VII. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q.1. "Seemapuri is a part of Delhi, yet miles away from it." Give your views on the
statement. (CBSE 2012)
Or
"Forthe 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? (CBSE 2017)
Ans. Seemapuri is a settlement of more than 10,000 ragpickers. It is a place on the
periphery of Delhi. Actually, it is a part of Delhi. It is a little hell where ragpickers survive on
dirt and garbage. Those who live here are squatters who came from Bangladesh in 1971. They
live here without an identityand without permits. They do have ration cards that enable them

to vote and buy grain. Food is more important for them than their [Link]
grow up
dirt to become partners in [Link] survival in Seemapuri means ragpicking.
in Through
the years it has acquired the proportions of a fine art'. An army of barefoot children appears
in the morning. They carry
their plastic bags on their shoulders. They disappear by noon.
has a different meaning for children. For them it is wrapped in 'wonder'. But for
Garbage
elders it is a means of survival.

Seemapuri may be on the periphery of Delhi yet it is miles away from it, metaphorically.
a
15 little
hell. Ragpickers live in structures
of mud. They have roofs of tin and tarpaulin.
water. The place [Link] is unimaginable that it is
here isno sewage, drainage or running
a part of
Delhi, the capital of India.
 OSE
SECTION-K

Q.2. The life ofbangle makers of Firozabad was full of obstacles whie
lead a life of poverty and deprivation. Discuss with reference to
a themto
ring.
Or
CBSE2012
Describe the bangle-makers of How does the
Firozabad. viciou
the 'Sahukars'and the middlemen never allow them to come
poverty ? out of aircleot
weh o
Or
Describe the circumstances which (Imp)
keep the workers in
in poverty. the bangle ind..
Ans. Firozabad is famous for its adustry
bangles. But the life of (CBSE 201
full of
hardships and [Link] obstacles force them bangle-makers of Firo7ahabad
to lead a life is

[Link] other family in the town is of povertys

engaged in this and
India's glass blowing industries. [Link] is the
They have been welding glass and centrs
women in India. Over
20,000 children work illegally in the making bangles for th all

temperatures. They are exposed to all glass furnaces with

high
choked with health-hazards. These factories are
in
garbage. They work in dingy rooms with no stinking lans
Their eyes are more windows and outlets for
adjusted to the dark than to the fresh ai
end up losing their light outside. That is why
eyesight before they become adults. many of them

Firozabad refusesto move with

the times.
Mind-numbing toil has killed all their dreams and Bangle-workers have fallen in a web of
poverty.
a [Link] have hopes. They can't organise themselves
fallen into a vicious nto
seems that the circle of
'sahukars', middlemen and the
bangle-workers of Firozabad are condemned to police.

exploitation. poverty and perpetual

TR

Q.3. The
bangle-makers of
but they live and
die in Firozabad make beautiful
squalor. Elaborate.
Or
bangles and mare C(CBSE2010
Describe the difficulties in
their lives. the bangle e toface
makers of Firozabad
Ans. Firozabad is
famous for its
cBSE
erever
eyes go,one finds beautiful and
nothing but colourful bangles.
bangles. One can see Everywrdande
them in every house, ery yard ande
e
 LOST SPRING
251
Spirals of bangles are
street. everywhere. They are in all
blue, pink, purple, red and all the colours-sunny gold, paddy
royal seven
heeled handcarts. Every woman knows the colours of the rainbow. They are piled ongreen, four-
pi
an's suhaag. They represent sanctity of the
bangles. They symbolise an Indian
auspiciousness in marriage.
It is only the irony of fate that the
ake everyone happy, themselves live and bangle-makers ofFirozabad whose
mak die in beautiful bangles
tinking lanes are choked with [Link] live in dark hutments. The
garbage. Crumbling walls,
their patheticstory. Humans and animals wobbly doors and no windows tell
coexist. Years of
their initiative and ability to dream. mind-numbing toil has killed all
They are caught in a web of poverty. A vicious circle of
moneylenders, the middlemen and the police
conspires to make their life
hellish. They have no other option than burdensome and
living and dying in
squalor and poverty.

Q. 4. How is Mukesh's attitude towards his situation different from that of

Saheb ?Why? (CBSE 2015)
Ans. Both, Mukesh and Saheb are childrenfrom the marginalised sections of Indian
of to very poor families. Both of them live amid most filthy and
society. Both them belong
unhygienic surroundings.
Saheb belongs to a displaced family that migrated from Bangladesh to [Link] belongs
toa bare-footed army of ragpickers. Children like Saheb can be seen picking up garbage and
rags from the streetsof Delhi. Survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Garbage to them is
[Link] their daily bread. Sometimes Saheb finds a rupee, even a ten rupee note. There is
to a family ofbangle-
always hope offinding more. Hence, scrounging goes on. Mukesh belongs
of Firozabad. So many Children like Mukesh work illegally in the glass furnaces with
makers
oftheir eyes their
high [Link] lose the brightness even in youth. Mukesh lives in
a stinking lane choked with garbage.
He has to live amidstsubhuman and highly unhygienie
attitude his
surroundings. In spiteofthese similarities, Mukesh's towards situation is different
of Saheb's. Mukesh insists on being his own master. He announces that he will be
fromthat
of hope in his eyes. He knows nothing about cars. It
a motor mechanic one day. He has a ray
doesn't [Link] will learn how to drive
a car. His dream looms like a mirage' amidst the
crushed under poverty to dream of such things.
dustof streetsin Firozabad. Saheb is too much
like Mukesh.
ie can't dream of being his own master his lot. He doesn't go
is not interestedin improving
Itwould be wrong to say that Saheb All that he can do is to work in a tea
tOSchool because there is no school in his neighbourhood. On the other hand, Mukesh is
Saheb is no longer his master.
Stallfor800 rupees and meals. in. He doesn't want to be a
free from the bondage he is put
uetermined to break himself He will walk a long way to a garage
to be a motor mechanic.
Dangle-maker. He is determined and doesn't dream of being a
either. He is practical
He is not an empty dreamer
Learn.
pilot. He is happy to be a motor mechanie.
 252 FLAMINGo

,.
-PROSE
SECTIO

Mukesh,ftuar À aT fream z TUI

ÈI 20000 Mukesh TE

T7 Mukesh 1 379 37 yfa gferTU, Saheb gfem à f Mukesh A1 A ATFRI3

PAT

VIII. VALUE BASED QUESTIONS

Q.1. Lost Spring' explains the grindingpoverty and traditions that
condemn thousands
ofpeople to a life of abjectpoverty. Do you agree ? Why/Why not ?
(CBSE 2011)
Ans. In Lost Spring',Anees Jung analyses the grinding and
poverty traditions which
condemn thousands of people, particularly
children, to lead a life of misery and
is thebitter truth exploitation.
of our urban society. The samesqualor, dirt and
It

in Delhi or Firozabad in U.P. poverty exist, be it

Seemapuri

Seemapuri, a place on theperiphery of

who came from Bangladesh in 1971 live [Link], represents a little stinking hell. Squatters
tin and
They live in the structures of mud with roofs of
tarpaulin. They have no identity but do have ration cards to
Seemapuri means ragpicking. Garbage to them buy grain. Survivalin
is
gold. They sometimes find a rupee or even a
ten-rupee note in it.

The life of the people,

particularly of 20,000 children
furnaces of Firozabad, is working illegally in the glass
highly risky, miserable and
and work in sub-human and inhuman pathetic. They live in dingy hutments
conditions. They live in huts with crumbling walls,
wobbly doors and no windows. They often end
adults. The poor
up losing their eyesight before they
become
bangle-makers are caught in a web of
lives more miserable. Years poverty. Traditions only makeutt
of mind-numbing toil have killed all their
to dream. initiative and the
They don't try to learn anything else aou
except the art of
moneylenders,the middlemen and the police making bangies
only make their lives more miserable and
They are cursed to be exploited by unL

,T
them
Lost Spring H Anees Jung 37 R Aai yIi 1 favcum t
3TR T TI, 19

TAt a76 ar foei i

Seemapuri, sr U.P. Firozabad TE TE I