Chapter 2: Lost Spring

About the Author

Anees Jung is a famous Indian writer and journalist. She was born in 1944 in Rourkela and grew up in
Hyderabad. She has written many books about the lives of ordinary people.

In this chapter, she talks about poor children who are forced to work instead of going to school. She shows
how poverty and old traditions steal their childhood.

Page 1
Paragraph 1

["Why do you do this?" I ask Saheb... where he now lives.]

The writer meets a boy named Saheb every morning.

Saheb searches through garbage dumps because he hopes to find something valuable, like a coin or useful
object.

Saheb and his family had once lived in Dhaka (Bangladesh). But heavy storms destroyed their home and
fields, so they had no choice but to leave their village.

They came to a big city in India to earn money and live a better life.

Main Idea: Poverty and natural disasters forced Saheb's family to leave their home and search for work
in another city.

Paragraph 2

["I have nothing else to do," I ask, half-joking.]

The writer asks Saheb why he spends his time searching in garbage.

Saheb quietly replies that he has nothing else to do.

His answer shows that he has no opportunities, no education, and no other work.

He feels helpless and avoids looking at the writer because he knows his life is difficult.

Main Idea: Saheb searches garbage because poverty has left him with no other option.

The writer casually tells Saheb to go to school.

But immediately she realizes that her advice is meaningless (hollow).

She understands that poor children cannot simply go to school because they need money to survive.

Their biggest problem is poverty, not lack of interest in education.

Main Idea: The writer realizes that education is impossible for poor children without solving their
financial problems first.

Saheb tells the writer that there is no school near his home.

He says that if a school is built, he will definitely study.

His answer shows that he wants to study, but he does not have the opportunity.

Main Idea: Saheb is willing to study, but there are no educational facilities available for him.

The writer jokingly asks Saheb if he would come to school if she herself started one.

She asks this playfully, but behind the joke is a serious concern for children like Saheb.

This conversation shows the writer's sympathy for poor children.

Main Idea: The writer wants children like Saheb to study, but she knows their situation is very difficult.

Vocabulary (Easy Meanings)

Scrounging – searching for useful things in garbage

Garbage dumps – places where waste is thrown

Mutters – speaks in a very low voice

Glibly – casually, without thinking deeply

Hollow advice – advice that is not practical or useful

Neighbourhood – the area where someone lives

Page 2
Paragraph 1

[“Yes,” he says, smiling broadly………….. in every corner of his bleak world.]

When the writer jokingly asks Saheb if he would come to her school, Saheb happily says “Yes” with a big
smile.

This shows that he really wants to study. He is excited because education is his dream, but poverty has
stopped him from going to school.

Main Idea: Saheb has a strong desire to study.

A few days later, Saheb runs to the writer and asks, "Is your school ready?"

This surprises the writer because she had only made a joke. She feels embarrassed because she cannot
keep her promise.

She realizes that poor children like Saheb hear many promises from people, but most promises are never
fulfilled.

Their world is bleak, meaning full of sadness, poverty, and disappointment.

Main Idea: Poor children often receive false promises, so they continue to live without hope.

Paragraph 2

[After months of knowing him, ……………… "Why aren't you wearing chappals?" I ask one.]

After knowing the boy for several months, the writer asks his full name.

He replies, "Saheb-e-Alam."
His name means "Lord of the Universe."

But sadly, Saheb does not know the meaning of his name. Even if he knew, it would be difficult for him to
believe it because he is extremely poor.

The writer often sees him roaming with many other barefoot boys.

She compares them to morning birds because they appear in the morning looking for food and disappear
by afternoon.

After meeting them every day, the writer becomes familiar with all these children.

Main Idea: Although Saheb's name has a great meaning, his life is full of poverty and hardship.

One day, the writer asks a barefoot boy why he is not wearing slippers.

The boy simply replies,

"My mother did not bring them down from the shelf."

The answer sounds strange because it is only an excuse.

The real reason is that the family is too poor to buy slippers.

Main Idea: Poor children often hide their poverty by giving simple excuses.

Paragraph 3

[“Even if she did he will throw them off,” adds another…….. the ragpickers in my neighbourhood
remained shoeless."]

Another boy says that even if the boy had slippers, he would remove them while playing.

The writer notices that one child is wearing two different shoes, showing that he has no proper footwear.

A third boy says he has never owned a pair of shoes in his entire life.

The writer has seen many barefoot children in both villages and cities.

Some people say that walking barefoot is a tradition, but the writer believes this is often just an excuse to
hide the real problem of poverty.

Main Idea: Going barefoot is mainly the result of poverty, not tradition.

The writer remembers a story told by a man from Udipi.

When he was a child, he was very poor.

Every day, while going to school, he stopped at a temple and prayed for a pair of shoes.

Thirty years later, when the writer visited that temple, everything had changed.

The temple looked old and lonely, but the priest's house now had red and white plastic chairs, showing that
life had improved.

The writer shares this story to show that times can change, but many poor children are still waiting for even
the simplest things, like shoes. One day, she sees the priest’s son coming home from school. He is wearing a
school uniform, socks, and shoes.
Seeing him reminds the writer of another poor boy who had once prayed to the goddess for a pair of shoes.
When his wish was finally fulfilled, he prayed, “Let me never lose them.”

The writer says that now the priest’s son has shoes, showing that his family’s condition has improved.

However, many poor ragpickers like Saheb are still barefoot because they cannot afford shoes.

Main Idea: Some people’s lives improve with time, but many poor children still live without even basic
necessities.

Main Idea: Some people overcome poverty, but many children like Saheb still struggle for basic
necessities.

Page 3
Paragraph -1

[My acquaintance with the barefoot…a child is even more.]

The writer says that because she became familiar with the barefoot ragpickers, she came to know about
Seemapuri, where they live.

Seemapuri is located on the outskirts (periphery) of Delhi.

However, although it is physically close to Delhi, it is very far from Delhi in terms of development, facilities,
and quality of life. That is why the writer says it is "miles away metaphorically."

Is Seemapuri really far from Delhi?

Answer: No. It is geographically close, but socially and economically it is very far because people there
live in extreme poverty.

The people living in Seemapuri are squatters, meaning they have built temporary houses on land they do
not legally own.

Most of them came from Bangladesh in 1971 because of poverty and difficult conditions.

Saheb’s family is also one of these migrant families.

Earlier, Seemapuri was a wasteland (wilderness) with almost no people.

Now, thousands of poor families live there.

Although people have settled there, the place is still undeveloped.

About 10,000 ragpickers live in Seemapuri.

Their houses are made of: Mud walls Tin roofs Tarpaulin (plastic sheets)

They have no proper sewage system, no drainage, and no running water.

This shows their poor living conditions.

These families have lived there for many years.

They do not have legal identity or permission to stay there.

However, they have ration cards, which help them buy food at low prices.
Their names are also included in the voters' list, which allows them to vote.

For these poor people, food is much more important than legal documents.

They first want to satisfy their hunger. Only after that they can they think about identity or citizenship.

The women tell the writer:

"If we can earn enough money to feed our family and sleep without hunger, we are happy to live here."

They explain that they left Bangladesh because their fields produced no crops, so they had no food.

These poor families move wherever they can find work and food.

They put up temporary tents.

These temporary shelters become their homes. This shows that they have no permanent place to live.

Children are born and grow up in these poor conditions.

Instead of studying or playing, they start working with their parents.

They help the family to survive by collecting garbage.

In Seemapuri, collecting garbage is the main source of income.

It is not a choice; it is the only way many families can survive.

The ragpickers have been doing this work for so many years that they have become very skilled at it.

They know exactly where and how to find useful things in the garbage.

The writer calls it "a fine art" because of their experience and skill.

For rich people, garbage is useless.

But for ragpickers, garbage is as valuable as gold because it provides food and money.

Garbage helps them earn enough money to:

Buy food (daily bread)

Build a small house (even if the roof leaks during rain)

Garbage is the source of their survival.

For adults, garbage means earning money to survive.

But for children, garbage is more than that.

It gives them hope, excitement, and the dream of finding something valuable, such as a coin, a toy, or
another useful object.

Paragraph 2

[“I sometimes find a rupee, even a ten-rupee note”………… The gatekeeper let’s me use the swing.”]

Saheb happily tells the writer that sometimes he finds one rupee or even a ten-rupee note while searching
through garbage.
Whenever he finds money, he becomes very excited because he hopes to find even more.

The writer explains the difference between children and adults.

For children, garbage is exciting because it may contain hidden treasures.

For adults, garbage is only a way to earn money and feed the family.

Main Idea: Children see hope and adventure in garbage, while adults see only a means of survival.

One winter morning, the writer sees Saheb standing outside a tennis club.

He watches two young men playing tennis.

Saheb says that he likes the game.

He also tells the writer that when nobody is around, he secretly goes inside, and sometimes the gatekeeper
allows him to use the swing.

This shows that even poor children have dreams and enjoy simple pleasures.

Main Idea: Saheb dreams of enjoying things that are normally beyond his reach.

Paragraph 3

[“But for a child it is even more.”……….. But the game he is watching so intently is out of his reach.]

The writer says that garbage means more to children than it does to adults.

For adults, garbage is only a way to earn money and feed the family.

For children, garbage is also a source of hope, excitement, and dreams. They believe they might find a coin,
a toy, or something valuable.

Saheb happily tells the writer that sometimes he finds a one-rupee coin or even a ten-rupee note while
collecting garbage.

When he says this, his eyes shine with happiness because finding money is a big achievement for him.

If a child finds money once, he starts believing that he may find more money or valuable things in the
future.

That hope encourages him to continue searching through garbage every day.

The writer points out the difference between children’s thinking and adults’ thinking.

Parents see garbage only as a way to earn money for survival.

Children see garbage as something exciting because it may contain hidden treasures.

For children, garbage is full of wonder, curiosity, and hope.

For adults, garbage is simply a source of income that helps them survive.

One winter morning, the writer sees Saheb standing outside a tennis club.

He is watching two rich young men playing tennis.

He cannot enter the club because he is poor.

Saheb says that he likes tennis.

Even though he cannot play, he is happy just watching the game from outside the fence.

This shows that he finds joy even in small things.

Saheb tells the writer that sometimes, when nobody is watching, he quietly goes inside the club.

The kind gatekeeper allows him to play on the swing.

This small act makes Saheb very happy.

The writer notices that Saheb is wearing tennis shoes, but his clothes are old, faded, and worn out.

The shoes do not match his poor appearance. Saheb explains that the shoes were given to him by someone
else. They are not new.

The shoes once belonged to a rich boy.

The rich boy threw them away because they had a small hole.

But Saheb does not mind because he has never had proper shoes.

Even old shoes are precious for him.

Saheb has spent most of his life walking barefoot. So, getting even old, torn shoes feels like a dream
fulfilled.

This sentence shows the huge difference between the lives of the rich and the poor.

Although Saheb now has tennis shoes, he still cannot play tennis.

He watches the game very carefully and with great interest, but playing tennis belongs to a different
world—the world of rich people.

The writer wants to show that having shoes does not change Saheb's social and economic condition. His
dreams are still beyond his reach.

Garbage gives poor children hope and excitement, while for adults it is only a way to survive. It also
highlights the huge gap between rich and poor. Rich children throw away shoes because of a small hole,
but poor children happily wear those discarded shoes. Even after getting tennis shoes, Saheb cannot
become a tennis player because poverty still prevents him from entering that world. This is why the
writer says “the game… is out of his reach.”

Page 4
Paragraph 1

[“This morning, Saheb is on his way to the milk booth… Saheb is no longer his own master!”]

Some time later, the writer sees that Saheb has stopped collecting garbage.

Now he works at a tea stall.

He is carrying a steel milk can to the milk booth.

Saheb tells the writer, “I work at a tea stall. I get ₹800 per month and all my meals.”
The writer notices that Saheb no longer looks happy and carefree.

Earlier, when he collected garbage, he was free to move around with his friends. Although he was poor, he
had some freedom.

Now, he has a fixed job. The steel can feels heavier than the plastic bag he used to carry—not because it is
physically much heavier, but because it represents responsibility and loss of freedom.

The tea stall belongs to someone else, so Saheb now has to obey his employer.

That is why the writer says, “Saheb is no longer his own master.”

{Although Saheb now earns money and gets food, he has lost his freedom and childhood. Child labour
has made him dependent on his employer.}

New Section

“I Want to Drive a Car”

The first part was about Saheb. Now the writer introduces Mukesh, another poor child.

Paragraph 2

[“Mukesh insists on being his own master…….making bangles for all the women in the land it seems.]

Mukesh has a dream.

He says, "I want to become a motor mechanic." Unlike others in his family, he does not want to continue
the traditional work of making bangles. He wants to choose his own profession and become independent
(his own master).

Main Idea:

Mukesh wants to change his future and live an independent life.

The writer asks Mukesh,

"Do you know anything about cars?"

Mukesh confidently replies,

"I will learn to drive a car."

His confidence shows that he is determined to achieve his dream.

However, the writer compares his dream to a mirage.

A mirage is something that appears real from a distance but cannot actually be reached.

This means Mukesh's dream is very difficult to achieve because of poverty and lack of opportunities.

Main Idea: Mukesh has confidence, but poverty makes his dream difficult to fulfil.

Mukesh lives in Firozabad, a city famous for its glass bangles.

Almost every family in the city is involved in the bangle-making industry.

People have been doing this work for many generations.

Men work near hot furnaces, melting and shaping glass.

Women also help in making bangles.

It seems that the entire town depends on this one occupation.

Main Idea: Firozabad is known for bangle-making, and almost every family depends on this work.

Paragraph 3

[“Mukesh’s family is among them… that the law, if enforced…… slog their daylight hours, often losing the
brightness of their eyes."]

Although Saheb now has tennis shoes, he still cannot play tennis.

He watches the game very carefully and with great interest, but playing tennis belongs to a different
world—the world of rich people.

The writer wants to show that having shoes does not change Saheb's social and economic condition. His
dreams are still beyond his reach.

The writer says that child labour is illegal, but unfortunately the law is not properly enforced.

If the law were followed strictly, Mukesh and about 20,000 other children working in Firozabad could be
saved from working in dangerous glass factories.

These children spend the whole day (daylight hours) working near very hot furnaces. Because of the heat,
smoke, and poor light, many children damage their eyesight and some even become blind at a young age.

Main Idea: Child labour continues because the law is not properly implemented, and it badly affects
children's health.

Page 5

Paragraph 1
[“Mukesh’s eyes beam as he volunteers to take me home…”………. – the art of making
bangles]
Mukesh happily offers to take the writer to his house.
His eyes beam, which means they shine with happiness and excitement.

He proudly tells the writer that his house is being rebuilt.

Although the house is still very simple, Mukesh feels proud because it is improving.
Main Idea: Despite poverty, Mukesh feels happy and hopeful about small improvements
in his life.
The writer follows Mukesh through dirty and narrow streets.
The lanes are full of garbage, and the houses are in poor condition.
The houses have: Broken walls Weak doors No windows
Many families and even animals live together in these small houses.
Finally, Mukesh stops at his house, pushes open the weak iron door, and invites the writer
inside.
Main Idea: This paragraph describes the poor living conditions of Mukesh's family.
Inside the house, the writer sees a simple kitchen.
A large pot of spinach is cooking on a wood-burning stove.
More chopped vegetables are lying nearby.
Mukesh’s young sister-in-law (Bhabhi – Mukesh’s elder brother) is preparing dinner for the
whole family.
Although the kitchen is full of smoke, she smiles politely at the writer.
Main Idea: Even in poverty, the family prepares food together and welcomes guests
warmly.
Mukesh's sister-in-law is still very young. However, after marriage she has become responsible for looking
after: (i) Her husband (ii) Mukesh (iii) Mukesh's father

When Mukesh's father enters, she immediately covers her face with her veil as a mark of respect.

This shows the traditional customs followed in their family.

Main Idea: The daughter-in-law has many responsibilities and follows old family traditions.

Mukesh's father has worked hard throughout his life. First he worked as a tailor, and later he became a
bangle maker. Even after years of hard work, he could not: Build a proper house & send his two sons to
school. The only thing he could pass on to them was the skill of making bangles. This shows how poverty
continues from one generation to another.

Main Idea: Hard work alone could not free Mukesh's father from poverty.

Paragraph 2

["It is his karam, his destiny,' says Mukesh's grandmother..."……losing their eyesight before they become
adults.]

Mukesh's grandmother believes that making bangles is their fate (destiny). She says that their family has
always been bangle makers. According to her, they cannot change their profession because they were born
into this caste. This shows the strong belief in fate and traditional occupations.

Main Idea: The older generation believes poverty and bangle making are their destiny.

The writer says that the people of Firozabad see bangles everywhere.

There are colourful bangles in every house, every street, and every yard.
Young men carry piles of bangles on handcarts through the narrow lanes.

Inside dark, smoky rooms, children work with their parents.

They sit near burning oil lamps and join pieces of hot glass to make bangles.

Because they work in dim light and smoke every day, their eyes become used to darkness.

As a result, many workers lose their eyesight before they become adults.

Main Idea: Children grow up working in dangerous conditions, which ruins their health and future.

Page 6
Paragraph 1

[“Savita, a young girl in a drab pink dress,……………..He has a roof over his head.]

The writer sees a young girl named Savita.

She is sitting beside an old woman and joining (soldering) pieces of glass to make bangles.

Her dress is drab (dull and faded), which shows her poor condition.

Her hands move mechanically, just like a machine. This means she has been doing the same work for so
long that it has become automatic.

Main Idea: Savita has started working at a very young age, and her childhood has been replaced by hard
labour.

The writer wonders whether Savita understands the importance (sanctity) of the bangles she makes.

In Indian culture, red bangles are a symbol of a married woman's happiness (suhaag).

The writer imagines that one day Savita will also become a bride.

She will wear a red veil, apply mehendi (henna) on her hands, and wear red bangles.

But today, she is only making bangles for others without enjoying a normal childhood.

Main Idea: Savita makes beautiful bangles for others, but she does not yet understand their cultural
importance or enjoy the happiness they represent.

The writer compares Savita with the old woman sitting next to her.

Many years ago, the old woman was also a young bride.

Even today, she is wearing bangles, but there is no happiness or hope in her eyes.

She says,

"Ek waqt se bhar khana bhi nahin khaya."

This means, "I have never had even one full meal in my life."

Her words show the pain of a lifetime of poverty.

Although she has worked very hard, she has remained poor and hungry.

Main Idea: The old woman has spent her whole life making bangles, yet she has never escaped poverty.
The old woman’s husband says,

“I know nothing except bangles.”

He means that making bangles is the only work he has ever learned.

He proudly says that he has at least managed to build a small house for his family.

The writer feels that this is his greatest achievement, because many poor people cannot even build a
house.

Main Idea: The old man has worked all his life but could achieve only one thing—a roof over his family’s
head.

Paragraph 2

["The cry of not having money.............. from poverty to apathy to greed and to injustice.]

The writer says that almost every family in Firozabad has the same complaint—they do not have enough
money. They only know one occupation, making bangles, but even after working hard throughout the day,
they do not earn enough to live comfortably or even eat properly. Poverty has continued in these families
for generations.

The young people repeat the same complaints as their parents and grandparents. Nothing has changed
over time. Years of hard, repetitive work have made them mentally and physically tired. They have stopped
dreaming about a better future because they believe that their life can never change.

The writer suggests that they should form a cooperative society so that they can sell their bangles directly
and earn more money. However, the workers refuse because they are afraid. They say that if they try to
organise themselves, the police may arrest them or accuse them of doing something illegal. They also have
no leader to guide them or fight for their rights.

Finally, the writer says that these families are trapped in a never-ending cycle (spiral):

• Poverty makes them weak and helpless.

• This leads to apathy, which means they lose hope and stop trying to change their lives.
• Their helplessness allows greedy middlemen and moneylenders to exploit them.
• This exploitation results in injustice, as the workers are treated unfairly and remain poor.

Thus, the cycle continues from one generation to the next, making it very difficult for the bangle makers to
escape poverty.

The bangle makers remain poor not because they do not work hard, but because
they are trapped in a cycle of poverty, hopelessness, exploitation, and injustice
that keeps repeating generation after generation.

Page 7
["Listening to them, I see two distinct worlds....... Few airplanes fly over Firozabad."]

After listening to the workers, the writer feels that two completely different worlds exist.

First World - This is the world of the poor bangle-makers. They are trapped because of:
1. Poverty 2. Caste system 3. Lack of education 4. Lack of opportunities

Children are born into this life and accept it as normal.

Second World - This is the world of powerful people:

1. Sahukars (moneylenders) 2. Middlemen 3. Policemen 4. Government officials 5. Politicians

These people exploit the poor and keep them under control.

The writer says they have placed a heavy burden (baggage) on poor children.

Before children understand life, they accept poverty and their traditional occupation as their fate.

They never learn to dream of a different future.

Main Idea: Society is divided into two unequal worlds—one that suffers and one that exploits.

The writer notices that Mukesh is different from the other children.

He still has hope and courage.

When the writer asks about his dream, Mukesh confidently says,

"I want to be a motor mechanic."

The writer tells him that the garage is far from his house.

Mukesh immediately replies,

"I will walk."

This shows his determination.

The writer then asks,

"Do you also dream of flying an aeroplane?"

Mukesh becomes silent.

Finally, he softly says,

"No."

He only dreams about cars, because he sees them every day in Firozabad.

He has never imagined becoming a pilot because airplanes are too far away from his reality.

The writer says that Mukesh's silence shows embarrassment and limited dreams, not a lack of
intelligence.

Even though he dreams, his dreams are limited by his surroundings and poverty.

Main Idea: Mukesh has the courage to dream of becoming a motor mechanic, but poverty limits how far
he can dream.

Conclusion:- The chapter "Lost Spring" highlights how poverty steals the childhood of children like Saheb
and Mukesh.

Saheb dreams of education but is forced to collect garbage and later work at a tea stall.
Mukesh dreams of becoming a motor mechanic instead of continuing the family tradition of making
bangles.

Through these two stories, Anees Jung strongly criticises child labour, poverty, social inequality, and
exploitation, while also reminding us that education, opportunities, and hope can help children build a
better future.

Word – meanings

Word Meanings
Scrounging seeking or looking for
dumps dreaming of looking for
heaps glibly fluently, but thoughtlessly
hollow insincere, superficial
Shuffles walks by dragging one's feet along
perpetual state of poverty being always poor
drowned overcome or overpowered by
desolation A state of complete emptiness or destruction
ragpicker(s) a person who collects and sells rags and other discarded things
from garbage
squatter(s) a person who unlawfully occupies an unused/uninhabited land or
building
wilderness an uninhabited or abandoned region
tarpaulin a heavy, hard-wearing waterproof cloth coated with paint
permit(s) an official document to do something
transit homes temporary homes
proportions Shape or dimension
canister a round or cylindrical container for storing things
looms appears
mirage appearing possible, but not actually so an enclosed fireplace for
heating metals or materials to a very high temperature
dingy dark and gloomy
cells very small rooms
slog their daylight hours work hard throughout the day
brightness of their eyes Eyesight
beam Shine brightly
Hovels A small, dirty and simply constructed building
wobbly moving unsteadily from side to side
primeval Ancient, primitive
bangs kicks
platters A large flat dish or plate for serving food
command respect to deserve and receive respect
impoverished made poor
lineage ancestry
unkempt Untidy
shanty town a town full of, crudely-built huts without sanitation
Dark hutments dimly lit huts
welding joining together by heating the surface to the point of melting
 Soldering tongs movable arms of an instrument, used for holding and picking up
things
Reaped received
lament Complaint, passionate expression of grief
Mind-numbing so extreme or intense as to prevent normal thought
stigma A mark of disgrace; shame
Sahukars moneylenders
imposed the baggage on the forced the child into the traditional occupation of bangle-making
child
hurtling Moving at high speed
Questions – Answers

1 What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?

or What does Saheb look for in the garbage dumps?

Ans In the garbage dumps, Saheb looks for useful items which can be sold for cash. As these items can be
traded for money, they are just like 'gold' for him. Saheb and his family live in Seemapuri, a slum on the
periphery of Delhi. His family had migrated from Bangladesh.

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

or What does the reference to chappals in 'Lost Spring' tell us about the economic condition of the
ragpickers?

Ans The author offers various explanations given to her by the children like, simply not caring to take the
trouble of taking their slippers down from the shelf to wear them, not wearing footwear is a tradition, and
so on. 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. The reference to chappals is symbolic of any kind of
footwear, which the ragpickers cannot afford.

3 Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.

or How was Saheb's life at the tea stall? or What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy?

Ans Saheb took up the job of performing odd jobs at a tea stall, but was unhappy because he was tied
down by the work he had to do, thus losing his independence, which he had earlier as a ragpicker.

4 What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

Ans Bangle-making makes the city of Firozabad famous. Firozabad is the centre of India's glass-blowing
industry where families have spent generations working around furnaces.

5. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.

Ans The main hazard of working in the glass bangles industry is to lose eye sight over a period of time.
Bangles are manufactured in glass furnaces with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light.
Consequently, the children, who slog their daylight hours in a cloistered room close to these hot furnaces,
often lose the brightness of their eyes. Other hazards are developing lung and brain related diseases.

6. How is Mukesh's attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
or "It is his karam, his destiny." What is Mukesh's family's attitude towards their situation?
How is Mukesh different from the other bangle-makers of Firozabad?
Ans Mukesh's attitude to his situation is different from that of his family because he is determined to
become a car mechanic. His father, a bangle-maker, could not do anything for his family except teach them
the art of making bangles.

His grandmother accepted her husband's going blind from polishing bangles as 'his karam, his destiny'. She
believes that they cannot break their 'god-given lineage'. However, Mukesh does not want to pursue this
trade.

Understanding the Text

1 What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?

Ans The main reason for the migration of people from villages to cities is the search of a better livelihood.
Poverty and poor facilities in the villages are a major 'push' factor. Life in the cities has a charm of its own
and attracts the villagers. Another reason is that people come to the cities looking for work, leaving behind
agricultural fields which are unproductive.

2 Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept? Why do you think this happens
in the incidents narrated in the text?

Ans I fully agree that promises made to the poor children are rarely kept. Promises are made both at the
national and international levels to provide healthy lives, quality education; protection against abuse,
exploitation and violence; etc. Yet, it is estimated that 246 million children are still engaged in child labour,
most of them working in hazardous conditions.

In the text, the author asks Saheb half-jokingly, if he will enrol in a school that she starts. Actually, the
author was not at all serious about starting the school, but Saheb thought that she had promised to start
one. She did not keep her promise because it was not seriously made.

3 What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
or Why does the author say that the bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web?
Ans. The workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad are kept in poverty by being exploited at the hands of
the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the law-makers, the bureaucrats and the politicians. Thus
they remain steeped in poverty. They cannot form 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.

Talking about the Text

1 How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?

Ans Mukesh belongs to a family of bangle-makers, but his attitude to his situation is different from that of
other family members. He dreams of becoming a motor-mechanic and learning to drive a car. His
determination for becoming a motor-mechanic and learning to drive a car seems to be very strong.

That is why he says that he will walk to the garage. There he will have to meet the owner of the garage and
request him for any petty work pertaining to the garage.

Through his sincere efforts and hard work and the guidance of his owner, he can attain the skills of a
mechanic and then gradually that of car driving. In this way, he can surely realise his dream.
2. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?

Ans Child labour should be eliminated to bring back the 'spring' in the lives of poor children like Saheb and
Mukesh. We can do this by inculcating the values to :

(i) have a strong will to ensure that all children get basic education. This may be done by helping them join
the 'open school' system if they are not able to attend a regular school.
(ii) have a sense of commitment of wanting to help these children; an example can be to find better
employment for the adults in their families.

(iii) say ‘NO’ to child labour in any work related to us.

(iv) feel the need to do something for such children, exemplifying the saying, ‘where there is a will, there is
a way’.
(v) create awareness in society about the plight of the underprivileged so that people in power can help
them.