[Link] is sahib looking for in the garbage dumps?
Where is he and where has he
come from?
Garbage is gold for Saheb. He is looking for a rupee coin in it. Apart from money, he
finds other valuable objects from this garbage. He lives at Seemapuri, at the periphery of
Delhi, and his parents migrated from a village in Bangladesh. For the ragpickers,
garbage is a means of their livelihood. For children of the ragpickers, garbage is
wrapped in wonder. They find new things in the garbage every day.
[Link] was Saheb full name? Why was it ironical?
Saheb’s full name was ‘Saheb-e-Alam’ which means the master of the universe. But, on
the contrary, Saheb is a victim of poverty. He lives in a slum and is not able to get meal.
So the name of Saheb is highly ironical.
3.‘Seemapuri is on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it metaphorically.’
What does the author mean by this?
Seemapuri is on the borders of Delhi which is the capital of India. The living conditions
at Seemapuri are highly pathetic. This place does not even have basic facilities such as
sewage drainage and running water. The houses are made of mud with roof of tin and
tarpaulin. It is beyond imagination that such a place is part of a developed capital of the
country.
[Link] had the ragpickers come to live in Seemapuri?
The ragpickers are the migrants from Bangladesh. They have been living at Seemapuri
since 1971. They have no identity and no permit. They only have ration cards that get
their names on the voters’ list and enable them to buy grain. These are refugees from
Bangladesh who come and settled in Seemapuri 45 years ago.
[Link] explanation does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Thousands of children in our country belong to the underprivileged classes. They are
too afford a footwear. But some of them give tradition as an excuse to remain barefoot.
But the author thinks it to be just a fake excuse.
[Link] Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.
No, Saheb is not happy working, at the tea-stall. Though he is now earning Rs.800 per
month along with two times’ meal, yet he has lost the carefree look at his face. He is no
longer his own master and has lost his freedom.
MUKESH
1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
The city of Firozabad is famous for bangles. The bangle making industry of Firozabad is
famous all over the world. It is India’s largest glass blowing industry where glass is
welded into colourful bangles.
[Link] the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
The glass bangles industry is a real threat to the health of workers. The workers in these
factories work in dingy cells without sufficient air and light and that too with high
temperatures. As a result, most of them lose their eyesight and develop lung and brain
related diseases.
[Link] is Mukesh? What is his dream?
Mukesh is a young boy from a poor family of Firozabad. His family is under heavy debt
and is working in a bangle making factory for generations. But Mukesh is different and
dreams of becoming a motor mechanic and drive a car.
[Link] is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Mukesh does not believe in destiny. He is ambitious and wants to be his own master. He
does not want to spend his life making bangles. He wants to do something different. He
wants to become a motor mechanic and drive a car.
[Link] does Anees Jung blame for the sorry plight of the bangle makers?
Anees Jung says the bangle makers of Firozabad are caught in the vicious circle of
sahukars, middlemen, police, bureaucrats and politicians who keep on exploiting them.
Due to this, bangle makers are not able to organize themselves into a cooperative.
6.‘Together they have imposed the baggage on the child that he cannot put down.’
Who do ‘they’ refer to? What is the ‘baggage’ and why can the child not get rid of
it?
‘They’ refers to the sahukars, middlemen, bureaucrats, politicians and policemen.
Together all these forces have created a vicious circle for the bangle makers. The
‘baggage’ refers to the burden or the compulsion to work in the bangle factories. The
child cannot refuse to work in these factories due to the heavy debt on his parents. As a
result, they are compelled to work in hazardous conditions.
LONG
1. ‘Saheb is no longer his own master. Mukesh insists on being his own master.’
Discuss.
Both Saheb and Mukesh, symbolise the exploited children in India who are forced to live
a life of poverty. Saheb is a ragpicker who lives at Seemapuri. His only means of survival
is the garbage. He lives in a pathetic condition. Finally, he starts working at a tea stall
where he completely loses his freedom and childhood. He has compromised with his
fate. He has accepted his condition and has completely given up himself.
Mukesh, on the other hand, is a boy who also belongs to a very poor family but doesn’t
give up and compromise with circumstances. Though he belongs to a bangle maker’s
family and is destined to work as a bangle maker, he refuses to accept it. He has his own
ambition to become a motor mechanic. He doesn’t want to be dominated and exploited
by others. He wants to be on his own and take his own decisions.