Question 1.

What does the writer mean when she says, ‘Saheb is no longer his own
master’? (Delhi 2000)
Answer:
Since Saheb now works in a tea-stall, he is now bound to his master and
feels burdened. The steel canister he carries is very heavy as compared to
his light plastic bag. The bag was his own and the canister belongs to his
master whose orders he now has to follow. So he is no longer his own
master.

Question 2.
Is it possible for Mukesh to realize his dream? Justify your answer? (All
India 2000)
Answer:
Mukesh’s determination is going to prove instrumental in helping him to
realize his dream. His dream can become a reality only if he is able to find
a garage where he can be taken in as an apprentice and then he will have
to learn how to drive a car. He will then be able to graduate himself to be
a good mechanic.

Question 3.
Do you think Saheb was happy to work at the tea stall? Answer giving
reasons. (All India 2000)
Answer:
Since Saheb now works in a tea-stall, he is now bound to his master and
feels burdened. The steel canister he carries is very heavy as compared to
his light plastic bag. The bag was his own and the canister belongs to his
master whose orders he now has to follow. So he is no longer his own
master.

Question 4.
What does the title, ‘Lost Spring’ convey? (All India 2000)
Answer:
The title ‘Lost Spring’ conveys how millions of children in India lose out on
living the ‘spring’ of their lives, that is their childhood. The best phase of
life is lost in the hardships involved to earn their livelihood. Poverty forces
these young children to work in the most inhuman conditions as a result
of which they miss out on the fun of childhood which hampers their
growth.

Question 5.
Why does the author say that the bangle makers are caught in a vicious
web?(All India 2010)
Answer:
The author says that the bangle makers are caught in a vicious web which
starts from poverty, to indifferences, then to greed and finally to injustice.
Mind-numbing toil kills their hopes and dreams. They cannot organise
themselves into cooperatives and have fallen into a vicious circle of
‘sahukars’, middlemen and the police so they get condemned to poverty
and perpetual exploitation.

Question 6.
What does the writer mean when she says, ‘Saheb is no longer his own
master’? (Comptt. All India 2011)
Answer:
Since Saheb now works in a tea-stall, he is now bound to his master and
feels burdened. The steel canister he carries is very heavy as compared to
his light plastic bag. The bag was his own and the canister belongs to his
master whose orders he now has to follow. So he is no longer his own
master.

Question 7.
Who is Mukesh? What is his dream? (Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Mukesh is a child labourer in a glass factory in Firozabad. Belonging to a
family of bangle makers, he shows no fascination towards bangle-making
and insists on being his own master. He dreams of becoming a motor
mechanic. He desires to go to a garage and get the required training for
this job.

Question 8.
Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall? Why/ Why not? (Delhi 2012)
Answer:
No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea stall. Even though, he now gets
a fixed income of ?800 alongwith all his meals, he has lost his freedom
and his carefree days. He is no longer his own master and is bound and
burdened by the steel canister he now has to carry.

Question 9.
Why could the bangle-makers not organise themselves into a co-
operative? (All India 2012)
Answer:
The bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web which starts from poverty
to indifferences then to greed and finally to injustice. Mind-numbing toil
kills their hopes and dreams.
The bangle makers of Ferozabad were not able to organise themselves
into a cooperative because they had got trapped in a vicious circle j of the
sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, j the bureaucrats and the
politicians. Together they had imposed a baggage on these people 1
which they could not put down.

Question 10.
Mention any two problems faced by the bangle sellers.(Comptt. All India
2012)
Answer:
The bangle makers had to work in the glass furnaces with high
temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light. They are exposed to
various health hazards like losing their eyesight as they work in abysmal
conditions in dark and dingy cells. They were also caught in a web of
poverty, burdened by the stigma of caste in which they were born and
also caught in a vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen and policeman.

Question 11.
Garbage has two different meanings—one for the children and another for
the adults. Comment. (Comptt. All India 2012)
Answer:
For the children garbage has a different meaning from what it means for
the adults. For the children it is wrapped in wonder, their eyes light-up
when they find a rupee or a ten-rupee note in it. They search the garbage
excitedly with the hope of finding something more. But for the elders it is
a means of survival.

Question 12.
Why didn’t the bangle makers of Ferozabad organise themselves into a
cooperative? (Comptt. All India 2012)
Answer:
The bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web which starts from poverty
to indifferences then to greed and finally to injustice. Mind-numbing toil
kills their hopes and dreams.
The bangle makers of Ferozabad were not able to organise themselves
into a cooperative because they had got trapped in a vicious circle j of the
sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, j the bureaucrats and the
politicians. Together they had imposed a baggage on these people 1
which they could not put down.

Question 13.
How is Mukesh’s attitude towards life different from that of his family?
(Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
Unlike his family Mukesh insists on being his own master. He dreams to be
a motor mechanic which in itself is a daring thought because he wants to
break away from the family’s work of making bangles wherein his
forefathers have spent generations working around furnaces.

Question 14.
Why can’t the bangle makers of Ferozabad organize themselves into a
cooperative? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
The bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web which starts from poverty
to indifferences then to greed and finally to injustice. Mind-numbing toil
kills their hopes and dreams.
The bangle makers of Ferozabad were not able to organise themselves
into a cooperative because they had got trapped in a vicious circle j of the
sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, j the bureaucrats and the
politicians. Together they had imposed a baggage on these people 1
which they could not put down.

Question 15.
Why is Saheb unhappy working at the tea i stall? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
Saheb was unhappy while working at the tea- stall because he was no
longer the master of his own life. He lost his freedom and carefree look.
He had to live and work under the instructions of the owner of the tea-
stall. He was not at liberty to go out and spend time with his friends.

Question 16.
Survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. , Comment. (Comptt. All India
2013)
Answer:
Survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Over the years it has acquired
the proportions of a fine art. For the slum dwellers of Seemapuri, rag-
picking is their daily bread, it gives them the roof over their heads and is
the very means for their survival.

Question 17.
It is ‘a tradition to stay barefoot ‘ What is the attitude of the rag-pickers of
Seemapuri towards wearing shoes? (Comptt. All India 2013)
Answer:
The rag-pickers of Seemapuri have different attitudes towards wearing
shoes. One boy does not feel like wearing shoes. Another boy who has
never owned a pair of shoes all his life wants them. But the author feels it
its not lack of money but a tradition to stay barefoot for these poor
people.

Question 18.
A young man in Ferozabad is burdened under the baggage of two worlds.
What are they? (Comptt. All India)
Answer:
The two worlds that burden a young man in Ferozabad include one of the
family, caught in the web of poverty, burdened by the stigma of ” caste in
which they are born; the other a vicious circle of the sahukars, the
middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the
politicians.

Question 19.
How is Mukesh different from the other bangle makers of Firozabad?
(Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Mukesh was different from other bangle makers because he wanted to be
his own master. He had a dream of becoming a motor mechanic whereas
other bangle makers did not even dare to dream but had accepted their
fate.

Question 20.
What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy? (Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Saheb took up a job in a tea stall. Though he gets 800 rupees and all his
meals, he is not happy and his face has lost the carefree look. He is bound
and burdened as he now has to follow the orders of his master and is no
longer his own master.

Question 21.
Why did Saheb’s parents leave Dhaka and migrate to India? (Comptt.
Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Saheb’s home was set amidst the green fields of Dhaka. His mother told
him that many storms had swept away their fields and homes. For this
reason his parents were forced to leave Dhaka and migrate to India,
looking for gold in the big city where they now live.

Question 22.
What is Mukesh’s dream? Do you think he will be able to fulfil his dream?
Why? Why not? (Comptt. Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Mukesh’s dream is to learn to drive a car and become a motor mechanic.
His dream is likely to be fulfilled because one can sense a kind of
determination in him to ensure the fulfillment of his dream. Though the
garage is a long way from his home he is willing to walk to learn despite
the odds against him.

Question 23.
In what sense is garbage gold to the ragpickers? (Comptt. All India 2014)
Answer:
The rag-pickers of Seemapuri consider garbage as nothing less than gold.
For the elders it is their only means of survival as it provides them with
their daily bread. For the innocent chil¬dren it is wrapped in wonder as
they marvel at the chance of finding a coin, a currency note or a curio that
really thrills them and gives them a hope of finding more elusive notes.

Question 24.
Whom does Anees Jung blame for the sorry plight of the bangle makers’?
(Comptt. All India 2014)
Answer:
Anees Jung blames the family of the bangle makers, who are caught in a
web of poverty, burdened by the stigma of the caste in which they are
born and the vicious circle of the sahukars, the middlemen, the
policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians for the
sorry plight of the bangle makers.

Question 25.
To which country did Saheb’s parents originally belong? Why did they
come to India? (Comptt. All India 2014)
Answer:
Saheb’s parents originally belonged to Dhaka in Bangladesh. His home,
which was set amidst the green fields of Dhaka, had been swept away due
to the storms and that was when his parents had left their native place
and come to the big city in search of livelihood.

Question 26.
Most of us do not raise our voice against injustice in our society and tend
to remain
mute spectators. Anees Jung in her article, l “Lost Childhood” vividly
highlights the I miserable life of street children and bangle makers of
Firozabad. She wants us to act. Which qualities does she want the children
to develop? (Comptt. Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Anees Jung feels that there is dire need to provide these poverty-stricken
children a life of dignity and respect. This can mainly be done j through
the medium of education, which will further provide them with
opportunities wherein they will be able to pursue their dreams. There is
utter lack of compassion and concern for unfortunate children like Saheb
and Mukesh. They are caught in a vicious circle of poverty and
exploitation. The author wants all i children to become aware of their
basic rights which will empower them and enable them to j organise
themselves into cooperatives whereby j they will not be ruthlessly
exploited.

Question 27.
What does Saheb look for in the garbage 1 dumps? (All India 2015)
Answer:
According to the author Saheb scrounges for ‘gold’ in the garbage dumps.
‘Gold’ here infers . to items that are valuable to him like used clothes,
shoes, plastic scrap, stray coins or 1 currency notes. For children like
Saheb, i garbage is ‘wrapped in wonder’.

Question 28.
What did garbage mean to the children of Seemapuri and to their parents?
(All India 2015)
Answer:
The rag-pickers of Seemapuri consider garbage as nothing less than gold.
For the elders it is their only means of survival as it provides them with
their daily bread. For the innocent chil¬dren it is wrapped in wonder as
they marvel at the chance of finding a coin, a currency note or a curio that
really thrills them and gives them a hope of finding more elusive notes.
Question 29.
“It is his karam, his destiny.” What is Mukesh’s family’s attitude towards
their situation? (All India 2015)
Answer:
Mukesh’s family have accepted their misery and impoverished condition
as factors that have been ordained by destiny. Years of depravation and
suffering has made them accept their condition passively in the name of
fate or destiny. They feel that a God-given lineage can never be broken
and have accepted bangle making as his destiny.

Question 30.
Describe the irony in Saheb’s name. (Delhi 2016)
Answer:
Saheb’s full name is Saheb-e-Alam which means ‘Lord of the Universe’.
But ironically Saheb is a poverty-stricken ragpicker who scrounges the
garbage dumps to earn his livelihood. His name is in complete contrast to
his miserable existence.

Question 31.
What does the reference to chappals in ‘Lost Spring7 tell us about the
economic condition of the rag pickers? (All India 2016)
Answer:
The reference to chappals in ‘Lost Spring’ tells us that the ragpickers were
poverty-stricken. The fact that they are not able to buy chappals reflects
their extreme state of poverty because of which they are unable to buy
basic things.

Question 32.
How was Mukesh different from other bangle makers? (Comptt. Delhi
2016)
Answer:
Mukesh was different from other bangle makers because he wanted to be
his own master. He had a dream of becoming a motor mechanic whereas
other bangle makers did not even dare to dream but had accepted their
fate.

Question 33.
Why was Saheb unhappy while working at the tea-stall? (Comptt. Delhi
2016)
Answer:
Saheb was unhappy while working at the tea- stall because he was no
longer the master of his own life. He lost his freedom and carefree look.
He had to live and work under the instructions of the owner of the tea-
stall. He was not at liberty to go out and spend time with his friends.

Question 34.
Which industry was a boon and also bane for the people of Firozabad?
How? (Comptt. Delhi 2017)
Answer:
The glass-bangles making industry was a boon and also bane for the
people of Firozabad. The industry has given them a means of livelihood
but the hazardous working conditions in the hot furnaces take a toll on
their physical health.

Question 35.
How are Saheb and Mukesh different from each other? (Comptt. All India
2017)
Answer:
Mukesh’s attitude towards life was different from that of Saheb. Unlike
Saheb he was optimistic about his future and so he dared to dream. He
wanted to become a motor mechanic and also wanted to learn to drive a
car. Saheb lacked determination so he harboured no dreams or ambitions
about his future.

Lost Spring Important Questions Long Answer Type Questions (5-

Question 36.
The bangle-makers of Ferozabad make bea-utiful bangles and make
everyone happy but they live and die in squalor. Elaborate. (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Through the story of the bangle-makers of Ferozabad, the author
expresses her concern over their exploitation in the hazardous job of
bangle-making. Extreme poverty, hard work and dismal working
conditions result in the loss of the childhood of children who are in this
profession. The working conditions of all bangle-makers are pathetic and
miserable. They work in high temperature, badly lit and poorly ventilated
glass furnaces due to which child workers especially are at risk of losing
their eyesight at an early age and get prone to other health hazards. The
stinking lanes of Ferozabad are choked with garbage and humans and
animals live together in these hovels. There is no development or
progress in their lives with the passage of time. They have no choice but
to work in these inhuman conditions. Mind-numbing toil kills their dreams
and hopes. They are condemned to live and die in squalor, subjected to a
life of poverty and perpetual exploitation.

Question 37.
Why did Saheb become a ragpicker? What did j he look for in the garbage
dumps? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Saheb belongs to a Bangladeshi refugee family that migrated to Delhi
from Dhaka in the wake of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Here he finds himself in
a vicious circle of social stigma, poverty and exploitation. He represents a
growing number of refugee migrant poor population who are forced to
lead a life of penury. This migratory population settle on the periphery of
big cities and start doing menial jobs to earn a living. Due to extreme
poverty Saheb’s parents are unable to provide for him and so he ends up
picking rags for his own survival as well as to support his parents. The
author says that Saheb scrounges for ‘gold’ in the garbage. Anything
valuable like used clothes, shoes, bits of metal, plastic scrap, stray coins
and currency notes can be termed as gold for them.

Question 38.
What change did Anees Jung see in Saheb when she saw him standing by
the gate of the neighbourhood club? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Saheb was a poor ragpicker who later takes up a job at a tea-stall in an
attempt to be a master of his own destiny. But unfortunately this move
further enslaves him. His new job replaces his light polythene bag with a
heavy steel canister.
It even deprives him of roaming around with his friends without a care in
the world. Earlier, though he did not have the security of a regular
income, he had his freedom, and later he did have an assured income at
the end of the month but he had lost his freedom. He was no more a free
bird and his own master. He appeared burdened and forlorn. He was now
a bonded labour who had surrendered his freedom. From being a spirited
free bird who was not answerable to anyone he has become bound. He
lives in a society where there is utter lack of compassion and commitment
for the upliftment of these unfortunate children.

Question 39.
Describe the life of squatters at Seemapuri. (Comptt. All India 2010)
Answer:
Most of the squatters at Seemapuri were refugees from Bangladesh.
Also:
Most of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri were refugees
from Bangladesh
who had fled their country and migrated to Delhi from Dhaka in the wake
of the 1971 Indo- Pak war. Their dwellings were structures of mud, tin and
tarpaulin with no sewage, drainage or running water. Picking garbage and
rags helped them to earn their daily bread, gave them a roof over their
heads and was their only means of livelihood and survival. Though these
squatters of Seemapuri have no identity but they do have valid ration
cards that enable them to buy grain. Living in Seemapuri, which is on the
periphery of Delhi, is like living in hell. Children here grow up to become
partners in survival to their parents. An army of barefoot children appears
every morning, carrying their plastic bags on their shoulders and
disappear by noon. They are forced to live a life of abject poverty that
results in the loss of childhood innocence.
Saheb, a ragpicker, roamed in the streets, scrounging for garbage,
barefoot and deprived of education. Later he starts working in a tea stall
but he loses his freedom and carefree life as he is no longer his own
master.
Question 40.
What does Anees Jung tell us about life at Mukesh’s home in Ferozabad?
(Comptt. AT 2010)
Answer:
Mukesh’s father represents the underpaid, over exploited bangle makers
of Ferozabad who is a victim of his own caste and is caught in a vicious
circle of Sahnkars, middlemen, politi¬cians and policemen. He leads a
hand-to-mouth existence in a shack with his family which includes two
elderly parents, two sons and a daughter-in-law. Lack of education and
awareness, the stigma of caste and a vicious nexus of people who exploit
them have killed all initiative and drive in the young and the old. Time
seems to stand still in Mukesh’s home in Ferozabad. There is no progress
and no development despite years of mind- numbing toil. All the labourers
of Ferozabad are victims of middlemen and touts. Their desire to dream
and dare is snubbed in their childhood. They have no choice but to accept
their subservience silently as their spirit is broken and their initiative
dormant.

Question 41.
Give a brief account of the life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-
Alam settled in Seemapuri. (Delhi 2011 )
Answer: Refer to Question 49, Page 166

Question 42.
‘Lost Spring’ explains the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn
thousands of people to a life of abject poverty. Do you agree? Why/Why
not? (All India 2011)
Answer:
‘Lost Spring’ does indeed highlight the miserable plight of thousands of
poor people whose life is completely marred by abject poverty and
thoughtless traditions. They work extremely hard in the most pathetic
conditions and accept poverty and exploitation as their destiny. Through
the lives of Saheb-e-Alam, a ragpicker, and Mukesh, a bangle maker, the
author highlights the vicious circle of social stigma and poverty which
these people are subjected to. Saheb and Mukesh also represent a
growing number of refugee migrants and people who are forced to live a
life of penury. No one shows any kind of compassion or sensitivity to their
pathetic plight and there is also no initiative or commitment for the
upliftment of these downtrodden people. Acute poverty, no education and
no infrastructural development has drained their energy and willpower
and they have no choice but to accept their destiny of inevitable poverty.

Question 43.
What circumstances forced Mukesh not to pursue his family business of
bangle making? Instead, what did he decide to do?
(Comptt. Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Mukesh dares to dream of a different life and decides not to pursue his
family business of bangle-making. He does not want to accept his life of
misery in the name of destiny. Though he is born in a poverty-ridden
family in the caste of bangle makers he dreams of a better future. He
wants to break free from the vicious circle of sahukars and middlemen
and carve a new beginning for himself by becoming a motor- mechanic.
He knows what it is like to work in glass furnaces that are neither well-lit
nor well- ventilated. They are dingy hovels with high temperatures. He has
seen that the youngsters are weighed down by the baggage of
generations of subservience and have forgotten to dream of an
alternative world. So Mukesh’s dream of going to a garage and learning to
be a motor-mechanic is an attempt to break free off the mind-numbing
toil.

Question 44.
In 1971 Bangladeshi migrants came to Delhi ‘looking for gold in the big
city’. What kind of life are they living in Seemapuri now?
(Comptt. Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Most of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri were refugees
from Bangladesh
who had fled their country and migrated to Delhi from Dhaka in the wake
of the 1971 Indo- Pak war. Their dwellings were structures of mud, tin and
tarpaulin with no sewage, drainage or running water. Picking garbage and
rags helped them to earn their daily bread, gave them a roof over their
heads and was their only means of livelihood and survival. Though these
squatters of Seemapuri have no identity but they do have valid ration
cards that enable them to buy grain. Living in Seemapuri, which is on the
periphery of Delhi, is like living in hell. Children here grow up to become
partners in survival to their parents. An army of barefoot children appears
every morning, carrying their plastic bags on their shoulders and
disappear by noon. They are forced to live a life of abject poverty that
results in the loss of childhood innocence.
Saheb, a ragpicker, roamed in the streets, scrounging for garbage,
barefoot and deprived of education. Later he starts working in a tea stall
but he loses his freedom and carefree life as he is no longer his own
master.

Question 45.
Describe the difficulties the bangle makers of Firozabad have to face in
their lives. (Delhi 2015 2012)
Answer:
Through the story of the bangle-makers of Ferozabad, the author
expresses her concern over their exploitation in the hazardous job of
bangle-making. Extreme poverty, hard work and dismal working
conditions result in the loss of the childhood of children who are in this
profession. The working conditions of all bangle-makers are pathetic and
miserable. They work in high temperature, badly lit and poorly ventilated
glass furnaces due to which child workers especially are at risk of losing
their eyesight at an early age and get prone to other health hazards. The
stinking lanes of Ferozabad are choked with garbage and humans and
animals live together in these hovels. There is no development or
progress in their lives with the passage of time. They have no choice but
to work in these inhuman conditions. Mind-numbing toil kills their dreams
and hopes. They are condemned to live and die in squalor, subjected to a
life of poverty and perpetual exploitation.

Question 46.
Describe the circumstances which keep the workers in the bangle industry
in poverty. (Delhi 2015)
Answer:
Through the story of the bangle makers of Firozabad, the author
expresses concern over their exploitation in the hazardous job of bangle
making and addresses the circumstances which keep the workers in
poverty. They live in stinking lanes, choked with garbage in homes. Their
houses are hovels with families of humans and animals coexisting in a
primeval state. They cannot organise themselves into cooperatives. Their
families are caught in a web of poverty and in a vicious circle of the
sahukars, the middlemen, the keepers of law, the policemen, the
bureaucrats and the politicians who impose on them a baggage which
they cannot put down. They move in a spiral from poverty, to apathy, to
greed and to injustice.

Question 47.
How is Mukesh’s attitude towards his situation different from that of
Saheb? Why? (Delhi 2015)
Answer:
Mukesh’s attitude towards his situation is different from that of Saheb.
Mukesh is more of a rebel who dares to be different and wishes to become
a motor mechanic. Though, Mukesh too, like his community, is working in
back breaking, mind-numbing glass industry but unlike his peers, the
spark in him has not extinguished. He wants to break free from the vicious
circle which his community has been caught in. Saheb, on the other hand,
has enslaved himself. By taking up work in the tea stall he is no longer his
own master. The difference in their attitude towards their situation can be
attributed to the fact that Saheb is a rootless migrant from Bangladesh
and Mukesh is a citizen of India. Moreover, Mukesh dares to dream. The
author too senses a flash of daring in Mukesh and this is what makes his
attitude a little more aggressive than Saheb.

Question 48.
“It is his karam, his destiny” that made Mukesh’s grandfather go blind.
How did Mukesh disprove this belief by choosing a new vocation and
making his own destiny?
(Comptt. Delhi 2015)
Answer:
Mukesh disproved the belief of “his karam, his destiny” by choosing a new
vocation in an attempt to make his own destiny. He decided to become a
motor mechanic. He mustered the courage to break free from the family
lineage of bangle making. He had seen his parents and others suffering
because of the vicious circle of poverty and exploitation that they were
caught in. Mukesh was ready to walk a long distance to reach the garage
to learn the vocation of car mechanic. His determination is going to prove
instrumental in helping him to realize his dream. Mukesh dares to dream
of a different life and decides not to pursue his family business of bangle-
making. He does not want to accept his life of misery in the name of
destiny. Though he is born in a poverty-ridden family in the caste of
bangle makers he dreams of a better future. He wants to break free from
the vicious circle of sahukars and middlemen and carve a new beginning
for himself by becoming a motor-mechanic. He knows what it is like to
work in glass furnaces that are neither well-lit nor well-ventilated. They
are dingy hovels with high temperatures. He has seen that the youngsters
are weighed down by the baggage of generations of subservience and
have forgotten to dream of an alternative world. So Mukesh’s dream of
going to a garage and learning to be a motor-mechanic is an attempt to
break-free off the mind-numbing toil.

Question 49.
What kind of life did Saheb lead at Seemapuri? (Comptt. All India 2016 )
Answer:
Most of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri were refugees
from Bangladesh
who had fled their country and migrated to Delhi from Dhaka in the wake
of the 1971 Indo- Pak war. Their dwellings were structures of mud, tin and
tarpaulin with no sewage, drainage or running water. Picking garbage and
rags helped them to earn their daily bread, gave them a roof over their
heads and was their only means of livelihood and survival. Though these
squatters of Seemapuri have no identity but they do have valid ration
cards that enable them to buy grain. Living in Seemapuri, which is on the
periphery of Delhi, is like living in hell. Children here grow up to become
partners in survival to their parents. An army of barefoot children appears
every morning, carrying their plastic bags on their shoulders and
disappear by noon. They are forced to live a life of abject poverty that
results in the loss of childhood innocence.
Saheb, a ragpicker, roamed in the streets, scrounging for garbage,
barefoot and deprived of education. Later he starts working in a tea stall
but he loses his freedom and carefree life as he is no longer his own
master.

Question 50.
Describe the living conditions prevailing in Firozabad. Mention why the
bangle making business does not give bangle makers a comfortable life.
(Comptt. All India 2016)
Answer:
Through the story of the bangle-makers of Ferozabad, the author
expresses her concern over their exploitation in the hazardous job of
bangle-making. Extreme poverty, hard work and dismal working
conditions result in the loss of the childhood of children who are in this
profession. The working conditions of all bangle-makers are pathetic and
miserable. They work in high temperature, badly lit and poorly ventilated
glass furnaces due to which child workers especially are at risk of losing
their eyesight at an early age and get prone to other health hazards. The
stinking lanes of Ferozabad are choked with garbage and humans and
animals live together in these hovels. There is no development or
progress in their lives with the passage of time. They have no choice but
to work in these inhuman conditions. Mind-numbing toil kills their dreams
and hopes. They are condemned to live and die in squalor, subjected to a
life of poverty and perpetual exploitation.

Question 51.
‘Garbage to them is gold’. How do ragpickers of Seemapuri survive? (Delhi
2017)
Answer:
Garbage, for the ragpickers of Seemapuri, is considered to be nothing less
than gold. Picking garbage helps them to earn their daily bread, gives
them a roof over their head and is their only means of livelihood and
survival. For the innocent children garbage is wrapped in wonder as they
marvel at the prospect of finding a coin, a currency note or a curio that
sustains their hope. These children grow up to become partners in survival
with their parents. Seemapuri houses around 10,000 ragpickers mostly
Bangladeshi refugees, who have lived there for more than thirty years
without an identity and without permits. These people live in mud
structures with roofs made of tin and tarpaulin. The ration cards that
enable them to get their names on voters’ lists and enable them to buy
grain and garbage are their means of survival. Food is more important to
them for survival than an identity.

Question 52.
“For the 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? (Comptt.
All India 2017)
Answer:
Garbage, for the ragpickers of Seemapuri, is considered to be nothing less
than gold. Picking garbage helps them to earn their daily bread, gives
them a roof over their head and is their only means of livelihood and
survival. For the innocent children garbage is wrapped in wonder as they
marvel at the prospect of finding a coin, a currency note or a curio that
sustains their hope. These children grow up to become partners in survival
with their parents. Seemapuri houses around 10,000 ragpickers mostly
Bangladeshi refugees, who have lived there for more than thirty years
without an identity and without permits. These people live in mud
structures with roofs made of tin and tarpaulin. The ration cards that
enable them to get their names on voters’ lists and enable them to buy
grain and garbage are their means of survival. Food is more important to
them for survival than an identity.