PRESIDIUM SCHOOL, SECTOR 57, GURGAON

SESSION 2025-26
ENGLISH – GRADE XII
CHAPTER – LOST SPRING
By Anees Jung

(Notebook Work)

Question 1.
What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps ? Where is he and where has he come from
?
Answer:
Saheb is rummaging through garbage dumps, hoping to find valuable items or money. He
resides in Seemapuri, located on the outskirts of Delhi, having migrated from Bangladesh.

Question 2.
What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear ?
Answer: The children's barefootedness is attributed to tradition rather than poverty,
according to one explanation. However, the author suggests that this explanation merely
serves as a way to justify their ongoing impoverished state

Question 3.
Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall ? Explain.
Answer:
Saheb's demeanor at the tea stall suggests that he is not content with his situation. Despite
having a steady income, he appears to have lost his carefree attitude and no longer feels in
control of his own life. Based on these observations, it can be inferred that Saheb is unhappy
with his job at the tea stall.

Lost Spring Think as you read (Page 20)

Question 1.
What makes the city of Firozabad famous ?
Answer:
The city of Firozabad is famous for its bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in
making bangles.

Question 2.
Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry ?
Answer:
Employees in the glass bangles industry endure tedious and unhealthy conditions. They toil
in glass furnaces with extreme heat, in dark, poorly ventilated spaces. Working long hours
under these circumstances poses significant health risks, particularly to the eyes, with many
workers, including numerous children, experiencing a dimming of their eyesight.

Question 3.
How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family ?
Answer:
Mukesh's aspirations diverge from his family's traditional occupation in the glass bangles
industry. While his family has long been involved in furnace work, welding glass, and bangle-
making, Mukesh harbors a desire to become a motor mechanic, showcasing a distinct
attitude and career goal compared to his familial background.
Lost Spring Understanding the text

Question 1.
What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities ?
Answer:
A significant portion of the rural population migrates to urban areas in search of livelihood
opportunities. Limited agricultural land in villages and the inability to sustain growing families
in the ancestral agricultural profession compel many to seek employment in cities. Natural
disasters like storms that devastate fields and homes also drive rural inhabitants to urban
centres. Additionally, some are attracted to the conveniences and amenities of city life.

Cities host major industries that provide employment to a large workforce, further drawing
rural migrants. Many from villages find work as rickshaw pullers, auto-rickshaw drivers, or
engage in dairy farming to supply milk to urban areas, augmenting their incomes.

Question 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 ?
Answer:
Promises made to poor children are often not fulfilled, as illustrated in this lesson. The author
asks Saheb to attend school, but when Saheb points out the lack of a school nearby, the
author jokingly suggests starting one. Despite the casual nature of the suggestion, Saheb
takes it seriously and asks about the school's readiness. This highlights the reality that
promises made to impoverished children are frequently insincere or made in jest.

Similarly, commitments made by governments or organizations for the welfare of poor

Question 3.
What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty ?
Answer:
Firozabad is renowned for its bangles and the longstanding bangle industry. Families in this
area have worked in this industry for generations, often around furnaces, welding glass, and
crafting bangles. Despite its fame, the bangle industry in Firozabad is marked by harsh
conditions, with approximately 20,000 children laboring in miserable circumstances.

Workers in this industry are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They are unable to send their
children to school or provide adequate food for their families. Many have never experienced
a full meal in their lives. The root of their plight lies in a vicious cycle where middlemen
siphon off most of their profits, leaving them with little to escape poverty. This cycle is
perpetuated by moneylenders, middlemen, law enforcement, bureaucrats, and politicians,
creating a web of poverty that ensnares families from one generation to the next.

Lost Spring Talking about the text

Question 1.
How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream ?
Answer:
Mukesh's desire to break away from his family's traditional bangle-making profession and
become a motor mechanic is understandable given the challenging conditions and poverty
he has witnessed despite his family's hard work. His determination and willpower suggest he
has the potential to achieve his dream.

To persuade his family, Mukesh can highlight the economic advantages and improved health
prospects of being a motor mechanic compared to the risks and hardships of bangle-making.
By presenting his case effectively and showcasing his commitment, Mukesh may be able to
overcome any resistance from his family and pursue his chosen path.

Question 2.
Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Answer:
Working in the glass bangles industry is both physically demanding and hazardous.
Employees are required to operate in unhygienic environments, working on furnaces with
high temperatures and in dark, poorly ventilated areas devoid of air and light. Additionally,
they are exposed to suspended particles of the material used in making bangles, posing
serious risks to their health, particularly to their lungs and eyes.

The long and continuous hours of work further exacerbate the health risks, with many
children employed in this industry losing the brightness of their childhood due to the harsh
working conditions.

Question 3.
Why should child labour be eliminated and how ?
Answer:
Child labour is a pervasive issue that has plagued societies worldwide, both in developed
and developing countries, throughout history. Despite efforts to eradicate it, child labour
continues to exist, often due to loopholes in labour laws and the exploitation of vulnerable
children who work without legal protection.

In countries like India, child labour has been prevalent in industries such as carpet making,
beedi-making, bangles-making, and others, where children are employed for various
unskilled tasks. While laws banning child labour have been enacted in many countries,
including India, the practice persists in some industries.

Eliminating child labour requires more than just legislative measures; it necessitates a
societal shift in mindset. It is essential to recognize that child labour is a violation of human
rights and detrimental to a child's development. Education should be made accessible and
free for all children, and additional support such as stipends and scholarships should be
provided to ensure that children are not forced into labour due to poverty.

Ultimately, efforts to eradicate child labour must address the root causes of poverty and
inequality, ensuring that all children have the opportunity to pursue an education and a
better future.

Lost Spring Thinking about language

Although this text speaks of factual events and situations of misery it transforms these
situations with an almost poetical prose into a literary experience. How does it do so ? Here
are some literary devices :

(i) Hyperbole is a way of speaking or writing that makes something sound better or more
exciting than it really is. For example : Garbage to them is gold.
(ii) A Metaphor, as you may know, compares two things or ideas that are not very similar. A
metaphor describes a thing in terms of a single quality or feature of some other thing; we can
say that a metaphor ‘transfers’ a quality of one thing to another. For example: The road was
a ribbon of light.

(iii) Simile is a word or phrase that compares one thing with another using the words “like” or
“as”. For example: As white as snow.

Carefully read the following phrases and sentences taken from the text. Can you identify the
literary device in each example ?
1. Saheb-e-Alam which means the lord of the universe is directly in contrast to what
Saheb is in reality.
2. Drowned in an air of desolation.
3. Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically.
4. For the children it is wrapped in wonder: for the elders it is a means of survival.
5. As her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine, I wonder if she knows
the sanctity of the bangles she helps make.
6. She still has bangles on her wrist, but not light in her eyes.
7. Few airplanes fly over Firozabad.
8. Web of poverty.
9. Scrounging for gold.
10. And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Through the years, it has acquired
the proportions of a fine art.
11. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly
over his shoulders.

Answer:
1. Saheb-e-Alam which means the lord of the universe is directly in contrast to what Saheb
is in reality : Contrast.
2. Drowned in an air of desolation : Metaphor.
3. Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically:
Contrast.
4. For the children it is wrapped in wonder; for the elders it is a means of survival: Contrast.
5. As. her hands moved mechanically like the tongs of a machine, I wonder if she knows the
sanctity of the bangles she helps make : Simile.
6. She still has bangles on her wrist, but not light in her eyes : contrast/metaphor
7. Few aeroplanes fly over Firozabad; Contrast.
8. Web of poverty : Metaphor.
9. Scrounging for gold : Hyperbole.
10. And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Through the years, it has acquired the
properties of a fine art : Hyperbole.
11. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his
shoulders : Contrast.