Lost Spring
Story 1
The writer observes a small ragpicker youngster who comes to the nearby landfill every morning
to look for "gold" in the trash. The author claims that he hunts for "gold" in an ironic way
because, despite the dump's abundance of trash and useless items, he meticulously sorts through
them as though he could find something valuable like "gold." Saheb is the boy's name. His
Dhaka house was surrounded by verdant pastures. He no longer remembers their having left it
many years ago. His mother had informed him that their fields and residences had been
devastated by numerous storms. They therefore moved away from home to the metropolis in
pursuit of "gold."
Once more, the author describes his search for gold in a large city. In this context, "gold" alludes
to anything valuable that was unavailable in their homeland. For the kids, items like shoes, cash,
purses, etc.; for the parents, survival supplies like food, clothes, and shelter. The boy looks
through the trash dumps for such priceless items. The writer confronts Saheb one day and asks
him why he is sorting through the trash.
Saheb tells the writer that rag picking is the only thing left to do. The author recommends that he
enrol in classes. Knowing that the unfortunate boy will never benefit from her wisdom, she lets
go. In response, he states that his neighbourhood lacks schools. Moreover, he guarantees her that
he will attend school once one is constructed close to his home. In jest, the author asks him if he
would go to a school she opened.
After promising to enrol at the writer's school, Saheb approaches her a few days later to find out
if her institution is ready. The writer retorted that building a school is a labour-intensive process.
She felt guilty for having given a lie. She felt ashamed of herself since she had joked about
opening a school and had said this. Because he was accustomed to such empty promises, which
were common in his barren world, Saheb remained unharmed. Everyone around him had been
making such false promises. No promise made to Saheb was ever kept, so his world felt empty.
When the writer asked Saheb his name, they had only been friends for a few months. He
answered, stating his name as Saheb E Alam, as though he were announcing it. The author
believed that the youngster was unaware of the significance of his name and would find it hard to
accept the fact that it meant "Lord of the Universe" if he found out. His life was not in line with
his name. He and his companions strolled through the streets. The sight was like to an army of
barefoot lads. Like morning birds, they emerged in the morning and vanished by midday. All of
them were recognizable to the writer because she had been observing them for the past few
months. One of them was questioned by the writer about why he was not wearing any shoes. The
boy's response was straightforward: his mother did not remove them from the shelf. He didn't
wear them because they were out of his grasp.
A different youngster, with a different shoe on each foot, claimed that he would have thrown
away the shoes even if they had been given to him by his mother. He intended to imply that the
youngster was not wearing shoes because he chose not to. The writer questioned the second
youngster about why he was wearing a different shoe on each foot. He tried to hide the shoes by
shuffle his feet and did not respond. A third boy said that he had never owned shoes in his life
and was excited to obtain some. The author uses shoes as an example to draw attention to these
boys' conditions. They look through the trash cans for these kinds of priceless items. She goes on
to say that she witnessed a lot of kids in both the metropolis and the villages, while traveling
throughout the nation, going barefoot. They rationalized that their custom of going barefoot was
not a result of a lack of funds for shoes. The author pondered and concluded that the ritual was
just a cover for the reality that they couldn't afford shoes due to their extreme poverty.
The author recounts a tale that an Udipi guy told her. The town of Udipi is located in Karnataka.
He used to walk to school when he was a small child. He would pass a temple en route, where
his father served as a priest. Every time he passed by the temple, he would offer up a prayer to
God asking for a pair of shoes. The author returned to the town and the temple after thirty years.
It was almost empty now. The temple's backyard was home to the newly appointed priest. There
were red and white plastic chairs stored. A small boy appeared and ran. He was dressed in a grey
school uniform, shoes, and socks. On his shoulders rested a school bag. After throwing it into the
bed, he took off running. The author wishes to mention that for the past thirty years, the temple
priest's financial situation has improved. He could now buy shoes for the kids. It made her think
of another youngster who received some sneakers. He prayed to the goddess, asking her to
provide him the protection of the shoes he was wearing. The boy's plea had been answered by
the goddess since he never misplaced his shoes. This demonstrates to us that the disadvantaged
cherish everything they have since they have been waiting a long time for it.
The author explains the neighbourhood in which these lads who pick rags reside. Seemapuri,
which is outside of Delhi, is not like the nation's capital at all. The area had been a wilderness
when these rag pickers had moved there from Bangladesh in 1971. Although Seemapuri
remained a wasteland, it was no longer deserted as around ten thousand rag pickers resided there
in mud homes covered in tarpaulin or thin sheets of tin. In Seemapuri, there was no running
water, sewage, or drainage system. They didn't have sanitary living circumstances. It was a plot
of wasteland used to gather the city's trash. These were now unlawful residents of the area.
For the last thirty years, the ragpickers had been residing in Seemapuri without authorization.
They don't own the land or have authorization from the government to be there. They have voter
identity cards and ration cards from the local politicians. Using these ration cards, they were able
to buy groceries for their family, and in exchange, they voted for the politician who had assisted
them. The author questioned some women in tattered saris about their reasons for leaving their
Dhaka houses. In response, they said they would rather live in Seemapuri than on their destroyed
and food-starved fields in Dhaka as long as they could feed their family and get a good night's
sleep. For the children, the garbage dumps were more than a means of survival.
These people travelled in quest of food, and they settled down and made temporary dwellings
wherever they could. There, their children continued to grow and, over time, began to assist their
parents in finding ways to survive. Rag picking was the only way for people to survive in
Seemapuri. They were skilled at rag picking since they had been doing it for so long. The trash
was worth as much to the rag pickers as gold. These families combed through the trash cans and
found items to sell in order to pay for their food. They collected broken or damaged sheets that
had been used to cover their houses' roofs. These did not cover them well but still provided them
with some protection. For the children, the garbage dumps were more than a means of survival.
Saheb was pleased to report that he occasionally discovered rupees and even ten-rupee notes in
the waste. He continued looking in the hopes of finding more, since one frequently discovers
even a silver penny in the trash dump. While the parents saw the rubbish dump as a place to help
them survive by providing food, clothing, and shelter, the children saw it as a partially realized
opportunity to live out their aspirations.
The writer observed Saheb standing by a club's gate one winter's morning. Two young men were
playing tennis when he looked on. While unable to play the game, Saheb enjoyed it. He admitted
to the reporter that he entered the club after it had closed. There was a guard that let him take
swings.
Saheb had tennis shoes on, as the writer could see. The worn-out and faded appearance of his
clothes did not go well with them. Seeking self-justification, he informed the writer that the
shoes had been given to him. Nevertheless, she discovered that he had obtained them from a
landfill. Since he no longer wanted to wear them, the child from the wealthy household must
have thrown them away. He didn't want to wear them because they had a hole or two in them.
Saheb, on the other hand, could not afford anything better, therefore he was not disturbed by this
fact and had no trouble wearing them. He was a barefoot walker, so wearing a shoe—even one
with a hole—was unreal to him. Saheb's ambition of wearing shoes had been partially realized as
a result of the rubbish dump, but his desire to play tennis would never be realized.
The writer then met Saheb in the morning as he was heading to the milk stand. He had a steel
container in his hands. He informed her that he had secured employment at the adjacent tea shop.
Along with receiving meals, he would receive eight hundred rupees every month. The writer
noticed that he no longer had the carefree appearance, so she questioned him if he loved his job.
Saheb was now responsible because he was carrying his master's container while working for
someone else. Saheb used to be his own boss and carry his own bag when working as a rag
picker. He was no longer in control of himself.
Story 2
Mukesh hoped that he would become a motor mechanic. With assurance, the boy answered that
he would pick up driving. The child seemed self-assured, but his ideal was distant from reality,
and he would give in to social pressure. He resided in Firozabad, a town well-known for its glass
bangles. The author believed that the boy's fantasies would never come true and would
eventually be shaped by Firozabad's dirty streets. She intended to argue that, given time, Mukesh
would become involved in the glass bangle business, just like every family in the town of
Firozabad did. She informs us that the primary glass-blowing town in India was Firozabad. For
decades, the families had been engaged in glass welding, furnace labour, and bangle production.
They made so many bangles that it seemed that they made bangles for all the women of the
world.
Mukesh’s family was also involved in the profession of bangle – making. The law was unknown
to them. They were unaware that it was against the law to make minors labour in these kinds of
glass furnaces. The workspaces were stuffy, gloomy, heated rooms with no air conditioning. The
author believed that if the law was implemented, it would save about twenty thousand children
from these cruel environments where they were made to work long hours during the day.
Frequently, they also ended up losing their vision.
As Mukesh led the writer to his house, he was beaming. Telling her that it was being renovated
made him feel proud. They strolled through stench-filled, garbage-filled streets. Slums dotted the
streets, their foundations shaky. There were many households living there with people and
animals coexisting, but the walls were crumbling, the doors shaky, and there were no windows.
They brought to mind the primordial man who lived in complete harmony with animals. Mukesh
paused before one of these doors, pounded on it firmly with his foot, and pushed it open.
Mukesh lived in a hut that was only partially built. There was a dead grass fuel stove in one
corner. On it was a vessel holding spinach leaves. There were more platters with chopped
vegetables on the ground. A slender, youthful lady was preparing the family's evening supper.
Despite the smoke from the stove filling her eyes, she was happy to see the writer and grinned.
She was the older brother of Mukesh's wife. Despite not being much older than Mukesh, she was
a responsible individual and deserving of the family's respect as their daughter-in-law. Her
husband, Mukesh, and their father were the three men she looked after.
The daughter-in-law hid behind the wall and covered her face with her veil when Mukesh's
father entered the home. The daughters-in-law had a custom of covering their faces while the
elder male family members were around. Here, the older was a humble bangle manufacturer. His
entire life, he had put in a lot of labour, initially as a tailor and later as a bangle manufacturer. He
was still unable to finish the house's renovations or afford to send his boys to school. He'd just
succeeded in imparting to him the knowledge of crafting bangles.
Since making bracelets had been the family business, Mukesh's grandmother explained to her
son why he was destined for the jewellery industry. She had witnessed her spouse go blind as a
result of the glass bangle polishing dust. She claimed that their family had to continue the
practice of creating bangles since they had received this skill from God, as a measure of
providence.
They had to become bangle makers because they belonged to a specific caste at birth. They have
only ever seen these glass bangles in their entire lives. They were in their yard, their neighbour’s
backyard, the town's streets, and everywhere in between. Huge spiral bunches of bangles in
various colours, including gold, green, blue, pink, and purple, were present. There were bracelets
in every hue imaginable. The author also claims that there were bracelets in the abandoned yards.
They were piled onto carts to be sold, pushed by men through Firozabad's streets.
The atmosphere in which these bangle producers operate is described by the author. These were
tiny, dimly lit dwellings. The kids would take their seats close to an array of shaky-flaming oil
lamps. They fashioned the coloured glass fragments into circles known as bangles with the help
of their parents. They would not adjust to the bright sunlight since they would spend so much
time in the dark. A large number of them were blind before reaching adulthood.
There was a little girl named Savita here. She was dressed in a faded pink dress. She was sitting
next to an older woman, and together they were soldering glass beads into bracelets. Her hands
acted like a machine, exactly like a machine's tongs. The author questioned Savita's knowledge
of the sacredness of bracelets. They were auspicious signs for a woman to become a wife.
She believed that when Savita got married, she would understand this. On that day, she would
wear red bangles on her wrist, colour her hands with henna, and cover her head with a crimson
veil. Savita's neighbour, an elderly woman, also got married a long time ago. She had lost her
sight, but she was still wearing the glass bangles.
The elderly woman expressed dissatisfaction, saying she had not even gotten a bite of food. (Ser
is a unit of measurement for volume/quantity.) The woman wants to imply that they can't eat
enough food because they are so impoverished. That's the advantage she's gained from turning
her hobby into a bracelet maker. The husband of the woman has a thick beard. He claims that
aside from manufacturing bracelets, he has no other knowledge. Building a home for his family
to reside in is all he has managed to do.
The author speculates that the elderly man has most likely accomplished something that many
others have not been able to. For now, at least, he's managed to get his family a place to live.
Every home where the profession was practiced had this issue. They didn't even have enough
food to eat because they didn't know anything but producing bracelets. The similar grievance
was voiced by the young men who had joined the traditional profession. Their condition did not
get any better as time went on. They had been working so hard for so long that they were unable
to accomplish anything else or even dream of doing so.
The author advises them to establish a cooperative. She addressed a group of young men, urging
them to escape the ruthless middlemen who had imprisoned their elders. The men warned them
that if they dared to do anything along such lines, the police would drag them, beat them, and put
them in jail. Their actions would be considered illegal. The author believed that because they
lacked a leader, they were unable to consider alternative approaches. The men and their fathers
were exhausted too.
The men griped that the process was never-ending. Their deplorable state caused them to be
indifferent to their issues. Their avarice resulted in injustice. The author imagined that there were
two distinct worlds: one was made up of these impoverished families that felt compelled to work
in a traditional vocation because of their caste of birth. A never-ending circle of moneylenders,
middlemen, law enforcement, government officials, and politicians makes up the other world.
The little boys had been compelled to adhere to family customs in each of these universes.
Before they even realize it, the young guys enter the field and join the terrible cycle. Anything
more they did would indicate that they were these two worlds.
• The boys had not been raised with the courage to dare to defy authority. The fact that
Mukesh had the flame within him pleased the writer. He reiterated his intention to
become a motor mechanic. His goal was to visit a garage and pick up some skills. The
writer inquired as to why Mukesh insisted on walking up to the garage given its distance
from his house. She questioned if he ever dreamt of being a pilot. The boy fell silent. Just
as he was ignorant of planes, he was also ignorant of them. There weren't many planes
flying over Firozabad. His dreams were limited because all he had seen in Firozabad
were only cars, but he was content with dreaming of only cars, since cars alone were too
big of a stretch for his ground.
Hard Words
• Apex: Refers to the pinnacle or highest point, potentially reflecting Mukesh’s aspirations.
• Apathy: Reflects the resignation and indifference prevalent among the community.
• Auspiciousness: Represents the cultural significance attached to bangles in Indian
society.
• Bleak: Describes Saheb’s world, indicating hopelessness and despair.
• Burdened: Indicates the heavyweight or responsibility placed upon the children due to
their circumstances.
• Condemn: Reflects the notion of societal norms or traditions trapping children in
exploitation.
• Cooperative: Suggests a potential solution to break free from the cycle of poverty and
exploitation.
• Desolation: Reflects the abandoned state of the temple and the surrounding area.
• Desperation: Reflects the extreme urgency or hopelessness experienced by impoverished
families.
• Embarrassment: Reflects Mukesh’s hesitation or discomfort in expressing his dreams.
• Exploitation: Implies the harsh realities faced by families in Seemapuri.
• Hollow: Describes the insincerity or lack of substance in the advice given to Saheb about
schooling.
• Initiative: Reflects the lack of drive or motivation due to years of poverty and
exploitation.
• Metaphorically: Indicates the symbolic distance between Seemapuri and Delhi.
• Middlemen: Represent the exploitative forces that perpetuate poverty in Firozabad.
• Mirage: Symbolizes Mukesh’s dream of becoming a motor mechanic amidst harsh
conditions.
• Primeval: Reflects the primitive living conditions in Seemapuri.
• Resignation: Reflects the acceptance of fate or circumstances without resistance.
• Resilience: Implies the ability to endure and persevere despite adversity.
• Resonates: Suggests a deep emotional or cultural connection with the characters’ plight.
• Sanctity: Reflects the reverence or sacredness associated with bangles in Indian culture.
• Scrounging: Looking for gold in garbage dumps, indicating extreme poverty and
desperation.
• Squatters: Describes the status of families living in Seemapuri without legal rights or
infrastructure.
• Stigma: Indicates the burden of caste and social status faced by Mukesh’s family.
Inferred meaning of the expressions based on the excerpt.
*Dark hutments: “Hutments” refers to small, simple dwellings or huts. The term “dark”
suggests that these dwellings lack adequate lighting, possibly due to poor infrastructure or living
conditions. It implies a dim or gloomy environment, contributing to the challenging
circumstances in which the characters live.
*Flash of daring: Represents a glimmer of hope or ambition in Mukesh.
*Imposed the baggage on the child: Suggests that societal factors, including poverty, caste
stigma, and exploitation, have burdened the child with various challenges and limitations. It
implies that external forces beyond the child’s control have placed heavy burdens or
responsibilities upon them, hindering their opportunities for growth and development.
*Looking for: Refers to scavenging or searching for valuable items in the garbage dumps. It
reflects the desperate economic situation of the characters who engage in such activities to make
a living.
*Perpetual state of poverty: Suggests an ongoing condition of poverty that seems never-ending
or continuous. It implies that poverty is a persistent and unchanging aspect of the characters’
lives rather than a temporary situation.
*Roof over his head: Symbolises having shelter or a place to live. It indicates that despite the
hardships and poverty, the character mentioned has managed to secure necessities like shelter.
*Slog their daylight hours: Describes children’s laborious and exhausting work during the
daytime. They work relentlessly and tirelessly, emphasising the arduous nature of their daily
activities.
*Vicious circle: Describes the poverty, exploitation, and injustice cycle that traps families.
Central Theme:
The central theme of “Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood” by Anees Jung revolves around
the plight of street children forced into labour early in life and denied the opportunity of
schooling.
The narrative sheds light on the harsh realities faced by children like Saheb and Mukesh, who are
compelled to engage in menial jobs due to grinding poverty and societal indifference.
Through their stories, the author exposes the systemic issues that perpetuate child labour and
inhibit access to education for marginalised communities.
Sub-theme:
The excerpt also highlights the callousness of society and the political class towards the
suffering of the poor.
1. Poverty and Exploitation: The excerpt vividly portrays the grinding poverty that forces
children like Saheb and Mukesh into laborious jobs at a young age. Despite their dreams
and aspirations, they are forced to work in hazardous conditions, such as rag-picking and
glass-blowing, just to survive.
2. Lack of Education: The absence of educational opportunities exacerbates the cycle of
poverty and exploitation. Saheb expresses his willingness to attend school if one were
available in his neighbourhood, indicating a desire for education among these children.
However, the lack of schools further entrenches them in labour and deprivation.
3. Broken Promises and Hopelessness: The protagonist’s promise to start a school for
Saheb reflects the pervasive sense of hopelessness and broken promises in the lives of
these children. Despite fleeting moments of optimism, such promises remain unfulfilled,
highlighting the systemic neglect and indifference towards their plight.
4. Tradition and Caste: The excerpt delves into the traditional occupations and caste
dynamics that trap families like Mukesh’s into intergenerational cycles of poverty. The
glass-blowing industry passed down through generations, perpetuates a cycle of
exploitation and limited opportunities for upward mobility.
5. Injustice and Apathy: The narrative highlights the indifference of society, including the
political class, towards addressing the root causes of poverty and exploitation. Despite
their struggles, street children and their families are marginalised and overlooked by
those in positions of power.
Here are character sketches of the essential characters from the excerpt “Lost Spring” by
Anees Jung:
1. Saheb-e-Alam:
• Saheb-e-Alam is a young boy living in poverty in Seemapuri, a squatter settlement on the
periphery of Delhi.
• He scrounges for gold in garbage dumps, highlighting his dire circumstances and the
lengths he goes to survive.
• Saheb is depicted as hopeful and willing to learn, as evidenced by his willingness to
attend school if one were available.
• Despite his hardships, Saheb retains a sense of innocence and wonder, particularly in his
fascination with finding coins and watching others play tennis.
2. Mukesh:
• Mukesh is a young boy from Firozabad, which is famous for its bangle-making industry.
• He dreams of becoming a motor mechanic, demonstrating a desire to break free from his
family’s traditional occupation.
• Mukesh’s determination and ambition are evident in his willingness to walk a long
distance to learn the trade of motor mechanics.
• Despite his aspirations, Mukesh is still a product of his environment, influenced by the
poverty and limitations imposed by his family’s circumstances.
3. Saheb’s mother:
• Saheb’s mother represents the struggles and hardships faced by migrants who have left
their homes in search of a better life.
• She provides insight into the family’s backstory, including how they were forced to leave
home due to natural disasters.
• Saheb’s mother, despite her challenges, remains resilient and hopeful for a better future
for her family.
4. Mukesh’s family:
• Mukesh’s family, including his elder brother, grandmother, and other relatives, represents
the entrenched poverty and generational cycle of occupation in Firozabad.
• They are bangle makers, a traditional occupation passed down through generations
despite the adverse health effects and limited opportunities it provides.
• Mukesh’s family members, particularly his grandmother, embody the acceptance of fate
and destiny, believing that their occupation is predetermined and immutable.
5. The Ragpickers of Seemapuri:
• The ragpickers of Seemapuri collectively represent the marginalised and disenfranchised
population living in squatter settlements around Delhi.
• They endure poverty, lack of basic amenities, and societal neglect yet demonstrate
resilience and resourcefulness in their daily lives.
• The ragpickers, including Saheb and his family, highlight the complex interplay of socio-
economic factors and systemic injustice that perpetuate their marginalised status.
These characters collectively illustrate the themes of poverty, exploitation, resilience, and the
pursuit of dreams amidst adversity portrayed in “Lost Spring.”