Pages

Lost Spring

Lost Spring


Q1. What do you know about Saheb’s background?
Ans. Saheb was a rag picker and used to live in Dhaka, Bangladesh. They had to leave their native place due to storms that swept away their fields and home .He was currently living in Seemapuri at the outskirts of Delhi.
Q2. What does the writer mean when she says that they were looking for gold in the garbage?
Ans. The rag pickers used to scrounge in the garbage for food, plastic bags and other materials which they could sell for recycling .In these ways they were able to fulfil their basic needs for survival.
Q3. Why did the author feel embarrassed?
Ans. The author was embarrassed because she told Saheb to go to school instead of rag picking. She promised him in jest to start a school for him. She knew it wasn’t practical, she felt ashamed of having made a promise that couldn’t be fulfilled. Secondly, the writer knew very well Saheb couldn’t afford school.
Q4. Why was Saheb’s name ironical ?
Ans. Saheb’s real name was Saheb-e-alam ,which means ‘lord of universe’ .It was ironical because he was a mere rag picker who could barely manage his survival .He could barely manage his survival .He could never be the lord of the universe .
Q5. What did boys say when asked why they barefoot?
Ans. On being asked, one of the rag pickers said, that he was not wearing chappals because his mother did not take it down from the shelf. The other said it was a tradition to stay barefoot .It was not necessarily true because poverty had forced them to live within their means .The explanations sounded same excuses. They probably remained barefoot to gain people’s sympathy & to establish that they were poor.
Q6. Describe the lives of these rag pickers in brief.
Ans. Seemapuri is situated on the outskirts of Delhi .It has structures made of mud with roofs of tin and tarpaulin without proper sewage and drainage system. There are about ten thousand rag pickers in this locality most of them ,whose permit have been expired but have managed to get ration cards and their names in voter list .
Q 7. Why garbage has a different meaning for children?
Ans. It implies a different meaning for children who are rag pickers than their parents. It is a surprise wrapped in a bundle for the young ones but for elders it is a means of survival.
Q 8. Describe Saheb’s life.
Ans. Saheb was a rag picker who had come from Dhaka @ was living in the slums of Seemapuri. Though young, he also worked in a tea stall. He was not offered schooling or to play like a normal child and also did not possess proper clothes or shoes. He had lost his childhood early in his life.
Q 9. Did Saheb enjoy working in the tea stall?
Ans. Saheb was not happy to work in a tea stall because he did not enjoy that work. He had lost her carefree look. He was no longer his own master.
Q 10. What makes the city Firozabad famous?
Ans. The town of Firozabad is famous for its bangles. It is a centre for India’s last glass blowing industry where families have spent generations around furnaces, welding glass and making bangles.
Q 11. Describe the life of children working in Firozabad.
Ans. The old town of Firozabad was engaged in bangle making. They turned children into labourers to work near high temperature furnaces in dingy cells with no air or light. They had to work for long hours and most of them would lose their sight before they become adults. The town had stinking lanes with garbage, past homes that remain hovels with crumbling walls, wobbly doors, no windows and crowded with large families and animals.
Q12. Describe the life of the children working in Firozabad?
Ans. The old town of Firozabad was engaged in bangle making. They turned children into labourers to work near high temperature furnaces in clingy cells in on air and light .They had to work for long hours and most of them would loose their sight before they became adults. the town had stinking lanes with garbage ,past homes that remain hovels with crumbling walls ,webby doors ,no windows and crowded with large families and animals.
Long question
(Q.1) Write character sketch of Saheb?
Ans. Saheb was a young boy whose family once lived in green fields in Dhaka. There the storms swept away their fields and homes, so they shifted to India. In India, he lived in Seemapuri , on the outskirts of Delhi and was a rag picker . He used to search valuable things in garbage to earn his livelihood; His family lived in extreme poverty. He was deprived of education and basic amenities of life. He desired to wear shoes and play tennis. He was barely able to earn his livelihood for his survival. Despite being poor, he was full of hope and therefore he was always very enthusiastic during his work in hope of finding money. Later he was employed in a milk booth where he used to supply milk. He now became a labourer and lost his carefree look. He was burdened with responsibility of the job. He lost his childhood due to his poverty which made him work as a child labour.
(Q.2) Write a character sketch of Mukesh.  
Ans. Mukesh lived in Firozabad & was born in the family of bangle makers. He aspired to become a motor mechanic. Unlike the others in Firozabad who were burdened in the stigma of caste in which they are born, Mukesh did not want to follow the traditional profession. In this way he was a path breaker and had a determination to change his circumstances. Mukesh was born in a very poor family. To asset the income of the family he also worked with his father in glass furnaces making bangles. There was a spark of rebellion in him. He was confident and determined to become a motor mechanic. His dreams & aspirations were practical. He dreams only of what he can achieve or what was within his reach. He had a willingness to work hard and fulfil his desires.
(Q.3) Justify the title lost spring.  
Ans. Spring here refers to the spring of life, that is, the childhood. Childhood is the most precious time of a person's life where he is moulded or shaped. But unfortunately there are many children in our society who are deprived of it. They are forced to give up this part of their lives due to poverty &tradition.  On one hand where poverty forces many children to become a child labour &work in shops, offices, houses etc. Tradition on the other hand becomes a big hindrance to development of children. It binds people in shackles of caste system.

In the story, the two protagonists have lost their childhood due to these two factors. They are poverty stricken, there is lack of education and they work day and night to feed themselves. Due to this they have lost their innocence, imagination and are burdened with responsibilities of earning money. Hence the title is very appropriate.

Unknown

    2 comments:

    1. Best answers ����

      ReplyDelete
    2. Cool and I have a swell offer you: What Was The First Home Renovation Show house and renovation show

      ReplyDelete