Lost Spring ( Anees Jung ) Chapter 2nd English Flamingo Notes Summary and Most Important Question answer

 

Introduction

Stories of Stolen Childhood

• Lesson Is A Short Part Of Anees Jung’s Book – Lost Spring 

• Writer  Talks About The Pitiable Condition Of Poor Children Who Have To Live In Slums And Work Hard In Very Dirty Conditions.

• They Never Sent To School  Because Their Parents Are Too Poor To Pay For Their Education.

• Narrator Examines The Poverty And Traditions Which Torture The Lives Of Poor Children.

• The Lesson Is Divided Into Two Parts.

• The First Part Is About The Life Of Poor Ragpickers.

• Who Have Migrated From Bangladesh And Now Settled In The Seemapuri Area Of Delhi.

CHARACTER SKETCH

ANEES JUNG (NARRATOR)

FAMOUS STORY WRITER

SAHEB

Lesson Is A Short Part Of Anees Jung’s Book – Lost Spring Writer  Talks About The Pitiable Condition Of Poor Children Who Have To Live In Slums And Work Hard In Very Dirty Conditions.They Never Sent To School  Because Their Parents Are Too Poor To Pay For Their Education.

Narrator Examines The Poverty And Traditions Which Torture The Lives Of Poor Children. The Lesson Is Divided Into Two Parts. The First Part Is About The Life Of Poor Ragpickers Who Have Migrated From Bangladesh And Now Settled In The Seemapuri Area Of Delhi.

Saheb And Narrator’s First Meeting 

Writer Sees A Boy Named Saheb Every Morning In Her Neighborhood. The Boy Looks For Some Coins Or Other Things In The Garbage Heaps. 

[ Important Notes ]

Narrator Asks Saheb Why He Does Rag Picking And Doesn't Go To School.

Sahed Replies – There Is No School In His Neighbourhood And If A School Is Built Then He Would Definitely Go There.

( Few Days Later )

The Narrator Said Jokingly , "If I Start A School, Will You Come ?" 
Saheb Said That He Would.

But The Writer Had To Feel Small When A Few Days Later, Saheb Asked Her - Your School Is Ready ?

( About Saheb )

Saheb Is A Ragpicker Who Lives In Seemapuri (Delhi) He Came From Bangladesh. His Family Left Bangladesh As Their Fields And Homes Had Been Swept Away Due To Flooding Caused By Storms. They Came To India In The Hope Of Finding A Good Life . He Searches For Gold In The Garbage Heaps. There Were A Number Of Ragpickers Like Saheb. They Were All Barefoot. With Some People, It Is A Tradition To Go Barefoot.

Saheb’s Actual Name Was “Saheb-e-alam”. Which Means Lord Of The Universe But He Doesn’t Understand Its Meaning. They Roam In Morning. Don’t Wear Chappals. When Narrator Asks About The Reason, They Always Gave Different Reasons. Narrator Comes To Know That All These Barefoot Ragpickers Live In Seemapuri.

Which Is On The Outskirts Of Delhi. When She Goes There, She Finds That These People Came From Bangladesh In 1971 And Started Living Here In Search Of Food. 

No Sign Of Progress They Have Houses Of Mud. They Have Roofs Of Tin And Tarpaulin. There Is No Sewage, Drainage And Running Water.  More Than 10,000 Ragpickers Have Lived There For 30 Years. No Identity / No Permits , Ration Cards To Buy Grains ,Food Is More Important Than Identity Survival In Seemapuri Means Rag Picking. Saheb Finds Sometimes A Rupee, Even A Ten Rupee Note In The Garbage. Garbage Is Wrapped In Wonder For Children And Means Of Survival For Elders.

One Morning Narrator Sees Saheb Outside The Neighborhood Club Watching Tennis. Saheb Was Wearing Tennis Shoes Which Were  Discarded By A Rich Boy. 

( Tea Stall )

Saheb Starts Working At A Tea Stall .  He Is Paid 800 Rupees And Given All The Meals.
But Now He Is Not Free. He Carries A Canister Which Is Heavier Than The Plastic Bag.
He Is No Longer Is Own Master.

Important questions 

1. Garbage to them is gold why does the author say so about the ragpickers ?

2. Food is more important for survival than an identity for the ragpickers says the author. Do you agree ? Why ?

3. Where does the narrator anees jung encounter saheb  every morning?

4. What is saheb looking for in the garbage dumps ?

5. What is the irony in the name saheb-e-alam ?

Introduction- 2

I want to drive a car  

Second Part Describes The Miserable Life Of Bangle Makers In The Town Of Firozabad. Poor Bangle Makers Who Have Been Living For Generations In The Dingy Town Of Firozabad. Those People Have Been Exploited By All Sections Of Society. While The Elders Have Learnt To Live With Their Lot, The Younger Generation Does Have Some Dreams Of Their Own. They Want To Get Out Of Their Family Traditions And Live A Better Life. 

Character- Sketch

Belongs to family of bangle makers He doesn’t want to be  a bangle maker His family has been in this business for a long time. They work in dark rooms. He dreams of becoming a motor mechanic Seems to be determined and prepared to go to a garage and learn his work 

Important Notes Of The Chapter

Mukesh

Writer Once Meets A Boy Named Mukesh. Mukesh Lives In Firozabad And Belongs To A Family Of Bangle Makers.

Mukesh’s Dream 

Mukesh Says That He Does Not Want To Go Into The Family Profession.
He Decided To Become A Motor Mechanic. 

Important Notes  

Every Other Family In Firozabad Is Engaged In Making Bangles And All Kinds Of Bangles Are Made In Firozabad.  About 20,000 Children Work In Glass Furnaces  Of Firozabad. They Have To Work In Very Unhealthy Conditions. Children Works Illegally In The Glass Furnaces. Mukesh Offers To Take The Writer To His Home. He Proudly Says That Their House Is Being Rebuilt. 

Mostly Bangle Makers End  Up Losing Their Eyesight Due To The Dust From Polishing The Glass. They Suffer From Different Skin Problems Due To High Temperatures. They Walked Through Smelly Lanes That Are Choked With Garbage. When The Writer Goes There , She Finds That It Is A Half- Built Shack. Inside There Are Everywhere Signs Of Poverty. 

Food Was Being Cooked On A Stove By A Young Women. She Was Mukesh's Elder Brother's Wife. When Mukesh's Father Enters She Gently Brings The Veil Closer To Her Face As It Is The Custom Over There. Mukesh's Father Has Worked Hard All His Life. Still He Has Been Unable To Renovate His House Or Send His Two Sons To School.

But He Managed To Teach Them The Art Of Bangle Making. Mukesh’s Grandmother Believes In Destiny. She Has Seen Her Husband Going Blind. She Says That They Were Born In Caste Of Bangle Makers And Have Seen Nothing But Bangles In Their Life. Boys And Girls In All Such Families Have To Work With Their Fathers And Mothers. 

They Have To Work In Dark Hutments. Their Eyes Are More Adjusted To The Dark Than To The Light Outside.Thus They Lose Their Eyesight Even Before They Become Adults.

Writer Sees A Girl Named Savita In Another Hutment. She Is Sitting With An Elderly Woman And Soldering  (टांका लगाना )  Pieces Of Glass. She Doesn't Know That The Bangles She Is Making Are Symbols Of An Indian Woman's Suhaag. The Old Lady Who Is Sitting Next To Her Has Lost Her Has Lost Her Eyesight. But Still Has Bangles On Her Wrist.

She Says That She Has Not Enjoyed Even One Full Meal All Her Life .Poor Bangle Makers Know Nothing Except Making Bangles. 

Writer Says That The Cry Of Poverty Rings In Every Home In Firozabad. These Poor People Are Exploited By Sahukars , Policemen , Middlemen , Bureaucrats , Politicians. They Have Come To Accept Their Poverty And Exploitation As Something Natural. 

Writer Sees The Daring Spirit And Attitude In Mukesh. Mukesh Has Decided To Fulfill His Dreams One Day. Mukesh Wants To Become His Own Master  And Dreams To Be A Motor Mechanic.

Important questions 

1. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?

2.How in your opinion can Mukesh realise his dream ?

3. what forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry ?

4. Character sketch of Mukesh