Flamingo - Chapter 2 Lost Spring - Stories of Stolen Childhood - Anees Jung T he summary of " Lost Spring" The lesson " Lost ...
Flamingo - Chapter 2
Lost Spring - Stories of Stolen Childhood - Anees Jung
The summary of " Lost Spring"
The lesson " Lost Spring" was written by Indian woman writer Anees Jung. She has been educated in Hyderabad and the U.S.A. and has been an editor and columnist for major newspapers in India and abroad. She has authored many books and this lesson is an extract from her book "Lost Spring - stories of stolen childhood"
In this lesson, she brings out a measurable and pitiable life of poor working children who are forced to work to survive and explains different ways to protect and safeguard their childhood and also raises her voice against all the middlemen, the sahukars, the bureaucrats, the policemen, the keepers of the law, the politicians and gives stress what laws to be made to secure their safe and healthy future.
It contains two stories. In the first story, the protagonist is Saheb - -A - Alam, meaning lord of the universe, which completely mismatches his present situation. He has come all the way from Dhaka, by leaving his own green fields, and works as a ragpicker along with other 100 similar children in the periphery of Delhi. His condition is so poor that wearing a pair of shoes is a luxury for him. For him garbage is something like " wrapped in wonder" and for his elders, it is like a means of survival.
The second story revolves around a character, called Mukesh whose whole family is involved in the bangle-making industry of the city of Firozabad. His family lives in a transit home in a very dimly lit area. His father has lost his eyesight because of dust created while welding and polishing the bangles. Their condition is so pitiable that they haven't eaten a full meal in their life. They live in extreme poverty situations. But Mukesh can dream and wants to become a motor mechanic.
She feels very pity towards these deprived children and emphasizes that they should go to school, wear complete uniforms, have healthy food fulfill their basic needs and live life happily. To do so she raises her voice against all the odds of their life. Spring season is all about joy and happiness but unfortunately, the children have lost their childhood, (here spring is a symbolic representation of childhood), the title exactly reveals the lesson.
Glossary -
1. scrounging - searching for
2. glibly - speaking in a confident or carefree manner
3. hollow - meaningless
4. abound - exists in large numbers
5. bleak - empty
6. the perpetual state of poverty - endless or extreme poverty situation
7. desolation - the state of being empty
8. panting - taking short and quick breathes
9. acquaintance - contact
10. metaphorically - symbolically
11. squatters - a person who unlawfully occupies an inhabited building or unusual land
13. wilderness - a wasteland
14. permit - a legal document
15. dingy - dark, dim
16. slog - work hard
17. beam - shine brightly
18. stinking - bad smell
19. hovels - slums
20. wobbly - unsteady
21. primeval - prehistoric
22. shack - a roughly built hut
23. sizzling - make a hissing sound when frying or cooking
24. platters - large plates
25. frail - thin, weak
26. impoverished - very poor
27. god-given lineage - here a profession carried on through the generations of a family
28. mounds - heaps
29. unkempt - not taken care of
30. shantytown - a town that is full of small roughly built huts
31. drab - faded, colorless
32. sanctity - the state of being sacred
33. draped - covered
34. ser - the unit of measurement
35. Reaped - received as a benefit
36. rings - a sound repeated
37. lament - complaint
38. vicious - cruel
39. hauled up - dragged, taken away
40. apathy - lack of concern
41. stigma - dishonor
42. hurtling down - moving around
Think as you read
1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
Ans - Saheb is looking for gold, i.e. rupee or coin in the garbage dumps because sometimes he finds a rupee or a ten-rupee note in the garbage dumps. He lives in Seemspuri which is located on the periphery of Delhi, where the author lives and he has come from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Ans - She explains that it is not a lack of money but a tradition to stay barefoot. The second explanation she gives is that it is an excuse to justify a perpetual state of poverty. She has seen many children walking barefoot while traveling across the country.
3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall?
Ans -No, Saheb is not at all happy to work at a tea stall even though he is getting 800 rupees besides meals because earlier being a ragpicker he used to carry a light weighted plastic bag on his shoulders and now he is carrying the tea stall owner's heavy metallic canister. Earlier he was his own master, now he works for somebody else. He lost his freedom, carefreeness, and charm.
4. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Ans - The city of Firozabad is famous for bangle bangle-making industry. It is the center of India's glass-blowing industry.
5. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?
Ans - The glass bangles industry causes hazardous effects on employees. They have to work in glass furnaces with high temperatures in very ill-ventilated and insufficient light. and children like Mukesh make bangles in a dark and dingy hut. and because of an unhealthy environment, dust while polishing bangles they often lose their eyesight. and in turn, they do not get proper wages for their well-being leading them towards poverty and measurable life.
6. How is Mukesh's attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Ans - All the family members of Mukesh are engaged in the business of bangle-making. Her grandmother says," Can a God-given lineage ever be broken?". Meaning, it is their family profession. Mukesh's father is involved in bangle making because he does not know anything except it and he taught Mukesh, how to make bangles. Mukesh is in the profession by force and situation. He has a different aim and wants to become a motor mechanic and change his destiny. In this way, Mukesh's attitude is different from his family's.
UNDERSTANDING the text -
1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
Ans - There are several reasons for migration. India is an agricultural country and villagers get only agro-based employment and that too is not regular. Moreover, they are not satisfied with the wages they receive. At the same time in the absence of small-scale and cottage industries, lack of proper and technical education. unavailability of proper guidance, and lack of political will, all factors collectively force villagers to migrate to cities.
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?
Ans - Yes, indeed, promises made to poor children are rarely kept. We often make promises to children just to please them for a while and later on we simply forget to keep them. In this text, the author asks Saheb," If I start school, will you come?". In reply, Saheb says yes to her. She feels embarrassed about it as she did not fulfill it. So false promises are very common and casual to the world.
3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
Ans - The workers of the bangle industry are forced to remain in poverty for reasons like lack of money, leadership, and organized work culture. Whenever they dared to come out of this cruel circle, opposed and beaten by the lawmakers, the policemen, and the bureaucrats, and dragged to jail, and never get justice and what they actually deserved.
TALKING about the text -
1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realize his dream?
Ans - Yes, In my opinion, Mukesh can fulfill his dream to become a motor mechanic. He is always fascinated by the cars running on the road. When the author says that the garage is a long way from his home, he replies that" I will walk". He has dared to see the dream and his determination to change his fortune shows us that one day he will fulfill the dream.
2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?
Ans - Firozabad is India's center for the bangle-making industry, but the people working in lead measurable and unhealthy life. They work in a dark and dingy cell without light and air and also have to work in furnaces with high temperatures. By continuously welding and polishing glasses, they often lose eyesight, and they get very minimum wages which forces them to live in poverty. Thus, the industry causes dangerous effects.
3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Ans - The children are the future and hope for the country. They are supposed to get educated and lead healthy, joyful, and playful childhoods, but due to poverty and lack of education, some unsocial elements take advantage of it and force them to work and exploit their childhood innocence. So child labour should be strictly eliminated. The government of India made a strict law in our constitution stating child labour is a punishable crime, but still, we come across many incidents that children are working in bangles, crackers, hotels, and garages. Child labour can be eliminated by the strict implementation of the law, social awareness, political will, different social agencies, and police help centers.
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