CBSE Class 12 English Lost Spring Notes Set A

Lost Spring Class 12 English Summary of the Story

SUMMARY OF THE STORY

The story, “Lost Spring” deals with the deplorable condition of poor children who get forced to miss the simple joyful moments of childhood because of their socio-economic conditions. These children are not given the opportunity of schooling and are compelled to start working early in life. The author Anees Jung strives hard to advocate elimination of child labour through her book.
I – Sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage.
The first part talks about the writer’s impressions about the life of the unfortunate rag pickers. The rag pickers migrate from Dhaka and find a settlement in Seemapuri.
The story is of Saheb – a rag picker. The author meets him and asks why he does not go to school. On getting a reply that there was no school in his locality, she makes a false promise that she would open a school for him. She talks to the boy and gets to know that his parents came to the city in search of better life and he ended up living on the streets. Saheb is the son of parents who migrated from Bangladesh. They came to Delhi in 1971 as their house and fields were destroyed by storms. Then they began to live in Seemapuri, a slum near Delhi. The author explores the life in the slums of Seemapuri – the place where Saheb lives.
They live without any identity like the ration card, or voter card – after all filling the stomach is more important than having an identity. It is a very sad thing that the garbage that others throw away is like gold to them and they look for food and livelihood in that. The story explores the problems Saheb faces – getting exposed to hazardous waste in the garbage dumps, walking about barefoot, no nourishment or clothes on his body.
The author then comments on the discrepancy between Saheb’s desire and the reality. He yearns to be comfortably off, enjoy pleasures of life, play tennis and wear shoes but ends up working in a tea-stall. He no longer remains a free bird nor a master of his own.
II – I want to drive a car.
In the second part, the author meets a boy called Mukesh. Mukesh stays in Firozabad and belongs to a family of bangle makers.
Firozabad is popular for its glass-blowing industry. The working environment and the living conditions are pathetic there.
Children work in dingy cells and around hot furnaces that make them blind early in adulthood. Since they are weighed down by debt, they cannot think or find any way to escape this trap.
Mukesh wanted to be a driver and a motor-mechanic, and was not at all eager to continue bangle making. But the people thought that it was their karma that they were born into the caste of bangle-makers. So they were destined to make bangles and they could not do anything else. Thousands of children were engaged in bangle making and many of them lost their eyesight before becoming adults. aevery family. Mukesh took the writer to his house where the writer came to know that his grandfather had become blind working in the factory. Similarly in another family, the author came to know how the husband was happy that he had been able to make a house for his own family to live in but the wife complained that she did not get a full meal in her whole life. Hundreds of years of slavery had killed the initiative of people to think of a better life. They carried on their miserable life as they did not have the courage to rebel against tradition. They did not have money to start their own new kind of enterprise. If someone dared to start a new line, there were police, middle-men, sahukars and politicians to persecute them.
But Mukesh is different from rest of the folks there. He dreams to become a motor mechanic aand the author is happy to know about that.

Lost Spring Class 12 English Character Sketch

CHARACTER SKETCH: Saheb-e-Alam

Shaeb-e-Alam was a rag-picker who lived in Seemapuri. His family had migrated from Dhaka to India with the hope of finding better life conditions. Every morning, he roamed about streets collecting garbage. Many other boys also accompanied him. His family lived in miserable conditions. He used to search valuable things in garbage to earn his livelihood but despite being poor, he was full of hope. Later, he was employed in a teastall. He now became a labourer and lost his carefree life. He was burdened with responsibility of the job. He lost his childhood due to his poverty which made him work as a child labour.

CHARACTER SKETCH: Mukesh

Mukesh lived in Firozabad and was born in the family of bangle makers. He aspired to become a motor mechanic.
Unlike others in Firozabad who were burdened in the stigma of caste in which they were 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 increase 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 and aspirations were practical. He dreamt only of what he could achieve or what was within his reach.

About the Author
Anees Jung (b. Rourkela 1964), journalist and columnist for major newspapers in India and abroad, whose most noted work, Unveiling India (1987) is a detailed chronicle of the lives of women in India, noted especially for the depiction of Muslim women behind the purdah.

Theme
Spring is the season of bloom. Spring is a metaphor of childhood, associated with the beginning of a bright future. Childhood is associated with innocence, physical stamina and vitality. It is also the time for gaining knowledge, learning and going to school. ‘Lost Spring’ by Anees Jung is a description of children who are condemned to poverty and a life of exploitation. The two protagonists of the story, Saheb-e-Alam and Mukesh, lose their childhood to the burden of poverty and illiteracy. In their bleak stories of exploitation, however, the author finds glimpses of resilience and hope.

Justification of the Title
‘Lost Spring’ describes two stories of stolen childhood. Millions of poor children in India spend their childhood working in ragpicking or hazardous industries, instead of going to school. Childhood is the spring of life. But millions of unfortunate children like Saheb and Mukesh are forced to spend this time either scrounging in the garbage dumps of Seemapuri or welding glass bangles in the blast furnaces of Firozabad. Their childhood is lost to the demands of survival. Hence, the title is quite apt.

Message
The lesson ‘Lost Spring’ shares two ‘stories of stolen childhood’. The characters and places are different but the problem is the same. Thousands of Sahebs and Mukeshs are condemned to live a life of misery and exploitation. Grinding poverty and traditions compel children to work in the most inhuman and hostile conditions. The author succeeds in highlighting the plight of such unfortunate children.

Summary
‘Sometimes I Find A Rupee in the Garbage’
The author would come across Saheb every morning. She always found him searching for something in a heap of garbage. One morning she asked him, ‘‘Why do you do this?’’ He replied, ‘‘I have nothing else to do.’’ She told him to go to school but he said that there was no school in his neighborhood. She asked him whether he would study if she started a school. Saheb was happy. He said he would go to her school. But she had not actually intended on starting a school in the near future. She realised what an impact her casual words had on Saheb.
Saheb’s full name was Saheb-e-Alam meaning Lord of the Universe. The name was especially poignant, because the poor boy spent his days wandering barefoot along with other poor boys like him. The author talked to Saheb’s companions. One of the barefoot boys told her that it was their tradition to walk barefoot. But the author does not agree with them. She believes that a perpetual state of poverty is marked and passed on as tradition. Some children are lucky: Their prayer for shoes is granted but the ragpickers remain barefoot.
The ragpickers live in Seemapuri. Though Seemapuri is also in Delhi, there is a world of difference between the two places.
Like all other families in the area, Saheb’s family had also come from Bangladesh in the year 1971, because their homes and fields had been destroyed by storms. They had nothing to live on.
About 10,000 ragpickers live in Seemapuri. They live in mud structures with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. They lack all civic amenities like sewage and running water. However, they have voter identity cards and ration cards; this enables them to cast their votes and buy food. They move about and pitch their tents wherever they can find food. Ragpicking is their sole means of livelihood.
Saheb used to stand outside a club. He was fascinated by tennis and would watch people play. He also wanted to play. Someone had given him a pair of discarded tennis shoes. For him, this was a dream come true. Yet he did not see himself playing tennis as it was out of his reach.
Saheb got a job in a tea-stall. He was paid 800 rupees a month as well as all meals. Yet, he did not seem happy. He had lost his carefree life and his freedom. He was no longer his own master.

‘I Want to Drive a Car’
The author visited Firozabad — a city famous for its bangle-making industry. Almost every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making glass bangles. Glass bangles are regarded as an important symbol of a woman’s marital status.
Mukesh’s family was engaged in making bangles. Mukesh took the author to his house, walking through stinking lanes choked with garbage. Families of bangle makers lived there in the houses with crumbling walls and wobbly doors.
Mukesh’s house was like any other house in the lane. A frail young woman was cooking meals on a firewood stove. She was the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother. She was respected as the daughter-in-law of the family. Mukesh’s father also came in. The daughter-in-law covered her face with a veil as custom demanded.
Mukesh’s father was old and weak. He had lost his eyesight because of the dust from polishing glass bangles. He had worked hard all his life. But he could not afford to send his two sons to school. He could only teach them the art of making bangles; he had also built the house, but could not repair it.
Mukesh’s grandmother expressed her belief in destiny. She said that it was their karma (deeds) because of which they were born into the bangle maker’s caste. Thus, it was their destiny to suffer. This belief that no man could change what was already decided by fate was shared by all the people of Firozabad.
Another woman told the author that despite working hard all their lives, they had never even had a full meal.
The author could see bangles everywhere. She saw boys and girls welding pieces of coloured glass. Their eyes would get used to the darkness and they often lost their eyesight before even reaching adulthood. At home, families worked hard all day in front of furnaces with high temperatures.
Such families, generation after generation, have been engaged in making bangles. They live in poverty, they work hard, and die in poverty. Nothing has changed with the passage of time. They find themselves in the clutches of middlemen and moneylenders. If the youth try to organise themselves, they are harassed by the police and the administration.
It is not easy for bangle makers to do something different because of the stigma of their caste. But Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic. He wants to learn this work at a garage far away from home. He wants to be his own master.

CHAPTER IN A NUTSHELL

1. Ragpickers of Seemapuri (periphery of Delhi-miles away metaphorically-located nearby but lacks the luxury/glamour associated with the city). Squatters from Bangladesh, came in 1971-10,000 ragpickers.
(i) Left homes in Dhaka-storms swept away fields & homes.
(ii) Prefer living here-with ration cards-can feed families. Children partners in survival-rag picking-fine art-is gold-gets them roof over head.
For children-wrapped in wonder/for parents-means of survival.
(iii) Saheb E Alam–name ironical-means lord of the universe-scrounges in the garbage. Would like to go to school, but there is none in the neighbourhood, so, picks garbage.
(iv) Live in terrible conditions–structures of mud-roots of tin & tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage, running water.
(v) Saheb unhappy at tea stall-gets Rs. 800, all his meals-but lost his freedom-bag is his own-Canister belongs to owner of the tea shop.
(vi) Desire but do not own shoes. Most moved around barefoot, due to poverty, not tradition as one was led to believe.

2. Firozabad–centre of glass blowing industry- Bangle makers-working in hazardous conditions.
(i) Mukesh’s family live in terrible conditionswork in glass furnaces with high temperatures, dingy cells, without air & tight, stinking lanes, choked with garbage, crumbling walls, wobbly doors, no windows, crowded with families of humans & animals co-existing in a primeval state.
Often lose brightness of eyes.

(ii) Mind numbing toil-all these years have killed all initiative & ability to dream.

(iii) Do not organize into co-operatives-vicious circle of middle men, if organized-hauled by police, jailed, beaten for doing something illegal. Life moves from poverty to apathy to greed & to injustice.

(iv) distinct worlds–one family caught in web of poverty, burdened, by the stigma of caste in which they are born; the other a vicious circle of sahukars, the middlemen, the politicians, the policemen, the bureaucrats. Daring-not a part of growing up. Mukesh’s attitude different-dares to dream of being a motor mechanic.

(v) Miserable plight & occupation of the people in Firozabad-centre of glass blowing industry. Every family engaged in working at furnaces, welding glass, making bangles, for generations.Has about 20,000 children working in hot furnaces, slogging daylight hours, often losing the brightness of their eyes before they become adults.

(vi) Scene in Mukesh’s house-wobbly iron door, half built shack. In one part, thatched with dead grass, a firewood stove over which was placed a large vessel of sizzling spinach leaves. More chopped vegetables in a large platter. A frail young woman, Mukesh’s elder brother’s wife was cooking the evening meal for the whole family.

(vii) Reaction to poverty-Resigned to their fate-born to the caste of bangle makers. Mukesh’s father was initially a tailor, then a bangle maker; had worked hard but had not been able to either renovate his house or send his sons to school. Could only teach them bangle making. Mukesh’s grandmother had seen her husband go blind with the dust from polishing bangles.
Accepted fate-God given lineage, that could
not be broken.

(viii)Mukesh’s dream-wants to be a motor mechanic-decided to go to a garage to learn about cars. Will walk all the distance.

(ix) Irony – Savita’s story-Young girl, working mechanically, soldering pieces of glass. Unaware of the sacred significance of bangles/suhaag for Indian women. Would realize it when she became a bride. The old woman had bangles on her wrist but no light in eyes. Had not enjoyed even a full meal in her life. Husband knew only bangle making.
Could only build a house for his family.

Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood

By Anees Jung

The author examines and analyses the impoverished conditions and traditions that condemn children to a life of exploitation these children are denied an education and forced into hardships early in their lives. The writer encounters Saheb - a rag picker whose parents have left behind the life of poverty inDhaka to earn a living in Delhi. His family like many other families of rag pickers lives in Seemapuri. They do not have other identification other than a ration card. The children do not go to school and they are excited at the prospect of finding a coin or even a ten rupee note for rummaging in the garbage.
It is the only way of earning the life they live in impoverished conditions but are resigned to their fate. The writer is pained to see Saheb, a rag picker whose name means the ruler of earth, lose the spark of childhood and roams barefooted with his friends.
From morning to noon the author encounters him in a tea stall and is paid Rs. 800 He sadly realizes that he is no longer his own master and this loss of identity weighs heavily on his tendershoulders. The author then tells about another victim, Mukesh who wants to be a motor mechanic. Hailing from Firozabad, the centre of India’s bangle making and glass blowing industry, he hasalways worked in the glass making industry.
His family like the others there do not know that it is illegal for children to work in such closeproximity to furnaces, in such high temperatures. They are exposed to various health hazards like losing their eyesight as they work in abysmal conditions, in dark and dingy cells. Mukesh’s father is blind as were his father and grandfather before him.
They lead a hand to mouth existence as they are caught in the vicious web of the money lenders, middlemen, police and the traditions. So burdened are the bangle makers of Firozabad that they have lost their ability to dream unlike Mukesh who dreams of driving a car.