Question

Summary of chapter the lost spring

Answer 1

I think it will help you as i don't know about itThis is the story 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 fake promise that she would open a school for him. Ashamed at a commitment she cannot keep, 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 two parents who migrated from Bangladesh. They came to Delhi in 1971 as their house was swept away by repeated storms. Then they began to live in Seemapuri, a slum of Delhi. She 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 an identity. It is very pitiable that the garbage that others throw away is like gold to them and they end up looking for food and livelihood on that. The story explores the problems he faces – getting exposed to hazardous waste in the garbage dumps, walking about barefoot, no nourishment or clothes on his body. Saheb like many other children of the slum was a rag picker. They searched the rags and garbage and tried to find out coins. Sometimes they found one rupee coins and sometimes even ten rupee coins. Saheb did not attend any school as there was no school nearby. He was too poor to wear chappals. The reaction of the rich is recorded here as she gets to know that they excuse themselves from doing something for them by saying things like – it is their tradition not to wear shoes. Saheb liked the game of tennis. Someone gave him a pair of tennis shoes. But he would never get the chance to play the game himself. At last, Saheb got employed in a tea stall. He was not happy as he had lost his freedom. But he had no choice in the matter.

Answer 2

Explanation:

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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. They end up losing their fields and homes due to storms. They then come to the big city to find a living, but are poor. The author then watches Saheb, the rag picker, every morning who is always scrounging for “gold” in her neighbourhood. Garbage is actually the means of survival for the elders and it is something wrapped in wonder for the children. Sometimes, the children find a coin or two from it. Even these kids have desires and ambitions, but they have no clue about how to achieve them. There are many things that are unreachable to them, for instance, shoes, tennis and similar stuff. Later on, Saheb starts working at a tea stall where he earns 800 Rupees and also gets to eat all the meals. But the job takes away his freedom.

II – I want to drive a car.

The second part is about the life of Mukesh, who comes from the family of bangle-makers. Firozabad is quite popular for its glass-blowing industry. A staggering 20,000 children are a part of this business and any law that forbids child labour is brutally ignored here. Also, the working environment and the living conditions are pathetic. Children live in dingy cells and work around hot furnaces that make them blind when they enter adulthood. Since they are weighed down by debt, they cannot think or find any way to escape this trap. The politicians, policemen, middlemen and bureaucrats obstruct their way of progress. Most women in such families think that this is their fate and just follow the tradition. But Mukesh is very different from the rest of the folks there. He has dreams of becoming a motor mechanic. The garage is quite far from his house

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