FLAMINGO
Chapter No. 2
Lost Spring
(Stories of Stolen Childhood) by Anees
Jung
Saheb-e-Alam
-Name
means - lord of the universe, migrated with his family from Dhaka in 1971,
lives in Seemapuri, survives by ragpicking, doesn’t go to school, works
barefooted.
Living Conditions:
Lack
of basic amenities, structures of mud, tin and tarpaulin, no sewage, no drainage,
no water, loses
freedom when he starts working at a tea-stall.
Mukesh: Banglemaker of
Firozabad, works in high temperatures, workplace small and dirty, working
conditions
hazardous. Dreams of being a motor mechanic.
Similarities between Saheb-e-Alam
and Mukesh
Ø
have
aspirations and desires like other children
Ø
suffer
from immense poverty and scarcity of food
Ø
caught
in the web of child labour
Ø
leading
a life of exploitation
Ø
undergo
physical, mental and emotional sufferings
Living Conditions
in Seemapuri
on
the outskirts of Delhi yet miles away from it, home to 10,000 ragpickers, make
a living by picking garbage, mastered the art of rag picking, food and survival
more important for their identity, live in a state of poverty. Garbage to them
is gold because it is a means of survival, sometimes they find a rupee or even
a ten rupee note and for children garbage is wrapped in wonder.
Hazards of Working
in Glass Bangle Factory
Ø
high
temperatures, lack of proper ventilation and light,
Ø
long
working hours in front of hot furnace
Ø
boys
and girls assist parents in the dim light of flickering oil lamps.
Ø
eyes
are more adjusted to dark than light
Ø
dust
from polishing bangles affects their eyes.
Ø
exploited
by moneylenders, police, bureaucrats, politicians.
Ø
fear
of being ill-treated by police
Ø
lack
of a leader who can organize them
Ø
live
in state of intense poverty
Ø
sleep
on empty stomachs
Ø
live
in stinky lanes
Ø
overcrowded
with humans and animals.
A. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each:
(2 marks each)
1.
Why is the author’s advice to Saheb-e-Alam to go to school hollow?
2. Is Saheb-e-Alam hurt by the author’s failure to keep her promise of starting a school? Give a reasoned answer.
3.
Bring out the irony in the name Saheb-e-Alam?
4.
How is Seemapuri on the outskirts of the city but still miles away from it?
5.
How do children of rag pickers become equal partners in survival?
7.
How did Saheb get tennis shoes? Why does he explain the author how he had got
them?
8.
Describe the working condition of bangle making of Firozabad.
9.
“Garbage to them is gold.” Bring out the significance of this statement.
10.
How does an adult and a child rag picker look at garbage differently?
11.
Why is Saheb not happy with his new job?
12.
How is the bangle industry of Firozabad a curse for the bangle makers?
13.
What is the significance of bangles for an Indian woman?
14.
Why don’t the bangle workers organise themselves into a co-operative?
15.
Why hasn’t Firozabad changed with time?
16.
What does Mukesh proudly say that his house is being rebuild?
17.
Why is Mukesh’s dream of becoming a motor mechanic significant?
C. Extract questions: (Objective type - 1 mark each)
1. “If
at the end of the day we can feed our families and go to bed without an aching
stomach, we would rather live here than in the fields that gave us no grain.”
i)
Who is the speaker of the above line?
ii)
What does ‘here’ refer to?
iii)
Where was the ‘fields’ as referred by the
narrator?
iv)
Why did they leave that place forever?
2. “Can
a god-given lineage ever be broken?”
i)
Who is the speaker of the above line?
ii)
What lineage is the speaker talking about?
iii)
How does the above lineage wrap them up?
iv)
What is their social condition?
B. Answer the following questions in 100-125 words
each: (6 marks each)
1.
“Survival
in Seemapuri means rag picking.” Give a detailed account of the life and
activities of the refugees from Bangladesh settled in Seemapuri.
2.
The
life of bangle makers of Firozabad was full of obstacles which forced them to
lead a life of poverty and deprivation. Elaborate.
3.
Poverty
is a vicious cycle for refugees, slum dwellers and bangle makers. Discuss in
the light of
the
lesson?
