LOST SPRING

Q1. What do you know about Sahebs background ?

Ans. Saheb was a rag picker and used to live in Dhaka, Bangladesh. They had
to leave their native place due to storms that swept away their fields and home
.He was currently living in Seemapuri at the outskirts of Delhi.
Q2. What does the writer mean when she says that they were looking for
gold in the garbage ?
The rag pickers used to scrounge in the garbage for food, plastic bags and other
materials which they could sell for recycling .In these ways they were able to
fulfill their basic needs for survival .
Q3. Why did the author feel embarrassed ?
Ans. The author was embarrassed because she told Saheb to go to school
instead of ragpicking.She Promised him in jest to start a school for him. She
knew it wasnt practical ,she felt ashamed of having made a promise that
couldnt be fulfilled. Secondly ,The writer knew very well Saheb couldnt
afford school .
Q4. Why was Sahebs name ironical ?
Sahebs real name was Saheb-e-alam ,which means lord of universe .It was
ironical because he was a mere ragpicker who could bearly manage his survival
.He could barely manage his survival .He could never be the lord of the universe
.
Q5. What did boys say when asked why they barefoot ?
On being asked ,one of the ragpickers said,that he was not wearing chappals
because his mother did not take it down from the shelf. The other said it was a
tradition to stay barefoot .It was not necessarily true because poverty had forced
them to live within their means .The explanations sounded same excuses. They
probably remained barefoot to gain peoples sympathy & to establish that they
were poor .
Q6. Describe the lives of these ragpickers in brief.
Seemapuri is situated on the outskirts of Delhi .It has structures made of mud
with roofs of tin and tarpaulin without proper sewage and drainage
system.There are about ten thousand ragpickers in this locality most of them
,whose permit have been expired but have managed to get ration cards and their
names in voter list .
Q 7. Why garbage has a different meaning for children?

It implies a different meaning for children who are ragpickers than their parents.
It is a surprise wrapped ina bundle for the young ones but for elders it is a
means of survival.
Q 8. Describe Sahebs life.
Saheb was a ragpicker who had come from Dhaka @ was living in the slums of
Seemapuri. Though young, he also worked in a tea stall. He was not offered
schooling or to play like a normal child and also did not possess proper clothes
or shoes. He had lost his childhood early in his life.
Q 9. Did Saheb enjoy working in the tea stall?
Saheb was not happy to work in a tea stall because he did not enjoy that work.
He had lost her carefree look. He was no longer his own master.
Q 10. What makes the city Firozabad famous?
The town of Firozabad is famous for its bangles. It is a centre for Indias last
glass blowing industry where families have spent generations around furnaces,
welding glass and making bangles.
Q 11. Describe the life of children working in Firozabad.
The old town of Firozabad was engaged in bangle making. They turned children
into labourers to work near high temperature furnaces in dingy cells with no air
or light. They had to work for long hours and most of them would lose their
sight before they become adults. The town had stinking lanes with garbage, past
homes that remain hovels with crumbling walls, wobbly doors, no windows and
crowded with large families and animals.
Q12. Describe the life of the children working in firozabad ?
The old town of firozabad was engaged in bangle making. They turned children
into labourers to work near high temperature furnaces in clingy cells in on air
and light .They had to work for long hours and most of them would loose their
sight before they became adults. the town had stinking lanes with garbage ,past
homes that remain hovels with crumbling walls ,webby doors ,no windows and
crowded with large families and animals
Long question
Q1- Write character sketch of saheb ?
Sahib was a young boy whose family once lived in green fields in Dhaka. There
the storms swept away their fields and homes , so they shifted to India. In India
, he lived in seemapuri , on the outskirts of Delhi and was a ragpicker . He used
to search valuable things in garbage to earn his livelihood , His family lived in
extreme poverty . He was deprived of education and basic amenities of life . He

desired to wear shoes and pa tennis . he was barely able to earn his livelihood
for his survival . Despite being poor , he was full of hope and therefore he was
always very enthusiastic during his work in hope of finding money.Later he was
employed in a milk booth where he used to supply milk.He now became a
labourer and lost his carefree look. He was burdened with responsibility of the
job.He lost his childhood due to his poverty which made him work as a child
labour.
Q2)Write a charactersketch of Mukesh.
Ans) Mukesh lived in Firozabad & was born in the family of bangle makers. He
aspired to become a motor mechanic. Unlike the others in firozabad who were
burdened in the stigma of caste in which they are 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 asset 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 &
aspirations were practical. He dreams only of what he can achieve or what was
within his reach. He had a willingness to work hard and fulfil his desires.
Q3) Justify the title lost spring.
Ans) Spring here refers to the spring of life,that is, the childhood. Childhood is
the most precious time of a person's life where he is moulded or shaped.
But unfortunately there are many children in our society who are deprived of it.
They are forced to give up this part of their lives due to poverty &tradition. On
one hand where poverty forces many children to become a child labour &work
in shops, offices, houses etc. Tradition on the other hand becomes a big
hindrance to development of children. It binds people in shackles of caste
system.
In the story, the two protagonist have lost their childhood due to these two
factors. They are poverty stricken, there is lack of education and they work day
&night to feed themselves. Due to this they have lost their innocence,
imagination and are burdened with responsibilities of earning money. Hence the
title is very appropriate.