This post “Lost Spring” has a brief life history of the poet, introduction, theme, word meanings, summary, main points, important extracts, questions, and answers with all NCERT solutions to facilitate the understanding of the lesson. Academicseasy is presenting a fully revised and updated study material of the lesson/poem in accordance with the new latest syllabus introduced by CBSE and NCERT for the session 2020-21. We have made a judicious selection of the material for an intensive comprehension of the text. We hope it will meet your requirements. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome to enable us to develop this post in a better way.

Lost Spring Author

Anees Jung

Image Reference: peoplepill.com

Anees Jung is an author, journalist, and columnist for major newspapers in India and abroad. She was born in Hyderabad in 1944 in an aristocratic family. Her father, Nawab Hosh Yar Jung, was a renowned scholar and poet. He was the adviser to the last Nizam of Hyderabad princely state. Her schooling and graduation were completed from her hometown. Later she went abroad for higher studies. She did her Masters in Sociology and American Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, US. She started her career in literal writing with the Youth Times, a Times of India publication. Later she served as its editor from 1976 to 1979. Prior to it, she worked as a journalist. Jung came into the limelight with the publication of Unveiling India in 1987. Later she published several books dealing with social issues including abused children and women’s problems. Jung is noted for her lively and vivid descriptions, though she rarely gives its solutions.

Lost Spring Characters

I:  Authoress, Anees Jung

Saheb-e-Alam: A rag picker of Seemapuri

Mukesh:  Son of a bangle maker

An elder brother of Mukesh

A young woman: wife of Mukesh’s elder brother

Father of Mukesh: a bangle maker

An old woman: Grandmother of Mukesh

Savita: a young girl making bangles

Seemapuri: a slum area in Delhi

Firozabad: a town in Uttar Pradesh, India famous for bangles

Lost Spring Introduction

The story, “Lost Spring” describes the pitiable condition of poor children who have been forced to miss the joy of childhood due to the socio-economic condition that prevails in this man-made world. These children are denied the opportunity of schooling and forced into labour early in life. Anees Jung gives voice to eliminate child labour by educating the children and to enforce the laws against child labour by the governments strictly. The call is to end child exploitation and let the children enjoy the days of the spring that bring joy under their feet.

Lost Spring Word Meanings

Scrounging = searching for something

Dumps = heaps of rubbish

Shuffles = keeps shifting

Perpetual = never-ending

Periphery = outskirts

Discarded = given up

Canister = a tin container

Mirage = false appearance

Dingy = dark and dirty

Slog = toil

Crumbling = falling

Shack = hut

Co-existing = living together

Thatched = having roof of dry grass

Lineage = tradition of the family

Unkempt = messy

Draped = covered with

Stigma = mark of disgrace

Lost Spring Summary

Lost Spring Summary Part I – Sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage.

The first part tells the writer’s impressions about the life of the poor rag pickers. The rag pickers have migrated from Dhaka and found a settlement in Seemapuri. Their fields and homes had been swept away by storms. They had come to the big city to find a living. They are poor. The writer watches Saheb every morning scrounging for “gold” in her neighbourhood. Garbage is a means of survival for the elders and for the children it is something wrapped in wonder. The children come across a coin or two from it. These people have desires and ambitions, but they do not know the way to achieve them. There are quite a few things that are unreachable to them, namely shoes, tennis, and the like. Later Saheb joins a tea stall where he could earn 800 Rupees and all the meals. The job has taken away his freedom.

Lost Spring Summary Part II – I want to drive a car.

The second part deals with the life of Mukesh, who belongs to the family of Bangle-makers. Firozabad is best known for its glass-blowing industry. Nearly 20,000 children are engaged in this business and the law that forbids child labour is not known here. The living condition and the working environment is a woeful tale. Life in dingy cells and working close to hot furnaces make these children blind when they step into adulthood. Weighed down by the debt, they can neither think nor find a way to come out of this trap.

The politicians, middlemen, policemen, and bureaucrats will all obstruct their way of progress. The women in the household consider it as their fate and just follow the tradition. Mukesh is different from the rest of the folk there. He dreams to become a motor mechanic. The garage is far away from his house but he shall walk.

Lost Spring Summary in Hindi

Lost Spring Summary Part I – Sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage.

पहला भाग लेखक के छापों के बारे में बताता है जो गरीब चीरहरणकर्ताओं के जीवन के बारे में है। चीर बीनने वालों ने ढाका से पलायन किया और सीमापुरी में एक बस्ती मिली। तूफान से उनके खेत और घर बह गए थे। वे एक जीवित को खोजने के लिए बड़े शहर में आए थे। वे गरीब हैं। लेखिका साहेब को हर सुबह अपने पड़ोस में “सोने” के लिए देखती है। कचरा बड़ों के लिए अस्तित्व का साधन है और बच्चों के लिए यह आश्चर्य में लिपटा हुआ कुछ है। बच्चे एक या दो सिक्के से आते हैं। इन लोगों की इच्छाएं और महत्वाकांक्षाएं हैं, लेकिन उन्हें हासिल करने का तरीका नहीं पता है। वहाँ बहुत कुछ चीजें हैं जो उनके लिए उपलब्ध नहीं हैं, अर्थात् जूते, टेनिस, और पसंद है। बाद में साहेब एक चाय की दुकान से जुड़ते हैं जहाँ वे 800 रुपये और सभी भोजन कमा सकते थे। नौकरी ने उसकी स्वतंत्रता छीन ली है।

Translated by Google

Lost Spring Summary Part II – I want to drive a car.

दूसरा भाग मुकेश के जीवन से संबंधित है, जो बंगले निर्माताओं के परिवार से संबंधित है। फिरोजाबाद अपने कांच उड़ाने वाले उद्योग के लिए जाना जाता है। लगभग 20,000 बच्चे इस व्यवसाय में लगे हुए हैं और यह कानून कि बाल श्रम की मनाही है, यहाँ ज्ञात नहीं है। रहने की स्थिति और काम करने का माहौल एक लचर कहानी है। सुस्त कोशिकाओं में जीवन और गर्म भट्टियों के करीब काम करना इन बच्चों को अंधा कर देता है जब वे वयस्कता में कदम रखते हैं। कर्ज से दबे हुए, वे न तो सोच सकते हैं और न ही इस जाल से बाहर आने का रास्ता खोज सकते हैं।

राजनेता, बिचौलिए, पुलिसकर्मी और नौकरशाह सभी उनकी प्रगति के रास्ते में बाधा बनेंगे। घर की महिलाएं इसे अपनी किस्मत मानती हैं और बस परंपरा का पालन करती हैं। मुकेश वहां के बाकी लोगों से अलग है। वह मोटर मैकेनिक बनने का सपना देखता है। गैरेज उनके घर से बहुत दूर है लेकिन वह चलेंगे।

Translated by Google

Lost Spring Main points

Lost Spring Main Points Part I – Sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage.

1. The writer encounters Saheb every morning scrounging for gold in the garbage.
2. Saheb-e-Alam, a refugee from Dhaka, Bangladesh is a ragpicker.
3. Wants to go to school, but can’t – very poor.
4. Lives in Seemapuri – a locality on the periphery of Delhi without any basic amenities.
5. Most of the rag pickers live here.
6. Food is more important for them than identity.
7. Rag picking is different for children and adults.
8. For adults – a mean of survival
9. For children – wrapped in wonders
10. Sahib gets a job in a tea stall, earns Rs. 800/- and all his meal but still unhappy
11. Loses his freedom and carefree look.

Lost Spring Main points Part II – I want to drive a car.

1. The writer comes across Mukesh in Firozabad.
2. His family is engaged in making bangles but Mukesh insists on being his own master.
3. He desires to become a motor mechanic.
4. They work in dingy cells without air and light and furnaces with high temperatures.
5. As a result, most of them become blind at a very young age.
6. They don’t have money to do anything except carrying on the business of making bangles.
7. They can’t organize into a co-operative.
8. They are afraid of being hauled up by the Police, beaten and dragged to jail for doing something illegal.
9. There is no leader among them.
10. They talk of poverty, apathy, greed, and injustice.
11. So poor that they can’t even dream – to do anything means to dare – and daring is not part of their growth.
12. The author is cheered when she senses a flash of it in Mukesh who wants to be a motor mechanic.

Lost Spring Questions and Answers (2 Marks)

Lost Spring Questions & Answers Part I – Sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage.

Q1. What does the title ‘Lost Spring’ convey?          
 
Ans. The title ‘Lost Spring’ conveys and picturizes that childhood is like the spring. As everything blooms in this season, in the same way, childhood should bloom but through the poverty of Saheb and Mukesh, we come to know about their stolen childhood. It is being destroyed and dumped in the web of poverty, dirt, and dust.

Q2. What does Anees Jung want to reveal in her story ‘Lost Spring’?
 
Ans. Anees Jung has portrayed two stories in ‘Lost Spring’ and both depict the grinding poverty, pitiable condition of life, and the other traditions that condemn the children to a life of exploitation. For the rag-pickers of Seemapuri, garbage is gold and means of survival. The bangle-makers of Firozabad live in dingy cells and stinking lanes. Even after much toil, they do not get a full meal.

Q3. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
 
Ans. Saheb is scrounging for anything in the garbage dump that he can sell and make money. This is the only means of survival. He sometimes manages to find a rupee or even ten rupees. He now lives with his family in Seemapuri, a slum on the outskirts of Delhi. His family has migrated from Bangladesh in search of a better life.

Q4. What makes the authoress embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant?           
 
Ans. On encountering Saheb, the writer asks him to go to school. Immediately at the second thought, she realizes that the advice must sound very hollow. On the other hand, Saheb replies that there is no school in his neighbourhood. And he will go if the authorities make one. The writer asks half-jokingly if she starts school, “will he go?” Saheb goes on asking her “Is your school ready?” She feels embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant.

Q5. Does the rag-picking mean the same thing for parents and children? Give reasons for your answer.
 
Ans. No, rag picking is not the same for parents and children. For children it is wrapped in wonders whereas for parents it is the means of survival.

Q6. Why was not Saheb happy about getting a job?
 
Ans. Saheb was not happy about getting a job in a tea stall for a salary of Rs.800/- per month as he lost his freedom. He had to carry the stall owner’s steel canister in place of his bag. He had lost his freedom and carefree look. He was now no longer his own master.

Q7. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
 
Ans. Most people, who have migrated from villages to cities, have done so because of the promise of a better life. Some of them have not been able to earn any money from farming because of the unpredictable vagaries of the weather. They have had no jobs and no way of earning a livelihood. Cities provide a ray of hope as they are a means of escaping from abject poverty and offer hope of some employment. These people feel that though they may have to live in the most abysmal conditions in the city, they will get at least some food to eat.

Lost Spring questions & Answers Part II – I want to drive a car.

Q1. What was Mukesh’s dream?
 
Ans. Mukesh belongs to the family of bangle makers. He tells the writer to become a motor mechanic. He will learn to drive a car and does not hesitate to go to the far off garage.  He has no desire to live and become a victim of poverty.

Q2. Why don’t the bangle makers of Firozabad organize themselves?
 
Ans. The bangle makers are trapped in the vicious circle of middlemen and police. If they organize a co-operative, they will be hauled up, beaten and dragged to jail by the police for doing something illegal. There is no leader to help them out from their misery. They are the victims of greed and injustice.

Q3.  How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
 
Ans. Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic and drive a car. He wants to break away from the generations-old family tradition of bangle making. His family is not as optimistic as he is, but he is determined and exhibits a spark of courage and hope and dares to dream, even though it means walking miles to get to the garage.

Q4. Why does the author say that the bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web?
 
Ans. The family of bangle makers was caught in the vicious web of poverty. They are forced to practise their ancestral profession. They remain ill-fed and ill-clad throughout life. They have no money to switch over their profession. Their hard work is mind-numbing. The police do not allow them to form co-operatives.

Lost Spring Questions and Answers (6 Marks)

Q1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
 
Ans. Mukesh belongs to the family of bangle- makers who prepare colourful bangles like that of a rainbow. But his attitude to this situation is different from others. He is a daring boy and he announces, “I will be a motor mechanic, I will leam to drive a car. Though the garage is a long way from his home yet he insists I will go to the garage and learn.”

The determination and strong will of becoming a motor mechanic and learning to drive a car seem to be as firm as a rock in Mukesh. That is why he says he will walk to the garage which is a long way from his home. Though his dream appears to be vague, unclear, and like a mirage yet he has a different ambition to fulfill. He can materialize his dream once he walks.

Q2. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
 
Ans. The bangle makers firmly believe that having been born in the caste and community of bangle makers, they cannot escape their fate and must remain where they are. They believe that bangle making is the only skill they possess and that they must pass on the legacy to their children. Bangle making is not a lucrative source of income but they have no alternative and hence remain entrenched in the same. They have fallen into the vicious clutches of middlemen who had trapped their fathers and their forefathers. They are afraid to form cooperatives to safeguard themselves because they feel that they will be beaten up by the police and jailed for doing something illegal. Steeped in despair and apathy, they no longer have the will to aspire and better their lot. Some of the industrialists conspire in unison with the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, and the politicians and then go on exploiting them. They see very little hope of escaping from their impoverished life of misery and privation.

Q3. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry. / Describe the difficulties the bangle makers of Firozabad have to face in their lives.      
 
Ans. The glass blowing industry of Firozabad employs local families and these families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass, and making bangles of different colours. Working around the high-temperature furnaces is very injurious to our growing bodies. The dark dingy cells without light and air worsen the working conditions of the children. The dazzling and sparking of welding light and the high temperature render the situation hellish. About 20,000 children slog their daylight hours and often lose the brightness of their eyes before they become adults.

The bangle-makers lead their life in utter miseries and grinding poverty. They could never prosper working in this industry. They hardly get a belly full of meals in their lifetime. Thus they are not only underfed but also prone to ailments. The dingy cells and stinking smell of garbage choke their bodies. There are flames of flickering oil lamps, the blinding polishing, and the welding work put a deep impact on their bodies. Those who work in bangle industries, lose their eyesight before they become adults.

 Q4. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
 
Ans. The child labour employed in any form is an offence. It is banned under the law. Yet it goes on unabated at the industrial towns like Firozabad, Shivakasi, Mirzapur, and so on.

Child labour is hazardous in nature. It inflicts physical and mental harm to the boys. The work in the glass bangle industry often ends up them losing their eyesight before they become adults. The mind-numbing toil of bangle-making kills all their initiatives, drive, and ability to dream in life. They are even deprived of school education and proper growth.

According to the writer, about 20,000 children are working in the glass bangle industry of Firozabad. Some of the industrialists conspire in unison with the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, and the politicians and then go on stealing their childhood for some extra coins. The .only possible solution lies with the government and the society to punish the wrong­doers very strictly and keep a careful watch and vigil over them.

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