Lost Spring by Anees Jung, Class 12 English CBSE (Summary/explanation literary devices, word meaning and extract based question-answer)
LOST SPRING
By Anees Jung
Detailed summary, Literary devices, difficult words and their meaning, and question-answer of Lost Spring
INTRODUCTION
The story 'Lost Spring' highlights the pathetic condition of poor children in India. The author has described how thousands of children in India are forced to work in unorganised sectors and lose their childhood at a very early stage of life.
Anees Jung is an Indian author and journalist. She is known for her insightful portrayal of Indian society. Her works include "A Flight of Pigeons", “Seven Sisters” and “Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood”. Through her writing, Jung captured the essence of everyday life in India. Anees Jung's works continue to leave a lasting impact.
DIFFICULT WORDS AND THEIR MEANING
PART- 1
Scrounging- searching for.
Amidst- in the middle of.
Mutters- to speak in a low voice.
Glibly- speak without careful thought and honesty/carelessly
Hollow- meaningless/ empty.
Abound in - exist in large number or quantity.
Shuffle- shift
Perpetual- never ending.
Desolation- the state of being empty.
Panting- taking short and quick breaths.
Periphery- outer area
Metaphorically- symbolically/ comparingly.
Tarpaulin- waterproof cloth.
Tattered- torn
Transit- temporary
Discarded- rejected
PART- 2
Mirage- illusion.
Glass-blowing industry- an industry related to making glasses.
Furnaces- containers where heat is produced.
Dingy- dirty/gloomy.
Beam- shine brightly.
Stinking- bad smell.
Choked- blocked.
Hovels- slums.
Crumbling- falling.
Wobbly- unsteady.
Primeval- prehistoric/ancient.
Bang- hit.
Shack- roughly built hut.
Thatched- covered with dry grass.
Platters- large plates.
Frail- Thin/weak.
Impoverished- very poor
Destiny- fate.
Lineage- ancestry.
Mounds- heaps.
Unkempt- untidy/dirty.
Shanty town- a town that is full of small roughly built huts.
Drab-faded.
Tongs- an instrument with two moveable arms joined at one end.
Sanctity- being sacred or holy.
Draped- covered.
Reaped- received as a benefit.
Lament- complaint or regret.
Mind-numbing- extreme or intense tasks to prevent normal thought.
Toil- work.
Apathy- showing no concern.
Stigma- black spot/ disgrace.
Baggage- burden.
Hurtling down- moving.
Summary of the story “Lost Spring” By Anees Jung, Class 12 English Core (Flamingo)
The Ragpickers Of Seemapuri
The narrator sees Saheb every morning searching through garbage heaps near her house in Delhi. He searches for something useful in the garbage dumps that can be sold. Saheb informs the narrator that his family came from Dhaka, Bangladesh, after floods and storms had destroyed their home and field. The author asks him why he does this instead of going to school. Saheb replies that there is no school in his locality. Then the narrator promises to open a school, which fills Saheb with hope and excitement, and he starts asking her about it. The author feels sad because she realises that the promise will remain unfulfilled, like many promises made to the poor. The narrator is quite surprised to know that his full name is Saheb-E-Alam, which means lord of the universe. The narrator finds many ragpicker children like Saheb roaming barefoot, symbolising their poverty, not tradition, as some claim.
The author then describes Seemapuri, which is a small settlement on the outskirts of Delhi where Saheb and many others live. These people came to Delhi in search of a better life, but even after so many years, their condition has not improved.
They live in mud houses with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. In Seemapuri, there is no proper drainage, water supply, or sanitation. Still, they feel it is better than dying of hunger in their village. They do not have legal identity, but have ration cards, due to which they manage to get some grain, and their names appear on the voter’s list. For them, garbage is gold because it is their only source of income and survival.
For children like Saheb, garbage is not just a means of survival but also a source of hope. Sometimes they find coins, rupees, or other interesting things in the garbage. One day, the narrator finds Saheb wearing tennis shoes and watching the game of tennis being played at the club. Saheb informs the narrator that he wishes to play tennis. But the narrator thinks that playing tennis is impossible for him because of his poverty.
After some time, the author meets Saheb again, but this time he is no longer a ragpicker. He works at a tea stall, where he earns ₹800 a month and also gets meals. At this point, the narrator realises that Saheb has lost his carefree look as he no longer remains his own master. Earlier, when he was a ragpicker, he was poor but free to roam around and work for himself. Now he has to follow someone else’s orders. The author feels sad because Saheb has lost his independence along with his childhood dreams.
The Bangle Makers of Firozabad
The narrator visits the area of Firozabad inhabited by the banglemakers. There she finds the narrow lanes giving foul smell, half-built houses, broken walls, and crowded streets. Inside dark, tiny rooms, families, including small children, sit around furnaces and make bangles. Their eyes burn from the heat and smoke, and many of them lose their eyesight at a very young age.
These families have been making bangles for generations. It is their traditional work, and they are not allowed to do anything else. Every house has a furnace, and every family is trapped in the endless circle of poverty.
Meeting the Family
The narrator visits a young boy named Mukesh, who belongs to a bangle-making family. Mukesh tells her that he wants to become a motor mechanic and drive a car someday. Mukesh takes the author to his home, which is half-built.
The author observes that these families live in extreme poverty. They borrow money from local middlemen and moneylenders, who then trap them in lifelong debt. Even if they want to start something new, they cannot.
Anees Jung also talks about how corruption and injustice keep these people trapped. The bangle makers are exploited by police, politicians, and moneylenders who take advantage of their helplessness. If they try to form cooperatives, they are arrested, beaten up and sent to jail on false charges.
In the end, the author focuses on Mukesh again. Unlike most children in Firozabad, Mukesh dreams of breaking free from this life. He wants to learn to repair cars and earn a living through his own efforts. He tells the author that he will go to a garage near his home to learn the skill. His determination gives a small ray of hope in a world full of darkness.
Detailed summary and very short questions, and their answers
PART - I
Text:
“Why do you do this?” I ask Saheb, whom I encounter every morning scrounging for gold in the garbage dumps of my neighbourhood. Saheb left his home long ago. Set amidst the green fields of Dhaka, his home is not even a distant memory. There were many storms that swept away their fields and homes, his mother tells him. That’s why they left, looking for gold in the big city where he now lives.
Detailed Explanation of the above Text and Question-Answer:
The narrator or the author found a lot of ragpicker boys visiting her locality in Delhi and searching for something in the garbage dumps. The garbage dumps were quite precious for them because these were the only source of their livelihood. That's why, the author says that garbage is gold for them
According to the narrator, Saheb was living in Dhaka. His house was in the lap of nature. But Saheb did not have any memory of his house in Dhaka. His mother informed him that there were so many storms and floods that swept away their homes and fields. As a result, they came to Delhi.
Q. Name the lesson and its author.
Ans. Lost Spring and Anees Jung.
Q. Where did the narrator encounter Saheb?
Ans. Delhi.
Q. 'Los Spring' is an excerpt from __________
Ans. Lost Spring, Stories of Stolen Childhood.
Q. What is the story about?
Ans. The grinding poverty and traditions that condemn many children to a life of exploitation.
Q." Why do you do this?" Who is the speaker, and who is the listener? What does 'this' refer to?
Ans. The narrator and Saheb. This refers to ragpicking.
Q. Which figure of speech has been used in the expression," scrounging for gold/ looking for gold….?
Ans. Hyperbole and metaphor
Q. Why did Saheb's family leave the green fields of Dhaka?
Ans. Due to storms and floods.
Q. Which city has been referred to as 'the big city'?
Ans. Delhi.
Text:
“I have nothing else to do,” he mutters, looking away.
“Go to school,” I say glibly, realising immediately how hollow the advice must sound. “There is no school in my neighbourhood. When they build one, I will go.”
“If I start a school, will you come?” I ask, half-joking.
“Yes,” he says, smiling broadly.
A few days later, I see him running up to me. “Is your school ready?”
“It takes longer to build a school,” I say, embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant. But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world.
Detailed Explanation of the above Text and Question-Answer:
When the author asked Saheb why he used to search in garbage dumps, his reply was that he did not have any other work to do. Listening to this, the narrator suggested him to go to school. But the next moment she realised that her advice was hollow because he could not go to school as he must work for the survival of himself as well as his family. Saheb, however, replied that there was no school in his locality. This once again highlights the condition of the deprived section of society.
The narrator, then just for fun, said that if she opened the school, he would come. This made Saheb very happy, and a few days later, he came running and asked the narrator if her school was ready.
The narrator was a bit embarrassed for making a promise that she did not mean at all. But the next moment she realised that she was not the only one who had made a promise. Every day, promises are made that bring some kind of hope in the lives of the poor. But these promises are rarely kept.
Q. Which word in the passage means the same as ‘empty /meaningless’?
Ans. Hollow.
Q. What did the narrator suggest to the boy?
Ans. To go to school.
Q. Which advice has been termed as ‘hollow’?
Ans. To go to school.
Q. Why was the advice hollow?
Ans. Because Saheb has to work for the survival of himself as well as his family.
Q. Why, according to Saheb, was he unable to go to school?
Ans. There was no school in his neighbourhood.
Q. What was the promise made by the narrator?
Ans. Start a School.
Q. Who asked," Is your school ready?" What does it highlight about the speaker?
Ans. Saheb. It highlights his hope.
Q. Why did the narrator feel embarrassed?
Ans. For making the promise, she did not mean.
Q. What did the narrator reply when Saheb asked if her school was ready?
Ans. It takes a long time to build a school.
Q. What does the author say about the promises made to the common and poor people?
Ans. Promises are frequently made but rarely kept.
Text:
After months of knowing him, I ask him his name. “Saheb-eAlam,” he announces. He does not know what it means. If he knew its meaning — lord of the universe — he would have a hard time believing it. Unaware of what his name represents, he roams the streets with his friends, an army of barefoot boys who appear like the morning birds and disappear at noon. Over the months, I have come to recognise each of them.
“Why aren’t you wearing chappals?” I ask one.
“My mother did not bring them down from the shelf,” he answers simply. “Even if she did he will throw them off,” adds another who is wearing shoes that do not match. When I comment on it, he shuffles his feet and says nothing. “I want shoes,” says a third boy who has never owned a pair all his life. Travelling across the country I have seen children walking barefoot, in cities, on village roads. It is not lack of money but a tradition to stay barefoot, is one explanation. I wonder if this is only an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of poverty
Detailed Explanation of the above Text and Question-Answer:
The full name of the ragpicker boy is Saheb-e-Alam, which means lord of the universe. The irony is that the boy is a ragpicker who struggles for survival. Even in his childhood, he has to work and is deprived of the basic necessities of life.
Like any other ragpicker boy, Saheb also wanders here and there. Just like birds that come out of their nests early in the morning, fly here and there in search of food, and then return by noon. Similarly, the ragpicker boys come out of their houses early in the morning, roam here and there in search of something useful in garbage dumps, and by noon, they return.
As the narrator was known to the children, she asked one of them why he was not wearing chappals. The reply was that the mother had kept them on the shelf, and she did not bring them down. Another child expressed who was going to wear the chappals, which did not match. The third child told her that he wanted to wear chappals because, in his whole life, he had never worn them.
According to the narrator, she had travelled far and wide. She had observed both in cities and villages a lot of children walking barefoot. The one explanation given is that it is India's tradition to walk barefoot. However, the narrator is not convinced at all. She thinks such an explanation is nothing but a kind of excuse to conceal the poverty that has been prevailing in our country.
Q. What was the name of the ragpicker boy?
Ans. Saheb-e-Alam.
Q. What is the irony in the name?
Ans. Saheb-e-Alam means lord of the universe. But in this case, the boy is a ragpicker who is so poor that even survival is quite difficult.
Q. The author compares the ragpicker boys to …….
Ans. Early morning birds.
Q. Which literary device has been used in the line, " an army of barefoot boys who appeared like the morning birds….."?
Ans. Simile
Q. What is the one explanation given about walking barefoot?
Ans. It is not the lack of money, but India's tradition.
Q. What does the author think about such an explanation about walking barefoot?
Ans. An excuse to explain away a perpetual state of poverty.
Text:
Detailed Explanation of the above Text and Question-Answer:
There was a person from Udupi who told a story to the narrator. According to him, as a young boy, while going to school, he used to stop near the temple and pray to the goddess for a pair of shoes. When his wish was granted, he still offered prayer as he did not want to lose them. But 30 years later, when the narrator visited the same town, she found the son of the new priest, who was in proper school uniform, wearing school shoes, having a school bag, and sitting on a plastic chair. At this point, the author wants to highlight the fact that the condition of a section of society has improved. The son of a priest can afford shoes. But still, there is a section of society, like the ragpickers, who cannot afford shoes or chappals.
Q. What did the boy pray for every morning?
Ans. A pair of shoes.
Q. What did the boy do after getting his wish fulfilled?
Ans. Prayed to the goddess for the safety of his shoes.
Q. What did the narrator notice about the son of the new priest?
Ans. Wearing shoes and socks, having a school bag, and wearing a uniform.
Q. What is the contrast presented here?
Ans. The condition of a section of society has changed but the rag pickers are still the same. Even after 30 years, they can not afford a pair of shoes or chappals.
Text:
My acquaintance with the barefoot ragpickers leads me to Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically. Those who live here are squatters who came from Bangladesh back in 1971. Saheb’s family is among them. Seemapuri was then a wilderness. It still is, but it is no longer empty. In structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage, or running water, live 10,000 ragpickers. They have lived here for more than thirty years without an identity, without permits, but with ration cards that get their names on voters’ lists and enable them to buy grain.
Detailed Explanation of the above Text and Question-Answer:
The author expresses that she visits Seemapuri to know the condition of the ragpickers. According to the author, Seemapuri is a part of Delhi yet it is far away from Delhi. It means Delhi, which is the capital of India, provides the best infrastructure, best civic amenities, world-class transportation, education, and medical facilities. But Seemapuri, despite being a part of Delhi, lacks even basic facilities like drinking water, sewage, drainage, etc.
The people who are living in Seemapuri are squatters settled here illegally. There are around 10,000 ragpickers living there, but no basic facilities are provided to them, like sewage, drainage, running water, etc. They have lived here for 30 years without any identity or permit. But they have been provided ration cards because of which they get some grain, as well as their names appear on the voters’ list. Actually, here the author has criticized the way they are used as vote banks.
Q. What does 'periphery' mean?
Ans. edge/ outskirts/verge/borderline
Q. What does 'metaphorically' mean?
Ans. Comparingly.
Q. Who are these ragpickers?
Ans. Squatters from Bangladesh.
Q. What does 'squatter' mean?
Ans. Someone who occupies unused land without having a legal right.
Q. What sort of structures do the ragpickers live in?
Ans. Structures of mud with roofs of tin and tarpaulin.
Q. The relationship between Delhi and Seemapuri is like……
Ans. Centre and margin
Text:
Food is more important for survival than an identity. “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,” say a group of women in tattered saris when I ask them why they left their beautiful land of green fields and rivers. Wherever they find food, they pitch their tents that become transit homes. Children grow up in them, becoming partners in survival. And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Through the years, it has acquired the proportions of a fine art. Garbage to them is gold. It is their daily bread, a roof over their heads, even if it is a leaking roof. But for a child, it is even more.
Detailed Explanation of the above Text and Question-Answer:
The narrator interviews a few women who are in tattered saris or tattered clothes. They remark that food is more important than identity. According to them, at least they are not sleeping with an empty stomach in Delhi. On the other hand, their fields did not give any grain. The people living here are not least worried about their nationality.
The author expresses that the condition of the ragpickers is miserable. They are living in houses having mud walls and roofs of tin or tarpaulin. The only source of their livelihood is garbage. For them, garbage is as precious as gold. These people pitch their tents wherever they find an empty land and that becomes their transit homes.
Due to poverty, even the children have to work for survival. That's why the author has used the expression " partners in survival". With the passage of time, ragpicking has become an art. "Garbage is gold" because it provides them with food and shelter.
Q. What, according to the women, is more important?
Ans. Food
Q. Why did they leave the green fields of Dhaka?
Ans. For food and shelter/ Due to political disturbance/floods and storms swept away everything.
Q. What does it reveal about Indian politics?
Ans. The migrants are used as vote banks.
Q. “Through the years, it has got the proportion of fine art.” Which literary device has been used in this expression?
Ans. Hyperbole
Q. What has acquired the proportion of fine art?
Ans. Ragpicking
Q. How do the children become partners in survival?
Ans.By working
Q. What does ‘transit’ mean?
Ans. Temporary
Text:
“I sometimes find a rupee, even a ten-rupee note,” Saheb says, his eyes lighting up. When you can find a silver coin in a heap of garbage, you don’t stop scrounging, for there is hope of finding more. It seems that for children, garbage has a meaning different from what it means to their parents. For the children, it is wrapped in wonder; for the elders, it is a means of survival.
Detailed Explanation of the above Text and Question-Answer:
The author says that garbage has two meanings. For children, it is something wrapped in wonder, because sometimes they find a one-rupee note, sometimes a 10-rupee note. When they find a coin, they continue to search, thinking some more coins may be hidden in the garbage dumps. On the other hand, for adults, it is a means of survival.
Q. What do adults think about garbage?
Ans. Means of survival.
Q. What do the children think about garbage?
Ans. Something wrapped in wonder.
Q. What do the children do after finding a coin in garbage dumps?
Ans. When they find a coin or note they get excited and continue to search in the heap of garbage for a long time with the hope of getting some more.
Q. What does the phrase 'lighting up' imply here?
Ans. Bright and excited
Text:
One winter morning I see Saheb standing by the fenced gate of the neighbourhood club, watching two young men dressed in white, playing tennis. “I like the game,” he hums, content to watch it standing behind the fence. “I go inside when no one is around,” he admits. “The gatekeeper lets me use the swing.”
Saheb too is wearing tennis shoes that look strange over his discoloured shirt and shorts. “Someone gave them to me,” he says in the manner of an explanation. The fact that they are discarded shoes of some rich boy, who perhaps refused to wear them because of a hole in one of them, does not bother him. For one who has walked barefoot, even shoes with a hole is a dream come true. But the game he is watching so intently is out of his reach
Detailed Explanation of the above Text and Question-Answer:
It is a winter morning. The narrator finds Saheb standing near the fenced gate of the tennis club and watching the game of tennis being played by the two young men. He informs the narrator that he likes the game. He also reveals that whenever no one is in the club, the gatekeeper allows him to enter and enjoy swings. He is so happy explaining all this. It shows these poor children have the same desire; they have the same emotions like other children. They also want to play; they also want to study; they also want to enjoy their lives. The circumstances do not allow them to get all these things. The same morning the narrator also finds Saheb wearing tennis shoes which appear to be absurd on his discoloured shirt and shorts. But he is not least worried because it is just like the fulfilment of his dream.
The shoes are rejected by some rich boy and therefore, given to Saheb. But all these do not worry him as wearing shoes is no less than the fulfilment of a dream.
Q. What was Saheb doing one winter morning?
Ans. He was standing near the fenced gate of the tennis club and watching the game of tennis being played.
Q. Which game did Saheb like to play?
Ans. Tennis
Q. Is it possible for Saheb to fulfil his dream of playing tennis?
Ans. Least probability
Q. How did Saheb get entry to the club?
Ans. The gatekeeper allowed him to enter the club and enjoy the swings.
Q. How did Saheb get the tennis shoes?
Ans. Donated by a rich boy as there was a hole in one of the shoes.
Q. What seemed to be absurd?
Ans. Saheb's discoloured shirt and shorts over the tennis shoes.
Q. Why did the author think that Saheb's dream to play tennis could not be fulfilled?
Ans. He was a poor ragpicker and could not afford to play a game like tennis.
Text:
This morning, Saheb is on his way to the milk booth. In his hand is a steel canister. “I now work in a tea stall down the road,” he says, pointing in the distance. “I am paid 800 rupees and all my meals.” Does he like the job? I ask. His face, I see, has lost the carefree look. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulder. The bag was his. The canister belongs to the man who owns the tea shop. Saheb is no longer his own master!Detailed Explanation of the above Text and Question-Answer:
One morning the narrator finds Saheb having a steel canister in his hand, and going towards the milk booth. He informs the narrator that he has got a job at a tea stall and that he is being paid 800 rupees per month plus three meals. When the narrator asks him if he is happy, she observes his face does not show the carefree look. Earlier Saheb used to carry a heavy plastic bag, but still, the author says that the steel canister is heavier than the plastic bag because now he loses his freedom. Now he cannot do anything according to his wishes. He loses his childhood.
Q. Where did Saheb get the job?
Ans. At a tea stall.
Q. How much was Saheb being paid?
Ans. Rs 800/- per month as well as three meals a day.
Q. Why does the author say," The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag" ….?
Ans. Because he lost his freedom.
Q. What does steel canister symbolise?
Ans. Slavery/ servility.
PART - II
Text:
Mukesh insists on being his own master. “I will be a motor mechanic,” he announces.
“Do you know anything about cars?” I ask.
“I will learn to drive a car,” he answers, looking straight into my eyes. His dream looms like a mirage amidst the dust of streets that fill his town, Firozabad, famous for its bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry, where families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for all the women in the land it seems.
Mukesh’s family is among them. None of them know that it is illegal for children like him to work in the glass furnaces with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light; that the law, if enforced, could get him and all those 20,000 children out of the hot furnaces where they slog their daylight hours, often losing the brightness of their eyes.
Just in contrast to Saheb, Mukesh wants to be his own master because he has a desire to be a motor mechanic and own a garage. The author expresses that his dream appears like a mirage, an illusion.
According to the author, Firozabad is famous for bangles. It is the centre of India's glass-blowing industry. Here every second family is engaged in bangle making. Almost 20000 children work in this industry.
The author criticises the government as well as authorities for not creating awareness among the people and also for not enforcing the law which prohibits child labour. That's why, she says if the law is enforced properly, 20000 children can be taken out of the glass bangle industry.
Q. What is Firozabad known for?
Ans. The centre for the glass-blowing industry/ famous for its bangles.
Q. Why are the children working in the glass bangle industry?
Ans. Due to poverty.
Q. Who is responsible for the plight of the children?
Ans. Government and the authorities.
Q. Why does the author compare Mukesh's dream to a mirage?
Ans. The author thinks he might not be able to fulfil his dream.
Q. Which literary device has been used in the expression," His dream looms like a mirage"?
Ans. Simile
Text:
Mukesh’s eyes beam as he volunteers to take me home, which he proudly says is being rebuilt. We walk down stinking lanes choked with garbage, past homes that remain hovels with crumbling walls, wobbly doors, no windows, crowded with families of humans and animals coexisting in a primeval state.
Explanation of the above text and Question-Answer:
In Firozabad people work in dark and dirty rooms in front of furnaces where there is little source of light and air, but the temperature is very high. The high temperature affects their eyes so much that many even lose their eyesight in their childhood.
According to the narrator, when she visits the area where the bangle makers live, she finds the narrow lanes giving a foul smell because of the garbage dumps. The drains are totally choked. The houses are like hovels. Even the walls of the houses appear to be crumbling, and the doors are wobbly. Men and animals live together as they were living in ancient times.
Q. Describe the working conditions of the bangle makers.
Ans. They work in dark and dingy cells with little source of light and air.
Q. How does high temperature affect the bangle makers?
Ans. It affects their eyes and many lose their eyesight.
Q. In what condition are the bangle makers living?
Ans. Inhuman condition. Narrow streets are full of garbage dumps giving a foul smell.
Q. What are hovels?
Ans. Small homes which are dirty and in bad condition.
Q. What kind of houses do the banglemakers live in?
Ans. Small houses with crumbling walls and wobbly doors.
Text:
He stops at the door of one such house, bangs a wobbly iron door with his foot, and pushes it open. We enter a half-built shack. In one part of it, thatched with dead grass, is a firewood stove over which sits a large vessel of sizzling spinach leaves. On the ground, in large aluminium platters, are more chopped vegetables. A frail young woman is cooking the evening meal for the whole family. Through eyes filled with smoke she smiles. She is the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother. Not much older in years, she has begun to command respect as the bahu, the daughter-in-law of the house, already in charge of three men — her husband, Mukesh and their father.
Mukesh stops in front of the door of a house and bangs it open. The narrator finds that the house is no better than a hut. It is like a half-built shack. One part of the house has a thatched roof.
When the narrator enters the house she hears a sizzling sound as spinach is being cooked and finds some chopped vegetables in a large platter. There is a young but frail (weak) woman who is busy cooking. Her eyes are full of smoke. She is the wife of Mukesh's elder brother. She is still young but she has the respect of a 'bahu' and she has to do all the household work.
Q. How does the narrator find Mukesh's house?
Ans. Like a shack. One-half of the house has a thatched roof.
Q. Who is the frail woman?
Ans. Mukesh's elder brother's wife.
Q. Which social evil has been pointed out?
Ans. Early marriage
Q. Who is in charge of the three men?
Ans. Mukesh's sister-in-law
Q. How does Mukesh's sister-in-law look?
Ans. Frail
Q. What does “frail” mean?
Ans. weak
Text:
Explanation of the above text and Question-Answer:
The author has highlighted a custom that is prevailing in poor localities as well as rural areas. The custom is that of veiling the face by a daughter-in-law in front of an elder male-in-law.
Mukesh's father worked first as a tailor and then as a banglemaker. But still, he did not have enough to educate his children. He has only taught them the art of making bangles.
Q. Which custom has been highlighted?
Ans. The custom of veiling in front of an elder male-in-law.
Q. Why does Mukesh's sister-in-law withdraw behind the broken wall?
Ans. Due to the demands of the custom.
Q. Who refers to " impoverished bangle maker"?
Ans. Mukesh's father.
Q. What was Mukesh's father doing before making bangles?
Ans. Tailoring.
Q. What has Mukesh's father failed to do?
Ans. Renovate the house and educate his children.
Q. What has Mukesh's father managed to teach his children?
Ans. The art of making bangles.
Text:
Explanation of the above text and Question-Answer:
"It is his karam, his destiny,"...... These words are spoken by Mukesh's grandmother who appears to have surrendered to the situation. "It is his karam" means it is the fate of Mukesh to be a bangle maker because all of them were born in the caste of bangle makers. She thinks that it is a God-given lineage and it can never be broken. In other words, it is God's wish that they should remain poverty-stricken and do nothing except make bangles. Mukesh's grandmother has seen her husband going blind while working in the glass bangle industry.
Q. What is his 'karam'?
Ans. To be a bangle maker.
Q. What has Mukesh's grandmother watched?
Ans. Her husband who went blind with the dust from polishing the glass of bangles.
Q. What is God-given lineage?
Ans. Born in the caste of bangle makers.
Q. How is the attitude of Mukesh's grandmother towards life?
Ans. Hopelessness
Text:
Born in the caste of bangle makers, they have seen nothing but bangles — in the house, in the yard, in every other house, every other yard, every street in Firozabad. Spirals of bangles — sunny gold, paddy green, royal blue, pink, purple, every colour born out of the seven colours of the rainbow — lie in mounds in unkempt yards, are piled on fourwheeled handcarts, pushed by young men along the narrow lanes of the shanty town. And in dark hutments, next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps, sit boys and girls with their fathers and mothers, welding pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. That is why they often end up losing their eyesight before they become adults.
The people of Firozabad have seen nothing except bangles. One can find nothing but bangles everywhere, in the room, in the yard, on the push carts, pull carts etc.
All the people, including the children, work in front of the flickering light. So their eyes become more adjusted to darkness than to light, and as a result, many lose their eyesight before they become adults.
Q. What does shanty town mean?
Ans. Town of Huts.
Q. Why do many lose their eyesight?
Ans. Due to the dust from polishing the glass of bangles, the darkness of the room and the high temperature.
Q. What is the hazard of working in the glass bangle industry?
Ans. Loss of eyesight.
Text:
Savita, a young girl in a drab pink dress, sits alongside an elderly woman, soldering pieces of glass. As her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine, I wonder if she knows the sanctity of the bangles she helps make. It symbolises an Indian woman’s suhaag, auspiciousness in marriage. It will dawn on her suddenly one day when her head is draped with a red veil, her hands dyed red with henna, and red bangles rolled onto her wrists. She will then become a bride.Explanation of the above text and Question-Answer:
Savita is a small girl, but she has expertise in making bangles. Her hands work as mechanically as the tongs of a machine.
The author explains how sacred and auspicious bangles are i.e. the symbol of suhaag and it is considered to be auspicious to wear bangles on the occasion of marriage.
Savita, possibly, does not know about the sanctity of bangles. She will know herself when her head is covered with red cloth and hands are dyed red with henna, and when she wears bangles. It means when she becomes a bride, only then she will know the sanctity of bangles.
Q. Who is Savita?
Ans. A Young girl.
Q. Savita has become an expert in……….
Ans. Making bangles
Q. What do the bangles symbolise?
Ans. An Indian woman's suhag.
Q. Which literary device has been used in the expression "….her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine."?
Ans. Simile
Q. When will Savita know the sanctity of bangles?
Ans. When she becomes a bride.
Text:
Like the old woman beside her who became one many years ago. She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes. “Ek waqt ser bhar khana bhi nahin khaya,” she says, in a voice drained of joy. She has not enjoyed even one full meal in her entire lifetime — that’s what she has reaped! Her husband, an old man with a flowing beard, says, “I know nothing except bangles. All I have done is make a house for the family to live in.”
Hearing him, one wonders if he has achieved what many have failed in their lifetime. He has a roof over his head!
According to the author, Mukesh's mother still has bangles on her wrist, but she has lost the brightness of her eyes. She says that in her entire life, she has not enjoyed even one full meal.
Mukesh's father expresses to the narrator that he knows nothing except bangles. Moreover, somewhat in a proud manner, he says that all he has done is - got a house constructed. When the narrator hears him, she starts thinking if many have even failed to do it.
Q. How does Mukesh's mother react to the whole situation?
Ans. She expresses that she has not enjoyed even one full meal.
Q. What does Mukesh's father say in a somewhat proud manner?
Ans. He has got a house built.
Q. What does the expression "she still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes" mean?
Ans. Though she is married, her eyes are devoid of happiness
Text:
In every bangle maker's home, there is one regret that they do not have money, and therefore, they cannot change their profession. Whatever the previous generation lamented, the same lament is there in the present generation. The author has called bangle-making mind-numbing toil as for years the bangle makers have been engaged in this work, and therefore, they have lost the power to take initiative and even the ability to dream.
The poor bangle makers have been trapped by the middlemen. This trap is as dangerous as the vicious circle because there is no way out from there.
Q. What is the cry that rings in every home of Firozabad?
Ans. Not having money and inability to do anything except carry on the business of making bangles.
Q. What do the young men echo?
Ans. The lament of their elders for not having enough money to do anything except making bangles.
Q. What "does mind-numbing toil refer to"?
Ans. Bangle making
Q. What has killed all initiative and the ability to dream?
Ans. Mind-numbing toil.
Text:
“Why not organise yourselves into a cooperative?” I ask a group of young men who have fallen into the vicious circle of middlemen who trapped their fathers and forefathers. “Even if we get organised, we are the ones who will be hauled up by the police, beaten and dragged to jail for doing something illegal,” they say. There is no leader among them, no one who could help them see things differently. Their fathers are as tired as they are. They talk endlessly in a spiral that moves from poverty to apathy to greed and to injustice.
The bangle makers of Firozabad cannot even organise themselves into a cooperative because there is a fear that if they do so, they may be arrested by the police, beaten up and put behind bars on false charges. These poor people do not have leaders who can guide and lead them.
The author thinks that the bangle makers have become tired, and exhausted from their work. When they start talking about injustice, poverty, greed and apathy, there is no end.
Q. Why are the bangle makers unable to organise themselves into a cooperative?
Ans. For fear of being arrested by the police, beaten up and put behind bars on false charges.
Q. Who has trapped the bangle makers into the vicious circle?
Ans. The middlemen and sahukars.
Q. What do the bangle makers talk endlessly about?
Ans. Poverty, injustice, apathy and greed of the officials and the middlemen.
Q. Why are the bangle makers unable to rise?
Ans. Lack of any leadership as well as exploitation by the middle man, sahukars, bureaucrats etc.
Text:
Listening to them, I see two distinct worlds— one of the family, caught in a web of poverty, burdened by the stigma of caste in which they are born; the other a vicious circle of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians. Together they have imposed the baggage on the child that he cannot put down. Before he is aware, he accepts it as naturally as his father. To do anything else would mean to dare. And daring is not part of his growing up.
The narrator imagines two distinct worlds, which are entirely different from one another. One is the world of the bangle makers where there is poverty, where there is misery. Another is the world of the middlemen, policemen, politicians, and bureaucrats who have been exploiting them.
According to the author, the burden of poverty and suffering continues. One generation transfers all these to another generation and another carries on the same and again puts on to the next generation and that has been going on and on and on. Further, the author says they cannot do anything else except making bangles because doing anything else means taking a risk, and the poor can not take a risk at all.
Q. What are the two distinct worlds that the author talks about?
Ans. One is the world of the bangle makers and the other that of middlemen, sahukars, bureaucrats, politicians etc.
Q. How do the children react when the baggage is imposed on them?
Ans. They accept as naturally as their fathers and forefathers did.
Q. Which baggage has been referred to here?
Ans. Poverty and carrying on the ancestral profession of bangle-making.
Q. Why can they not dare?
Ans. To do anything apart from making bangles.
Text:
When I sense a flash of it in Mukesh, I am cheered. “I want to be a motor mechanic,’ he repeats. He will go to a garage and learn. But the garage is a long way from his home. “I will walk,” he insists. “Do you also dream of flying a plane?” He is suddenly silent. “No,” he says, staring at the ground. In his small murmur, there is an embarrassment that has not yet turned into regret. He is content to dream of cars that he sees hurtling down the streets of his town. Few airplanes fly over Firozabad.
Explanation of the above text and Question-Answer:
According to the author, she feels happy when she finds a flash in Mukesh to do something else. She is happy when she comes to know that Mukesh has a dream to be a motor mechanic.
Mukesh shows his determination when he tells he will walk a few miles to reach the garage and learn how to drive a car. But he does not have a dream of flying aeroplanes. When the narrator asks if he has a wish to fly an aeroplane, he is a bit embarrassed.
Q. Why does Mukesh suddenly become silent when the narrator asks him if he has a dream of flying a plane?
Ans. He cannot even think about flying planes as he belongs to a poor family of banglemakers.
Q. What does 'murmur' mean?
Ans. Mutter/ whisper
Q. What makes the author cheerful?
Ans. When Mukesh expresses his desire to become a motor mechanic.
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Very good
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