Summary of Lost Spring

‘Lost Spring’ is a portrayal of how poverty affects childhood. The writer,

Anees Jung, has focused on children living in slums under inhuman
conditions that affect not only their childhood but also their future as
adults. This leads to further deterioration of their subsequent generations.
The narrative talks about two boys, Saheb and Mukesh, who dream about
becoming something better in life or achieving basic human rights like
education. But the writer also shows how the society around them is full of
forces that only try to preserve and prolong their present conditions.

Sometimes I Find a Rupee in the Garbage’

The narrator talks about a boy named Saheb. He is a ragpicker whom the
narrator sees every morning. She talks to him and finds out that he came
from Dhaka long back when, according to his mother, his house was
swept away by storms. That was the reason why his family had come here
to earn a living. The narrator asks him to join a school, but he replies that
there is no school in his neighbourhood. The narrator promises him that
she will start a school, and he is welcome there. Saheb’s face lights up. A
few days later, Saheb comes up to the narrator, asking her if her school is
ready. The narrator realises that promises like these are made to children
like Saheb all the time, and they are never kept.

The narrator goes on to talk about how children in extreme poverty live
and what the conditions surrounding them are like. She talks about how
children walk barefoot on the streets, and the excuse given for this is that
it’s a tradition to walk barefoot. She thinks that more than tradition, it
might be an excuse to justify a continuous state of poverty. She
remembers another incident where a man from Udipi told her that he
used to pray for a pair of shoes at a temple in his childhood. Thirty years
later, when the narrator visited the temple and the town, she could see a
little boy walking in his shoes. Their prayers were answered.

To give us a background of Saheb, the narrator talks about Seemapuri – a

place near Delhi where the ragpickers who came from Bangladesh in 1971
settled down. They have not been given any identities or permits. Only
ration cards are given to them that help them eat food and vote for
politicians. They are deprived of any other rights. Over the years,
ragpicking has become an art for them. To a child like Saheb, finding a
rupee or a ten rupee note is a big achievement. One day, she sees Saheb
wearing a pair of tennis shoes. One of them had a hole in it, and it did not
seem to bother him because it was a dream come true for a child who had
always walked barefoot.

Later, the narrator sees Saheb with a steel canister in his hand. She learns
that he has started working at a tea stall recently and is paid 800 rupees
in addition to daily meals. When asked if he was happy with his new job,
Saheb looked downcast. He was working under someone, and his freedom
was taken away from him. He no longer had a carefree attitude, and the
steel canister seemed heavier than the plastic bag that he used to carry
for ragpicking.

‘I Want to Drive a Car’

This excerpt is about the fate of bangle makers in Firozabad. The author
portrays the kind of poverty that looms over the houses and streets of
bangle makers in this town. Mukesh, a young boy from Firozabad takes
the narrator to his house, where she discovers the grim conditions under
which the people work — around furnaces with high temperatures without
proper air or light. They do not know that it is illegal for children to be
working under these kinds of conditions.

The narrator observes that bangle-making is done by people belonging to

a particular caste specialising in it. The art has been passed down from
parents to their children for generations. Even after the whole family
worked at the bangle factory, they remained poor. Mukesh’s family was
not able to build a proper house yet. The same is the fate of other people
living in this area. The sorrow and desperation of being unable to feed
themselves even three proper meals daily reduced their courage to fight
against the situation.

When asked why they cannot form a cooperative to improve their living
conditions, they said they fear being beaten and hauled away by the
police for doing something illegal. Their fathers and forefathers were
trapped by middlemen. The younger generations are still paying the price
for that. The bangle makers are downtrodden due to the poverty and
stigma of their caste. The narrator points out the presence of a vicious
circle here: The involvement of sahukars, policemen and middleman who
do not let these people rise up in society.

Therefore no one dares to break away from this line of the profession,
from this tragic world of poverty and suppression. Mukesh dreams of
being a motor mechanic, and the narrator sees a flash of rebellion in his
eyes. She asked him if he would like to be a pilot someday. Mukesh
seemed embarrassed and replied that he was happy dreaming about
being a motor mechanic. Flying a plane was a dream beyond his reach.

Conclusion of Lost Spring

The lost spring summary shows how we humans create a vicious circle of
suppression and torture for our fellow human beings that leads to a social
and economic imbalance in society. While one class of human beings get
to enjoy the benefits of human rights and identity, another class of human
beings is subjected to fear of entrapment and punishment with the
wrongful use of socioeconomic politics. The most affected victims of these
processes are innocent children who miss out on their rights as human
beings, when they are employed before they come of age or are deprived
of basic needs such as education, clothes, shelter and food. These
children lead to another generation of impoverished and illiterate children
— a vicious circle that keeps continuing till they are obliged to accept that
it’s their fate.

What is the main theme of Lost Spring?

Lost spring talks about the Illegal and unhealthy socioeconomic politics
that keep children living in poor societies from improving their conditions
and moving up the societal ladder.

What are the two worlds in Lost Spring?

The author talks about two worlds the children living in poverty have to
deal with. One is the world of poverty and the stigma of their caste as a
lower rank in society. The other is a vicious circle which is managed by
sahukars, middlemen and policemen who work in various ways to stop
them from moving upward in society.
What is the moral of the story The Lost Spring?
The message is to put an end to child exploitation and allow all children to enjoy the
joys of spring. Note: Anees Jung depicted two stories in 'Lost Spring,' both of which
depict grinding poverty, pitiable living conditions, and other traditions that condemn
children to a life of exploitation.

What contrast do you notice between the colours of the bangles

and the atmosphere of the place where these bangles are made?
Ans. The bangles are of every colour out of the seven colours of the
rainbow. These are sunny gold, paddy green, royal blue, pink and purple.
Boys and girls work in dark hutments, next to the flickering flames of oil
lamps around furnaces, blowing glass, welding and soldering it to make
bangles. The contrast is dark and dismal

What are the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?

Ans. Boys and girls with their fathers and mothers sit in dark hutments,
next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps. They weld pieces of coloured
glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than
to the light outside. They often end up losing eyesight before they become
adults. Even the dust from polishing the glass of bangles is injurious to the
eyes. Many workers have become blind. The furnaces have a very high
temperature and are therefore, very dangerous.

How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?

Ans. Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad. Most of the
young men of Firozabad have no initiative or ability to dream, but Mukesh
is an exception. He has the capacity to take courage and break from the
traditional family occupation. He has strong will power also. He does not
want to be a pawn in the hands of the middlemen or moneylenders. He
insists on being his own master by becoming a motor mechanic.
He can realise his dream by joining a garage and learn the job of repairing
cars and driving them. He will have to overcome many hurdles before he
succeeds. Then comes transport problem. Money is the first one. He will
have to earn some money himself. The garage is a long way from his
home. He will have to cover it twice everyday anyhow—by walking on
foot.
Patience, hard work, firm resolve and the determination to learn will help
him realise his dream.

Why should child labour be eliminated and how?

Ans. Child labour should be eliminated because the children employed at
a tender age as domestic servants, dish-washers at road-side dhabas and
in hazardous industries making glass bangles, biris, crackers etc. lose the
charm of the spring of their lives. Their childhood is stolen from them.
Burdened by the responsibility of work, they become adults too soon. Most
of them are undernourished, ill-fed, uneducated, and poor. They have a
stunted growth.
Child labour can be eliminated only through concerted efforts on the part
of the government agencies, NGOs (Non-Government Organisations), co-
operative societies and political leaders. Mere passing of laws will not
help. Laws should be enacted faithfully. The children thrown out of work
should be rehabilitated and given proper food, clothes, education and
pocket money. Their feelings, thoughts and emotions should be respected.
Let them enjoy sunshine and fresh air and have a normal childhood.

What impression do you form about Mukesh ‘s family on having a

glimpse of their ‘house?’
Ans. Mukesh’s house is a half built shack with a wobbly door. One part of
it is thatched with dead grass. There is a firewood stove. Spinach leaves
are sizzling in a large vessel. More chopped vegetables lie on aluminium
platters. The eyes of the frail young woman are filled with smoke, but she
smiles. The scene depicts their grinding poverty but contentment with
their lot.

.What are the dreams of the poor like ‘Saheb-e-Alam’ and

Mukesh? Could these be realised? What is the reality of the
situation?
Ans. Poor rag-pickers like Saheb spend the early years of their lives
looking for gold in garbage dumps. The parents of these street children
have no fixed income. They wage war against poverty and hunger. They
have no dreams except finding the means of survival. Garbage to them is
gold. It is the source of their daily bread and provides a roof over their
heads. He ends up as a servant at a tea-stall and loses his freedom.
Mukesh, the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad, has a dream of
becoming a motor mechanic. He wants to learn to drive a car. He thinks of
joining a garage to fulfil his dream. He knows that the garage is far away,
yet he has decided to walk. He realises the reality and is willing to
overcome the obstacles. His daring to rise and decision to get free from
the trap laid by vicious moneylenders and middle men arouses a sense of
hope. Deprived of education, proper food and upbringing, these children
are forced into labour early in life.

Firozabad presents a strange paradox. Contrast the beauty of the

glass bangles of Firozabad with the misery of the people who
produce them.
Ans. Firozabad, the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry, is famous for
its bangles. Spirals of bangles of various colours can be seen lying in
mounds in yards or piled on four wheeled push carts. These bangles have
shining bright colours: sunny gold, paddy green, royal blue, pink, purple-in
fact, every colour born out of the seven colours of the rainbow.
The banglemakers lead a miserable life. They know no other work than
bangle making. They have neither courage nor money to start another
trade or job. they have spent generations in the clutches of middle men
and moneylenders. Extreme poverty forces them to remain hungry and
yet work all day. The elderly woman, who works with Savita, has not
enjoyed even one full meal in her entire lifetime. Her husband has made a
house for the family to live in. He has achieved what many have failed in
their lifetime. Mukesh’s father has failed to renovate a house or send his
two sons to school. Young boys are as tired as their fathers. Their work at
hot furnaces makes them blind prematurely.