Character Sketch of Saheb-e-Alam

• Hopeful - Scrounges for gold in garbage dumps,

always hoping to find something valuable.
• Ironically Named - His name means 'Lord of the
universe,' contrasting with his life as a rag-
picker.
• Deprived - Lives in poverty without access to
basic amenities like sewage, drainage, and
running water.
 Carefree to Burdened - Transitions from a
carefree rag-picker to an unhappy worker at a
tea stall.
• Rootless - Has no identity other than a ration
card, symbolic of the marginalized existence of
his community.
Saheb-e-Alam is a rag-picker from Seemapuri whose
parents migrated from Bangladesh in 1971.
Encountered by the writer every morning, he is
seen scrounging for 'gold' in the garbage dumps,
symbolizing the hope and desperation of the
impoverished. Despite being unable to attend
school due to the lack of facilities, Saheb remains
hopeful, searching through garbage in the hope of
finding something valuable.
His name, Saheb-e-Alam, meaning 'Lord of the
universe,' stands in stark irony against his reality of
poverty and hardship. The rag-pickers of Seemapuri,
like Saheb, live in squalor, their lives dictated by the
slim chances of finding something worthwhile in the
trash. They have no identity except for a ration
card, which serves as their only means of voting and
buying grain.
Saheb's transition from a carefree rag-picker to a
worker at a tea stall signifies a loss of freedom. Now
burdened with a steel canister, he no longer
possesses the carefree look of his early days and is
unhappy with his new role because he is no longer
his own master. Saheb's story is one of hope amid
deprivation, highlighting the ironies and harsh
realities faced by the marginalized.
Character Sketch of Mukesh
• Dreamer - Aspires to become a motor
mechanic, dreaming beyond the constraints of
his community.
• Prideful - Takes pride in his small, overcrowded
house and its ongoing renovations.
• Determined - Unwavering in his pursuit of a
better future, despite limited resources.
• Practical - Grounded in reality, he knows
becoming a pilot is impractical and focuses on
achievable
• goals.
• Resilient - Willing to work hard to change his
circumstances, embodying hope and courage.
• Mukesh is a young boy from Firozabad, a city
known for its glass-blowing industry. Unlike
many residents resigned to a life of bangle-
making and poverty, Mukesh dares to dream of
a different future. Living in a small,
overcrowded house with his grandparents,
elder brother, and sister-in-law, Mukesh takes
pride in the ongoing renovations, reflecting his
aspirations for improvement.
• In a community where bangle-making is
considered destiny, Mukesh stands out with his
unconventional dream of becoming a motor
mechanic, inspired by the cars passing through
his town. His determination is unwavering, even
as he works alongside his father in the glass
furnaces to support his family. Mukesh's
aspirations are realistic; when asked about
becoming a pilot, he feels embarrassed,
recognizing its impracticality and instead
focuses on achievable goals.
• Mukesh's practical approach, self-awareness,
and determination highlight his resilience and
the courage to envision a better future. His
willingness to work hard and his resolve to
change his circumstances set him apart,
embodying the hope and resilience needed to
dream big even in challenging situations.
Key Points of the Story
• The Lost Spring summary describes the
terrible condition of poor children.
• These children are those who didn't get to
enjoy childhood because of the prevailing socio-
economic conditions in this world.
This is something that one can see all over the
world.
• These children don't have the opportunity for
schooling.
• Moreover, there is a lot of pressure on these
children to enter into labor early in life.
• These unfortunate children are forced into
labor.
• This certainly denies them education as well
as the opportunity to have enjoyment.
• The author Anees Jung raises voice to
eliminate child labor.
• Jung does so by raising awareness regarding
child education and strict law enforcement
against child labor.
• The call is to put an end to the exploitation of
children.
• This way, the children will be able to enjoy the
days of the spring and have fun.

Detailed Summary
The first part tells the author's impressions
regarding the life of poor rag pickers. The rag
pickers have come from Dhaka. Furthermore,
the rag pickers are settled in the area of
Seemapuri. Destruction has come in their fields
and homes due to the storms. They had come
to the big city in the hope of finding living there.
However, the reality was, in fact, painful for
them, and they had to face many hardships.
They are certainly poor and lack various
resources.
The writer watches Saheb every morning as he
scrounges for "gold" in the neighborhood. The
means of survival for these rag pickers is the
garbage. Furthermore, for the children, it is a
wondrous thing. The children are able to find a
coin or two from it. These people have
ambitions and desires. The problem is that they
do not know how to make them possible. There
are quite a few things that they are unable to
reach.
Later, Saheb joins a tea stall where there is a
possibility for him to earn 800 Rupees and all
the meals. However, this job has deprived him
of his freedom. As such, their condition is pretty
hopeless and full of misery.
The second part explores Mukesh's life. Mukesh
is a boy who belongs to the Bangle-makers'
family. Firozabad is famous for its amazing
glass-blowing industry. There is an engagement
of nearly 20,000 children in this particular
business. Furthermore, no one over there
understands or respects the law that forbids
child labor. Moreover, the living conditions, as
well as the working environment, are both
horrendous. These children live in dreary cells.
Also, they work close to hot furnaces. This is
certainly very dangerous as it makes these
children blind when they enter adulthood.
Furthermore, these children have to deal with
the pressure of debt. Moreover, they are
unable to think of a solution to solve this
problem. There is no way for these children to
come out of this trap.
The policemen, bureaucrats, middlemen, and
politicians will all hinder their way of progress.
The women in the household consider it to be
their destiny or fate. As a result of such
thinking, they just follow the established
tradition. There is something different about
Mukesh. He is not like the rest of the folk there.
This is because Mukesh has big dreams. He has
a desire to become a motor mechanic in the
future. The garage is far away from where he
lives, but he has the determination to walk.
Summary: Poem - Aunt Jennifer's Tiger
Key Points of the Poem
• In the poem a woman expresses her deep feeling
through her art. She (Aunt Jennifer) is prey of male
dominant society.
• Also, there is no one with whom she can share her
physical pain.
• So she makes a picture to describe her deep
feelings.
• Moreover, the narrator defines the tigers which
her aunt made on the panel.
• Like their motion and movements and their
magnificence and fearlessness.
• Further, there are men sitting under the tree but
the tigers don't.
• Besides, now Jennifer finds it difficult to take
pictures by using ivory needles.
• Also, after marriage, she became weary of doing
household work.
• Now she can't involve herself in artistic work
instead she has to do it in leisure time.
• She is scared of her husband but her art expresses
her desire to move fearlessly and proudly like tigers.

Detailed Summary
In this poem, the poet depicts Aunt Jennifer, who is
engaged in embroidery work, possibly creating a
wall hanging or a tablecloth adorned with vibrant
tigers charging through a lush forest. The poet
highlights the tigers' striking appearance against the
forest's green backdrop, akin to topazes gleaming
bright yellow. These tigers are undaunted by the
presence of men, displaying a contrasting
fearlessness compared to Aunt Jennifer. While her
embroidered tigers exude fierceness, she herself
lives in fear of her husband. The poet underscores
Aunt Jennifer's apprehension of her husband, as her
trembling fingers while embroidering stem from his
disapproval of her hobby. This disapproval
complicates her needlework. Aunt Jennifer's
wedding ring, given to her on her wedding day, is
regarded as a heavy burden, symbolizing the pain
she endures due to her husband's mistreatment.
This association between the ring and her suffering
alludes to her husband's dominating behavior.
In the final part of the poem, the poet
acknowledges that Aunt Jennifer's embroidered
tigers reflect her longing for freedom and
fearlessness. Yet, the poet laments that such
freedom is unattainable during her lifetime. Only in
death will she find liberation, albeit still bound by
the metaphorical chains of her
husband's wedding ring. This ring serves as a lasting
reminder of the hardships she endured. In contrast,
Aunt Jennifer's embroidered tigers will forever
symbolize her desire for a fearless existence, boldly
leaping on the cloth.
Conclusion
By Aunt Jennifer's Tigers summary, the poet wants
to represent the life of a woman who has to live
under a constant fear from her husband. Also, she
will only get freedom when she will die.
Literary Devices
• Metaphor: It is a literary device which is used to
make a comparison between two things that aren't
alike but do have something in common. e.g.
"Bright topaz denizens” (tigers are compared with
Bright topaz because of their elegant colour).
• Alliteration: It is the occurrence of the same
sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely
connected words.e.g. "finger fluttering", "prancing,
proud".
• Symbolism: It is the use of symbols to represent
ideas or qualities. e.g. "Bright topaz denizens"
represents tigers' elegant colours, "massive weight
of Uncle's wedding band" represent male
domination, "tigers" represent her hidden desires.
Personification: It is the attribution of human
characteristics to animals and non-human things.
e.g. "chivalric" is a word which was used for knights
in medieval times. But here, it is used for the tigers.
• Hyperbole: It is an exaggerated statement. e.g.
“massive weight of Uncle's wedding band sits
heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand." The weight of
wedding band cannot be heavy. But it symbolises
mental trauma of marriage.
• Transferred Epithet: It is a poetic device in which
adjective is transferred from the noun it is meant to
describe to another noun in the sentence. e.g.
“terrified hands” refer to Aunt Jennifer who
herself is terrified.
• Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence
or clause across a line break. e.g. “The massive
weight of Uncle's wedding band Sits heavily upon
Aunt Jennifer's hand."

THE THIRD LEVEL

 KEY POINTS
 Charley, an ordinary man, discovers a
mysterious third level at Grand Central
Station.
• He finds himself transported back in time to
the year 1894.
• Charley encounters a vintage scene with
people dressed in 1890s attire and using old-
style currency
• He receives a letter from his psychiatrist
friend, Sam, who has also traveled back to
1894 and invites Charley to join him in
Galesburg, Illinois.
• Sam, who was Charley's psychiatrist in
present time, has chosen to stay in the past.
Theme
In this story, the theme revolves around the
concept of escapism and nostalgia. Charley's
discovery of the third level at Grand Central
Station symbolizes his desire to escape the
complexities and challenges of the modern world.
The allure of a simpler, peaceful past represented
by the year 1894 in Galesburg, Illinois, highlights
the theme of nostalgia for a bygone era.
Message
The message conveyed is the importance of
facing and embracing reality rather than seeking
to escape from it. While the idea of escaping to a
simpler time may be tempting, the story
ultimately suggests that true fulfillment and
growth come from confronting and engaging with
the present rather than retreating into the past.

Detailed Summary
Once upon a time, there was a man named Charley
who worked late at the office one summer night. He
wanted to go home to his wife, Louisa, and decided to
take the subway from Grand Central Station. Charley, a
regular guy in a tan suit and straw hat, found himself
on a strange adventure he never expected.
As Charley navigated through Grand Central Station,
he descended to the first and second levels, familiar
with the hustle and bustle of the place. However, when
he attempted to head for the subway, he got lost in the
maze-like corridors of the station. This wasn't his first
time getting lost in Grand Central; he had previously
stumbled upon new passageways and exits within the
station.
Following a corridor that sloped down and veered left,
Charley found himself in a peculiar situation. He
entered the third level of Grand Central Station, but it
wasn't the modern station he knew. This level was a
glimpse into the past, a scene from the late 1800s. The
atmosphere was different, with gaslights flickering,
people dressed in old-fashioned attire, and a general
sense of antiquity.
Charley was astonished by what he saw: men in derby
hats, women in vintage dresses, and even an old
locomotive on the tracks. Everything around him
indicated that he had traveled back in time to the year
1894. Despite his initial disbelief, the sights and
sounds confirmed that he was indeed in a different
era. In this surreal setting, Charley attempted to
purchase train tickets to Galesburg, Illinois, a town he
knew well. However, his attempt was met with
suspicion and confusion by the ticket clerk, who
noticed the unusual currency Charley presented. The
old-style bills and the clerk's reaction made Charley
realize the gravity of his situation, and he swiftly left
the third level, back to his own time.
The experience didn't end there for Charley. He
discovered a mysterious envelope among his stamp
collection, a first-day cover postmarked from 1894
and addressed to his grandfather in Galesburg. The
contents of the letter inside revealed that someone
close to him, Sam Weiner, had also found the third
level at Grand Central Station and was living in the
past.
Sam, who had taken on a new life in 1894, had left
behind his career as a psychiatrist and embraced a
simpler existence in Galesburg. Charley's realization of
Sam's departure and the evidence found in the letter
sparked a sense of wonder and curiosity in him and
Louisa. They began searching for the elusive third
level, driven by the belief that it still existed and held
the promise of a different reality.
The story of Charley s unexpected journey through
time, the aiscovery of the third level, and the mystery
surrounding Sam's disappearance painted a picture of
escapism and longing for a simpler, peaceful existence.
As Charley and Louisa embarked on their quest to find
the third level, the boundaries between past and
present blurred, leaving them with a sense of
anticipation and wonder about what they might
discover.