NOTES- LOST SPRING
Chapter 2 Lost Spring Exercise
Q1 :
What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and
where has he come from?
Answer :
Saheb is looking for coins, rupee notes and any other useful objects in the garbage dumps. Saheb is in Seemapuri, a slum area on the outskirts of Delhi. He has come from Dhaka, Banglaesh looking for a source of living after they were uprooted from their native village.
What explanations does the author
offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Answer :
The author comes
across many shoeless rag-picker children in her neighbourhood. According to
her, one explanation of this habit of remaining barefoot is that it is a
tradition among the poor children of this country.
Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.
Answer :
Saheb is not
really happy working at the tea-stall because working for a master meant
sacrificing his freedom and his "carefree look". Even though the job
at the tea-stall pays him 800 rupees and all his meals, he seems less contented
than before.
Q1 :
How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Answer :
Mukesh
was different from the others of his community. By daring to dream, he has
already taken the first step towards a big change. He wants to become a motor
mechanic and drive a car. He can realise this dream with determination and hard
work. There might be many obstacles on his way but a strong willpower will help
him move towards the way to success. The fact that he is willing to walk a long
distance in order to learn the vocation, underlines his firm resolve.
What makes the city of Firozabad
famous?
Answer :
Firozabad is famous for its glass bangles. The
place is the centre of India's glass-blowing industry.
Q3 :
What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from
villages to cities?
Answer :
There are many factors that cause
migration of people from villages to cities. Some villagers voluntarily move to
the cities in search for jobs and better civic and health facilities, etc.
Others are forced to migrate when natural disasters like flood, storm, drought,
famine, etc. destroy their houses and properties. History has records of large
scale migrations caused by wars.
Q4 :
Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely
kept? Why do you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?
Answer :
Yes, the promises made to poor children are seldom kept. Often, they are not taken seriously or have been made on the pretext of retaining a child's fancy for something. This keeps the child hoping for a better possibility till he/she realises the truth. Once, while interacting with Saheb, the narrator ends up encouraging him to study and jokingly talks about opening a school herself. At that time she fails to realise that unknowingly she has sown a seed of hope in Saheb's heart. She becomes conscious of her mistake when, after a few days, Saheb approaches her, enquiring about her school.
Q5 :
Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Answer :
The impoverished workers in the
glass bangles industry toil in potentially hazardous working conditions while
welding. The furnaces they work in have extremely high temperature and lack
proper ventilation. Persistently working in low light conditions, without any
protective eye gear, leaves them blind. Even burns and cuts are quite common.
The workers are quite prone to ailments such as lung cancer.
Q6 :
What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of
Firozabad in poverty?
Answer :
The unfavourable social and legal systems, the
deceptive middlemen, and their own sad destinies keep the workers in the bangle
industry of Firozabad in perpetual poverty.
Q7 :
How is Mukesh's attitude to his situation different from that of
his family?
Answer :
Mukesh belongs to
a family of glass bangle makers in Firozabad. Even though the children of such
families usually carry on their family profession, Mukesh wants to be a motor
mechanic and drive a car. Unlike his family members, and others of his
community, he has dared to dream. His grandmother's words about the unbreakable
lineage represent the attitude they have towards their situation in life. They
believe that it is their destiny to toil as bangle makers. But Mukesh dreams of
a better and safer career.
Q8 :
Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Answer : Child labour should be eliminated because the children employed at tender age as domestic servants, dish-washers at road-side dhabas and in hazardous industries making glass bangles, crackers etc. lose the charm of the spring of their life. Their childhood is stolen. 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 government agencies, NGOs (Non-Government Organisations), co-operative societies and political leaders.
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