Chapter 2 Lost Spring Solutions
Question - 11 : - Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Answer - 11 : -
It is tedious and unhealthy to do working under unhygenic conditions in the glass bangles industry. They have to work on the furnaces with high temperature, in dark cells without air and light. Moreover they have to inhale suspended particles of the material used for making bangles. Working with continuous hours throughout the day and night under such dreary conditions is too hazardous for the health especially for the lungs and eyes. A large number of children working there are forced to lose their brightness of childhood even.
Question - 12 : - Why should child labour be eliminated and how ?
Answer - 12 : -
Child labour is a curse on humanity and civilisation. But unfortunately it has been prevalent in developed, underdeveloped or undeveloped countries since times immemorial. Not to speak of countries like India, at one time or another it has been prevalent in countries like England a few centuries ago.
But fortunately now more and more countries are passing laws to eliminate this menace. The worst part is that child labour has been exploited to a great extent because labour laws were not applicable on them. Moreover the poor and helpless children had been working off the record, without any protection provided in the labour laws.
For too long a period and even now to some extent, in many industries in India child labour was employed to do various unskilled jobs. Child labour was engaged in carpet making, ‘beedi’- making, bangles-making and in so many other industries. Now in most of the countries, including India, child labour has been banned by law. But still there are many kinds of industries where child-labour is engaged.
I think child-labour can be abolished not merely by imposing laws, but also to make the people realise that it is against humanity. A child is supposed to go to school and develop as a good and useful member of the society. But even this awareness is not enough. We have to realise why a child is forced to do menial jobs. It is because of poverty. So, not only education of such children should be free, but they should be provided with other stipends and scholarships also. In any case, they should not be deprived of studying and become worthy of earning when they grow up.
Question - 13 : - What did garbage mean to the children of Seemapuri and to their parents?
Answer - 13 : -
Or
In what sense is garbage gold to the rag pickers?
Or
‘Garbage to them is gold.’ Why does the author say so about the rag pickers?
Answer
Garbage means ‘gold’ to the poor rag pickers because some of it can be sold for cash, thus becoming a means of survival for the children of Seemapuri and for their parents. It is providing them their daily bread and a roof over , their heads.
What does Saheb look for in the garbage dumps?
Answer - 14 : -
Or
What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
Answer
In the garbage dumps, Saheb looks for useful items which can be sold for cash. As these items can be traded for money, they are just like ‘gold’ for him. Saheb and his family live in Seemapuri, a slum on the periphery of Delhi. His family had migrated from Bangladesh.
“It is his karam, his destiny.” What is Mukesh’s family’s attitude towards their situation?
Answer - 15 : -
Or
How is Mukesh different from the other bangle-makers of Firozabad ?
Or
How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Answer
Mukesh’s grandmother says this, as she believes in destiny, meaning that their family cannot escape from their God-given lineage of bangle-makers and will remain bangle-makers, continuing to suffer. But Mukesh has the courage to dream of becoming a motor mechanic, thus breaking free from destiny.
How was Saheb’s life at the tea stall?
Answer - 16 : -
Or
What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy?
Or
Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall? Explain.
Answer
Saheb took up the job of performing odd jobs at a tea stall, but was unhappy because he was tied down by the work he had to do, thus losing his independence, which he had earlier as a rag picker.
Describe Mukesh as an ambitious person.
Answer - 17 : -
Mukesh is an ambitious person because he wants to become a motor mechanic by breaking free from the vicious web of generations of families being involved in bangle-making. He has the courage to dream of becoming a motor mechanic, thus breaking free from destiny.
Question - 18 : - What kind of gold did the people of Seemapuri look for in the garbage? (Lost Spring)
Answer - 18 : -
The people of Seemapuri look for items in the garbage which can be traded for money, meaning ‘gold’, as it helps them earn their daily bread and have a roof over their heads. For a child, garbage may mean something wrapped in wonder, whereas for the elders it is a means of survival.
Question - 19 : - Why had the ragpickers come to live in Seemapuri?
Answer - 19 : -
Or
To which country did Saheb’s parents originally belong? Why did they come to India?
Or
Why did Saheb’s parents leave Dhaka and migrate to India?
Answer
Question - 20 : - Whom does Anees Jung blame for the sorry plight of the bangle-makers?
Answer - 20 : -
Anees Jung blames the vicious circle of the sahukars (moneylenders), middlemen,
policemen, bureaucrats and politicians for the sorry plight of the bangle-makers. They don’t allow the bangle-makers to organise themselves into a cooperative.