The irony lies in the meaning of his name itself. According to his name, he should be a king and enjoy all the luxuries of life. But unfortunately, he is a barefoot ragpicker, who lacks even the basic necessities.

Question - 32 : -
‘It is his karam, his destiny’. Explain.

Answer - 32 : -

Mukesh’s grandmother believes in destiny. She believes that they cannot escape from the God-given lineage. It is their destiny to suffer like this. They were born in the caste of bangle-makers and will always be one, for they do not have any control over their destiny.

Question - 33 : -
Describe the difficulties the bangle makers of Firozabad have to face in their lives.

Answer - 33 : -

The bangle makers of Firozabad are exposed to multiple health hazards while working. Many of them are children who work near hot furnaces during daylight, often losing their eyesight before adulthood. Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to even think of taking up another profession.

They are not able to organize themselves into a cooperative due to bullying and exploitation by the politicians, authorities, moneylenders and middlemen. They live in stinking lanes choked with garbage, having homes with crumbling walls, wobbly doors, no windows, overcrowded with families of humans and animals coexisting in a primeval state. They have not even enjoyed even one full meal in their entire lifetime because of their poverty.

Question - 34 : -
How is Mukesh’s attitude towards his situation different from that of Saheb? Why?

Answer - 34 : -

Mukesh belongs to a bangle-making family, but he is not content with this profession. He dares to dream of becoming a motor mechanic and driving cars. He has strong will power and wants to achieve what he dreams about, unlike other people in his family. In contrast to this, Saheb is a rag picker who is content with his life, but becomes unhappy when he gets a job at a tea stall, even though now he is probably earning more and on a regular basis.

Saheb is unhappy because he has lost his independence, which he had as a rag picker. However, Saheb accepts his new situation, whereas Mukesh dares to want to break free from tradition. This is because Mukesh is more courageous and determined than Saheb will ever be.

Question - 35 : -
Give a brief account of life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri.

Answer - 35 : -

Seemapuri is a slum area located on the periphery of Delhi. Most of the residents of Seemapuri consist of people who are refugees from Bangladesh. Saheb’s family is among them. The area consists of mud structures, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. It does not have facilities of sewage, drainage or running water.About 10000 rag pickers live here.

Their only means of livelihood is finding saleable items from rubbish. Thus, for them, the rubbish is as valuable as gold, for their survival depends on these. These rag pickers have lived here for more than thirty years without any identity. They do not have permits but have ration cards, thanks to the selfish whims and wishes of the politicians. With these they can get their name on the voter’s lists and also buy grains for themselves at a subsidized rate.

Question - 36 : -
‘Lost Spring’ explains the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn thousands of people to a life of abject poverty. Do you agree? Why/why not?

Answer - 36 : -

Yes, I do agree that ‘Lost Spring’ narrates the grinding poverty and traditions to which thousands of people have succumbed. The story written by Anees Jung revolves around the pitiable condition of poor children who have been forced to live in slums and work hard in dirty conditions. The first part tells the writer’s impression about the life of poor ragpickers who have migrated from Bangladesh but now are settled in the Seemapuri area of Delhi.

The second part narrates the miserable life of the bangle-makers in Firozabad. The stark reality of these families is that, in spite of back-breaking hard work that they put in, they cannot even afford two square meals a day. Besides, false and blind belief in traditions does not let their children take up other respectable and better paying jobs which will improve their financial situation.

Question - 37 : -
The bangle-makers of Firozabad make beautiful bangles and make everyone happy but they live and die in squalor. Elaborate.

Answer - 37 : -

Firozabad is the center of India’s glass-blowing industry. Families have spent generations in this business, making beautiful bangles of all hues and colors. But their own life is steeped in filth and misery. People work round the clock in glass furnaces at high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light.

These workers are exposed to health hazards. They often end up losing their eyesight. Moreover, they are stuck in a vicious circle of exploitation. Even if they try to form a cooperative, they are beaten up and jailed for doing something illegal. They live in filthy homes in lanes choked with garbage. In such conditions, families of humans and animals exist together in a primeval state. Thus, the bangle-makers of Firozabad make beautiful bangles but live and die in squalor.

Question - 38 : -
“Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi, yet miles away from it, metaphorically.” Explain.

Answer - 38 : -

Seemapuri is a place on the outskirts of Delhi where 10000 ragpickers and their families live. The people living there are squatters who migrated from Bangladesh in 1971. The ragpickers live in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water.No one can imagine that such a place exists on the periphery of Delhi, the capital of India. It stands in stark contrast to the metropolitan city of Delhi.

The main city of Delhi, and Seemapuri at its periphery, provide an exemplary case of contradiction. In Delhi there is luxury and affluence, there are a host of opportunities and dreams, and in Seemapuri there is squalor, hopelessness and despair. There is no chance for the inhabitants of this area to strive towards the attainment of the prospects offered by Delhi. Thus, although Seemapuri is located at the periphery of Delhi, in the real sense, Delhi is as far as miles away from it.

Question - 39 : -
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 - 39 : -

It often happens that promises made to poor children are rarely kept. It is mostly the people belonging to affluent classes who indulge in making false promises to innocent children.These promises act as a bait in some cases. In others, they are meant to avoid these children because they are regarded as a nuisance by most people.

When the author, Anees Jung, asks Saheb about school, his matter-of-fact reply that there is no school in his area forces her to say casually that she will build one. What the author does not realise at the moment is the fact that the innocent child has taken it rather seriously. When he questions her again about the school, though she feels embarrassed at her false promise, it has left a deep impact on the child. Later in life, Saheb may never actually believe the promises made by people.

Question - 40 : -
‘Saheb is no longer his own master.’ Comment.

Answer - 40 : -

Grinding poverty and the necessity for a life of subsistence have involved Saheb, in ragpicking. Rummaging through garbage does not provide him with a regular income but gives him freedom. He has all the liberty in the world to roam with his friends in the streets without any worries to bother him.

Also, he can hunt for ‘gold’ in the garbage dumps. It provides him a hope and a thrill everyday in the form of a rupee or a ten-rupee note. So, he looks forward to it. The job he takes up at a tea stall is one of his’ attempts to become his own master. Ironically this further enslaves him. He is now not free to roam aimlessly in the streets. His new occupation binds him to serve somebody else.

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