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Lost Spring (Stories of Stolen
Childhood)
By: Anees Jung
Lesson No. 2 _Mod. 2 of 2_Flamingo Class XII English Core
Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood
Introduction
This chapter is divided into two parts.
The first part describes the plight of the poor rag pickers of Seemapuri.
The Second part describes the miserable conditions of the bangle-makers
of Firozabad.
First hand experience with poverty and traditions prevailing in some parts
of India.
The Title: Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood
The story, “Lost Spring” describes the pitiable condition of poor children
Characters
Mukesh- belongs to a family of bangle-makers. Dreams of breaking away
from tradition and becoming a motor mechanic.
The Narrator-Anees Jung is a social worker
I Want to Drive a Car
The story begins with an interaction with Mukesh
Mukesh insists on being a Motor Mechanic
So Anees (Author) asks him if he knows anything about cars
Mukesh replies no but he wants to learn to drive a car
the author feels that his dream is like a Mirage
The interaction engages readers
question arises in the minds of readers
‘why she finds the dream of Mukesh as a Mirage?’
Why the Dream is a Mirage?
Why the author felt so is because:
every second family engaged in the business of bangle making
Firozabad - the centre of India's glass blowing industry
generations after generations have been involved in this business
the children are involved in the bangle making industry
it is illegal for children to work in a glass furnaces with high temperatures
in dingy cells without air and light
In such conditions Mukesh’s dream to be a motor mechanic is mirage for author.
if the Law is in Force
The Author touches the issue of law
if the law is enforced almost 20000 children would be out of the hot
furnaces
where they work day and night often losing the brightness of their eyes
Author’s Visit to Mukesh’s House
Mukesh volunteers to take the author home as his house is being rebuilt
walk down stinking lanes choked with garbage
houses are small and dirty constructions with wobbly doors with no windows
families of humans and animals coexist in a primitive state
they enter a half built Shack
one part of which is attached with dead grass
Here the author depicts a woman’s plight in a bangle makers’ family
a frail young woman is cooking the evening meal for the whole family
she is the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother
not much older in years but she has a respect of a bahu
she veils her face when Mukesh’s father enters
Hard work of Mukesh’s Father
The Author Contemplates over the hard work of Mukesh’s Father
Mukesh’s father has toiled hard all his life
first as a tailor and then as a bangle maker
still unable to renovate his house or send his two sons to school
managed to teach them art of bangle making
Mukesh’s grandmother has seen her husband go blind with the dust from polishing the glass bangles
Grandmother believes in destiny
says ‘can a god given lineage ever be broken’
Young Boys and Girls in Firozabad
In dark hutments sit boys and girls
their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside
often end up losing their eyesight
a young girl Savita in a drab pink dress sitting beside an elderly women
The girl’s hands move like a machine
The author wonders if she understands the sanctity of the bangles for Indian women
the sad irony will suddenly down upon her
the old lady has not enjoyed even one full meal in her entire lifetime
one wonders if Mukesh’s father has achieved what many have failed to achieve
he has a roof over on his head.
the cry of not having money can be heard in every household of Firozabad
Two Distinct Worlds in Firozabad
nothing has changed over the years
years of hardship have killed all hopes and dreams
the author asks a group of young men to organize themselves in a Cooperative
Learns the horrific truth
if they get organized they are taken to jail and are beaten up
there is no leader among them
the author finds two distinct worlds in Firozabad
one is the exploited family caught in a vertex of poverty and the stigma of the caste in which they were born
the other is a vicious circle of the Sahukars, the middlemen, the politicians, the lawmakers, the policeman and bureaucrats
Mukesh is Filled with Hope
the author is filled with joy when she finds that Mukesh thinks differently
the boy is filled with hope
his dreams of being a Motor Mechanic is still alive in his eyes
he is willing to dare
Anees asks Mukesh if he also dreams of flying a plane
Mukesh replies in the negative
he is content to dream of cars as few planes fly over Firozabad.
Difficult Words/Phrases
looms like a mirage - seems that it will be true in the future but actually it will not be so
amidst – in the middle of
glass-blowing industry - industry related to making glass
furnaces - a closed room or container where heat is produced
welding - the process of joining metal or glass pieces by heating them
Dingy – dark, dim
Slog – work hard
Beam – shine brightly
Stinking – bad smell
Choked – blocked
Hovels – slums
Crumbling – falling down
Wobbly – unsteady
Coexisting - present at the same time and place
Primeval – prehistoric
Shack – a roughly built hut
Thatched – covered with dry grass
Sizzling - make a hissing sound when frying or cooking
Difficult Words/Phrases
Platters – large plates
Chopped – cut finely
Frail – thin, weak
God-given lineage - here, a profession carried on through the generations of a family – glass bangle making
Drab – faded, colourless
Soldering – joining
Tongs - an instrument with two moveable arms joined at one end
Sanctity - the state of being sacred or holy
Auspiciousness – good omen
Draped – covered
Ser – a unit of measuring quantity
Reaped – received as a benefit
Vicious – cruel
Hauled up – dragged, taken away
Spiral – here, a never-ending continuous process
Apathy – lack of concern
Stigma – dishonor
Bureaucrats – government officials
Hurtling down – moving around
Think as you read
What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of
Firozabad in poverty?
Notice the Expressions
looking for: try to locate or discover
Slog their daylight hour: struggle persistently during the day time
Roof over his head: a place to live
perpetual state of poverty: endless impoverishment
dark hutments: encampment of huts devoid of any light
imposed the baggage on the child: force the profession on the child
Thank You
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