Summary of Saheb-e-Alam’s Story (Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood – Part 1):
The story of Saheb-e-Alam in the chapter Lost Spring, meaning “Lord of the Universe,” begins with the young boy, Saheb, scrounging through garbage dumps in Seemapuri, a slum near Delhi. Saheb, like many other children, searches for something valuable, such as a coin or any item that could be sold. He has come from Dhaka, Bangladesh, where his family was forced to leave due to natural disasters that destroyed their home and livelihood.
The author of Lost Spring, Anees Jung, often encounters Saheb and the other barefoot boys of Seemapuri while they search the garbage piles. When asked why they don’t wear shoes, they respond with simple excuses, like their mothers didn’t bring them down or they would lose them anyway. This suggests that their lack of footwear is not just out of poverty but also tied to a deeper, long-standing condition of their lives.
Saheb dreams of going to school, but there are no schools in his area. When the author half-heartedly promises to open a school, Saheb eagerly asks if it is ready. This shows the deep longing that these children have for education, even if society repeatedly disappoints them with false promises.
Eventually, Saheb gives up scavenging and takes a job at a tea stall, earning 800 rupees a month and getting his meals. However, this new job brings a sense of loss for him. The carefree days of rag-picking, where he was his own master, are gone. Now, carrying a heavy steel canister for his employer, Saheb feels burdened. The plastic bag he used to carry symbolized his independence, but the steel canister represents the loss of that freedom.
In the chapter Lost Spring through Saheb’s story, the author highlights the harsh reality of childhood poverty, the lost dreams of children forced into labor, and the indifference of society towards their plight. Saheb’s name, which means “Lord of the Universe,” is ironic because he is far from the power and privilege that his name implies. Instead, he is a child trapped in a cycle of poverty, unable to break free.
Summary of Mukesh’s Story (Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood – Part 2):
In the chapter Lost Spring the story of Mukesh takes place in Firozabad, a town famous for its glass bangles, where almost every family is involved in the bangle-making industry. Mukesh belongs to one such family, where generations have worked around glass furnaces in dark, airless rooms, making bangles for a living. Despite the centuries-old tradition of bangle-making, the workers of Firozabad live in extreme poverty, trapped in a cycle of exploitation by middlemen, bureaucrats, and politicians.
Mukesh’s family, like many others, has been condemned to this life by both tradition and poverty. The harsh working conditions, including high temperatures and exposure to toxic glass dust, result in many workers losing their eyesight at a young age. Mukesh’s grandmother remarks that this is their destiny, believing that the caste they were born into determines their fate, and that they cannot escape this inherited way of life.
However, Mukesh is different from the others in his family. While most people in Firozabad accept their situation, Mukesh dares to dream of something beyond the confines of the bangle industry. He expresses his desire to become a motor mechanic, a goal that sets him apart from his family’s resignation to their fate. Although Mukesh is aware of the difficulties involved in breaking away from the bangle-making tradition, he is determined to learn how to drive and repair cars. This dream gives him hope, even though his town and surroundings are full of poverty and despair.
Mukesh’s ambition represents a spark of hope in a town that has been crushed by years of exploitation and indifference from society. His determination to pursue a different life reflects a small but significant rebellion against the fate that his family has accepted for generations. Through Mukesh’s story, the author, Anees Jung, brings attention to the complex issues of child labor, the caste system, and the societal structures that trap people in cycles of poverty.
Mukesh’s desire to escape the bangle industry symbolizes the resilience and hope that exist even in the harshest conditions. His story highlights the importance of dreams and the courage to break free from the chains of tradition and exploitation.
Think as you read – I (Q&A of Lost Spring)
- What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
Saheb is looking for something valuable, like a coin or something useful, in the garbage dumps. He is from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and now lives in Seemapuri, near Delhi. - What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
The author explains that some children say they do not wear shoes because their parents haven’t given them any. Others simply say it is a tradition to remain barefoot, but the author feels it may just be a way to explain their poverty. - Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.
No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall. Although he earns money, he has lost the carefree nature he had when he was rag-picking. The steel canister he carries now makes him feel burdened because he no longer feels free, unlike when he used to carry his own plastic bag.
Think as you read – II (Q&A of Lost Spring)
- What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Firozabad is famous for its glass bangles, which are worn by women across India. - Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Workers in the glass bangles industry face many dangers, such as working in dark, airless rooms with high temperatures, which causes them to lose their eyesight at a young age due to the harmful glass dust and harsh conditions. - How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Mukesh is different from his family because he wants to break free from the cycle of bangle making. He dreams of becoming a motor mechanic, while his family accepts their fate of being bangle makers.
Understanding the text
- What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
People migrate from villages to cities for better job opportunities, to escape poverty, or due to natural disasters that destroy their homes and livelihoods, as happened with Saheb’s family. - 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?
Yes, promises made to poor children are rarely kept. In the story, the author casually promises to open a school, but this promise is never fulfilled. It happens because the people making promises often do not understand the harsh realities of the children’s lives and fail to follow through. - What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
The workers in Firozabad are trapped in poverty due to their caste, traditions, and the powerful control of middlemen, policemen, and politicians who prevent them from improving their conditions.
Talking about the text
- How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Mukesh can realise his dream by staying determined, finding opportunities to learn about mechanics, and seeking support from others who can help him get training or an apprenticeship. - Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Workers in the bangle industry face extreme heat, work in dark rooms, and are exposed to harmful glass dust. These conditions lead to serious health issues, such as blindness. - Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Child labour should be eliminated because it deprives children of their education, their health, and their childhood. It can be eradicated by strict enforcement of laws, creating more educational opportunities, and providing financial support to poor families so that they don’t need to send their children to work.
Thinking about language
- Saheb-e-Alam which means the lord of the universe is directly in contrast to what Saheb is in reality.
This is an example of irony, as Saheb’s name suggests greatness, but in reality, he is a poor child scavenging through garbage. - Drowned in an air of desolation.
This is a metaphor, as it describes the overwhelming feeling of sadness by comparing it to being drowned. - Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically.
This is a metaphor, comparing Seemapuri’s distance from Delhi not just in physical terms, but in terms of the vast difference in living conditions. - For the children it is wrapped in wonder; for the elders it is a means of survival.
This is a contrast between how children and adults view garbage. For children, it holds the possibility of finding something exciting, while for adults, it is merely a way to survive. - As her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine, I wonder if she knows the sanctity of the bangles she helps make.
This is a simile, comparing the movement of the girl’s hands to a machine’s tongs. - She still has bangles on her wrist, but not light in her eyes.
This is a metaphor, where the “light in her eyes” represents joy and hope, which she has lost. - Few airplanes fly over Firozabad.
This is a symbol, representing the limited opportunities and dreams that seem unreachable for the people of Firozabad. - Web of poverty.
This is a metaphor, comparing poverty to a web that traps people and is difficult to escape. - Scrounging for gold.
This is a metaphor, comparing garbage to gold, as it represents a livelihood for the poor. - And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Through the years, it has acquired the proportions of a fine art.
This is a hyperbole, exaggerating the skill required for rag-picking by calling it a “fine art.” - The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulders.
This is a contrast, highlighting the difference between Saheb’s carefree life as a rag-picker and his current burdensome work at the tea-stall.
THEME
The central theme of the story revolves around the plight of street children who are forced into labour at a very young age. These children are deprived of their fundamental right to education and a proper childhood. Poverty and dire circumstances push them into harsh, exploitative environments where they must work to survive, rather than attend school or enjoy the carefree days of childhood. The story highlights the stolen dreams of children like Saheb and Mukesh, whose lives are dominated by the need to contribute to their families’ livelihoods, leaving no room for education or personal growth. Their daily struggle for survival reflects the tragic consequences of child labour and how it perpetuates the cycle of poverty and ignorance.
SUB-THEME
The sub-theme focuses on the callousness of society and the political class towards the sufferings of the poor. The story illustrates how those in power, along with the broader society, largely ignore or exploit the underprivileged, allowing systemic poverty and child labour to continue unchecked. The indifference of the political class is evident in their failure to enforce laws protecting children from exploitative labour, and their lack of interest in addressing the root causes of poverty. Society too plays a role, often turning a blind eye to the struggles of the poor, viewing their plight as inevitable or unimportant. The text emphasizes how the poor, like the bangle makers of Firozabad, are trapped in a vicious cycle of exploitation, where they are controlled by corrupt middlemen, bureaucrats, and politicians who do nothing to help them improve their lives.