Chapter 2 (Flamingo)- LOST SPRING - ANEES JUNG

ANSWER IN 30 – 40 WORDS
1.What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where does he live and where has he come from?

Saheb was looking for a one-rupee coin or something valuable enough to help him survive. The garbage
dump was like a treasure box for the rag pickers like him. Sahib’s family had come from Bangladesh to
live in Seemapuri, Delhi as they had lost their home and green fields due to repeated storms.

2. What explanation does the author offer for children not wearing footwear?

Though some people the author met said that lack of money was not the only reason for children not
wearing shoes, it was a tradition to walk barefoot. The author does not agree with that she thinks it was
abject poverty that made them walk on their foot. Some children by habit also discarded footwear.

3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall? Why or why not?

OR What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy?

Saheb took up a job at the tea stall where he got 800 rupees a month. No, he was not happy there as he
had become a servant. He was no longer his own master. Earlier if it was his childhood that he lost, now
he has lost his freedom and carefree life.

4. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh is famous for its glass bangle industry. All the families living there are
engaged in this industry. They are all traditional bangle makers who inherited this skill from their fathers
and forefathers. They spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass and making bangles for
the women in the land.

5. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangle industry.

In a bangle factory people work in poorly ventilated and badly lit rooms. They live in unhygienic
environment with the highest temperature coming out of the furnace. Children lose their eyesight due
to the dust from polishing of bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark hutments where they
spend all day, than the sunlight outside. This is why they end up in losing their eyesight before they
become adults.

6. How is Mukesh's attitude to his situation different from that of his family?

Mukesh is different from the other members of his family and other bangle makers in Firozabad because
he wanted to break the chains of age-old family lineage that tied him to become a bangle maker. He
wanted to become a motor mechanic so that he could come out of the vicious circle of the life of
poverty. He was determined, focused and ready to go to any extent to achieve his dream.
Understanding the Text.

1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?

For better opportunities – employment – purpose of education – life facilities

People migrate from villages to cities in search of livelihood when their fields fail to provide the means
of survival. Cities provide employment and other means of survival. The problem in case of the poor is to
feed hungry members of their family. Survival is of primary concern to them.

2. Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept? Why do you think this
happens in the incident narrated in the text?

Promises made to children are rarely kept because adults don’t make serious promises with children.
They speak lightly with children. The author asks Saheb half - jokingly whether he will come to her
school if she starts one. Saheb agrees to do so. A few days later he asks if the school is ready. The writer
then feels embarrassed for having made a promise that was not meant to be kept. Promises like hers
abound in every corner of this world. Promises made to the children are seldom kept. The government
has made laws that no child should work in the glass bangle industry, but still there are 20,000 children
working there. According to the Constitution of India no child below the age of 14 can be employed, but
this law is not enforced strictly. This is also breaking of a promise guaranteed by the constitution. This is
because the government is unable to provide basic necessities to them like employment to parents, free
education to children, etc. (Add your points as well)

3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?

Certain forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty this include the
money lenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of the law, the bureaucrats and the
politicians together. They all exploit the workers in Firozabad and would not allow them to come out of
the web of poverty. These vicious circle have imposed the baggage on the child that he cannot put
down. Before he is aware of his predicament, he is caught in the trap of accepting everything as his
destiny like his fore fathers did. To do anything else would mean to challenge the generation old
tradition. And challenging or daring is not considered as maturity.

4. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?

Child labour is a curse on our society and it must be eliminated. Children are the future assets of any
nation. So anything that harms their mental and physical growth will pose a danger to the country.
Childhood is a period of mental and spiritual development. This development is only possible if children
lead a carefree life and interact with other children, play with them and learn with them. But a child
labourer is deprived of all these. He has to work for long hours which is not good for him. They are
exploited and abused. Their innocent minds do not understand the dangers of their working conditions.
Eliminating child labour is a tremendous task. Most child labourers come from poor homes some of
them have lost their parents and have to support their families. Unless the poverty of the family is
removed and children get education, food and financial support, child labour cannot be banned or
removed. Law has to be enforced strictly and stringent measures should be taken against those who
break the rules. (You can elaborate with more points)
5.Saheb was the victim of circumstances. Justify.

He had once lived in the green fields of Dhaka but he lost his means of survival due to the continuous
storms there. Consequently, he and his family ended up in the outskirts of Delhi as rag pickers. There
was an inherent desire in him to attend school and study. This could not be fulfilled because of their
extreme poverty. He had learnt to accept life as it comes to be. He is content at watching others play
and has no complaints about his fate. He was happy wearing the discarded shoes and clothes of others.
Circumstances drive him to be a tea stall worker at a young age, where he is content of getting three
meals a day and a meagre monthly income of Rs.800.

6. Explain Seemapuri a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it.

Seemapuri is a place on the outskirts of Delhi. It houses migrants from Bangladesh who earn their living
by rag picking. It is a run - down place that lacked amenities of sewage, drainage or running water. It is
unlike the life of glitter and dazzle of people in Delhi who live a luxurious life in contrast to the poverty
prevailing in Seemapuri.

7. Why were the people in Firozabad not able to organise themselves?

The people of Firozabad were exploited. They were not able to organise themselves into a cooperative
and escape from being manipulated or fight the system because the authorities did not support them.
The authority could not save them from the middlemen, where the police, the bureaucrats and the
politicians were all tied up along with the middle men. They were trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty,
greed and injustice.

8. Explain few aero planes fly over Firozabad.

Mukesh wanted to be a motor mechanic and he was prepared to walk a long distance to the garage to
learn it. He could never dream of flying planes because planes were far - fetched reality to a slum
dweller. He had learnt to live according to the circumstances and within his means.

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