LOST SPRING

Stories of stolen childhood

- CLASS XII

E. Prakash
PGT- English
JNV Pedavegi
West Godavari
Pre-reading activity: Brainstorming
Pre-reading activity: Brainstorming
(In continuation….)
1. Where are the boys and what are they doing?
2. Can you expect what they are scrounging for?
3. What will they do with it?
4. Some broken/ disposable glasses, pieces of
plastic material and some objects. Can you add
some more what they can find there?

Refer to the previous

slide
Pre-reading activity: Brainstorming
(In continuation….)

Name the sectors

that are forcing
children to work?
(Child Labour)
Focus: Child Labour
1. Garment Industry
2. Brick kilns
3. Unorganized Sectors
4. Agriculture
5. Fireworks
LOST SPRING
About the author: Anees Jung
 She was born in Rourkela and spent
her childhood and adolescence in
Hyderabad.
 She received her education in England
and United States of America.
 She has been an editor and columnist
for major newspapers in India and
abroad, and has authored several
books.

The following is an excerpt from her book titled Lost Spring,

Stories of Stolen Childhood. Here she analyses the grinding
poverty and traditions which condemn these children to a life
of exploitation.
Notable books from Anees Jung
 When a place becomes a
person (1977)
 Unveiling India (1987)
 The Song of India (1990)
 Night of the New Moon:
Encounters with Muslim
women in India. (1993)
 Seven Sisters (1994) 
 Breaking the Silence (1997)
 Courtyard (2003)
 Lost Spring: Stories of stolen
childhood (2005)
 Pre-reading activity: Questions
(In continuation….)
 What are the main four seasons?
 The four main seasons
Winter Spring Autumn Summer
 Pre-reading activity: Questions
(In continuation….)
 What are the characteristics and natural changes that
occur during “Spring”?
Spring
 What are the characteristics of the spring?
 Spring

2. Breeding activities also

increase during this time, 3. Characterized by
with many animals giving increase in rainfall
1. Season of "rebirth", birth.
"rejuvenation" and new
beginnings.

4. Farmers and agriculturalists

sow their seeds as
5. A lot of special flowers bloom in this temperatures become
season, giving colourful touch to the nature. favourable for plant growth.
 Pre-reading activity: Questions
(In continuation….)
 What are the characteristics and natural changes that
occur during “Summer”?
Summer
 What are the characteristics of the summer?
 Summer

2. All the animals and

1. Season of hardship birds search for the
3. Characterized by hot,
for the less fortunate water and food. Some
warmest and longest days
and fun for the of them may die due to
in the year.
fortunate. lack of water and food.

4. Farmers will
have limited
special types of
crops for the
summer and
5. Most of the plants will die in this wait for the
season due to lack of water. Leaves rainfall.
and plants dries up if not properly
watered and cared.
 Pre-reading activity: Questions
(In continuation….)
 What are the characteristics and natural changes that
occur during “Autumn/ Fall”?
Autumn
 What are the characteristics of the autumn/ fall?
 Autumn
2. Animals prepare
themselves for the long
months ahead. They
collect and store the
food for the upcoming
1. Transition season from winter. 3. Characterized
summer into winter by shorter days
and longer
nights.

4. Farmers will not

have that much
work since the
lands will turn into
barren lands and
bare trees.

5. In the fall as the weather grows colder, many plants stop

producing food. Leaves turn into yellowish red colour.
 Pre-reading activity: Questions
(In continuation….)
 What are the characteristics and natural changes that
occur during “Winter”?
Winter
 What are the characteristics of the winter?
 Winter

2. Animals go into
hibernation, a state
resembling sleep where
the animal remains
inactive, usually housed in
1. Season of in a shell, remaining so until
activeness and summer arrives.
hibernation. 3. Characterized by falling
snow and freezing cold
temperatures, usually
exacerbated by strong winds.

4. Farmers will not

sow the seeds
5. Trees and plants shed their leaves in because the snow
the winter in order to survive the harsh will hinder the
weather. growth of plants
 Pre-reading activity: Questions
(In continuation….)
 Discuss in groups and draw an analogy between the
human age groups and these four seasons?
Match between age groups and
seasons

Childhood Autumn/ Fall

Youth Summer

Middle Age Winter

Old Age Spring

 Ages and seasons
analogy

Winter Spring Autumn Summer

Old age Childhood Middle age Youth
 Pre-reading activity: Questions
(In continuation….)
 Write some points on similarity between Spring and
Childhood stage.
Conclusion:
Childhood is like
spring season

Similarly, the
Spring being
childhood of
the best
human life is
season of a
often linked to
year, is full of
spring, as it
color,
marks the
fragrance,
beginning of
freshness,
human life, full
renewal and
of joy, pleasure,
growth.
play and growth.
Introduction

 The writer expresses her concern over the

exploitation of childhood in hazardous jobs like
rag-picking and bangle making.
 Abject poverty and thoughtless traditions result in
the loss of childhood of millions of children like
Saheb and Mukesh by working hard to support
themselves and their families rather than enjoying
their childhood by playing and seeking education.
 There is a dire need to provide these poverty
stricken children, opportunity to dare, dream and
do and a life of dignity.
Theme of the lesson: Lost Spring
 Anees Jung through her story, “Lost Spring” deals
with the deplorable condition of poor children
street children who get forced to miss the simple
joyful moments of childhood because of their
socio-economic conditions.
 The author Anees Jung strives hard to eliminate
child labor through her book.
Theme of the lesson: Lost Spring
 She propagates the education of children and
enforcement of strict laws against child labor by
the government.
 The message is to put an end to child exploitation
and let all children enjoy their days of the spring
Lost Spring:
 The lesson can be divided into 3 sub parts i.e. the
stolen childhood of Saheb-e-Alam, Mukesh and
Savita.
 Saheb-e-Alam: Introduction
 Saheb is a young boy of school-going age.
 Before he is a rag picker and was looking for
“gold” in the garbage dumps of the big city.
 Meaning of Saheb-e-Alam
◦ Lord of Universe: But he is a rag picker.

He roams the streets barefoot with other rag-pickers. This army of barefoot boys
appears in the morning and disappears at noon.
Saheb-e-Alam: Introduction
 Saheb came from Dhaka, Bangladesh (Orange
colored region in left map) to Seemapuri, Delhi,
India(Red coloured point in right map).
Seemapuri: Saheb’s home town
 Around 10000 rag
pickers liven structures
of mud, with roofs of tin
and tarpaulin, devoid of
sewage, drainage or
running water.

 Food is more important for

survival than an identity.
◦ “If at the end of the day we
can feed our families and go
to bed without an aching
stomach, we would rather live
here than in the fields that
gave us no grain” said some
women.
Saheb-e-Alam: “But promises like mine
abound in every corner of his bleak world.”
 The author asked Saheb about
going to school.
 Saheb explained that there was no
school in his neighbourhood.
 He promised to go to school when
they built one.
 Half joking, the author asked
whether he would come in case she
started one. Saheb smiled broadly
and agreed to come.
 After a few days, he ran upto the
author and asked if the school was
ready. The author felt embarrassed.
 She had made a promise that was
not meant.

Author talks with Saheb about going to school and his desire to have shoes.
 Saheb-e-Alam: Perpetual state of
poverty.
 “A dream come true”:
◦ Saheb is wearing discarded
tennis shoes. One of them has
a hole. Saheb does not bother
about the hole.
◦ For one who has walked
barefoot, even shoes with a
hole is a dream come true.

 ”Out of his reach”:

◦ Tennis, a game is out of his
reach. Its impossible to a
poor boy like Saheb to play
a “rich-people” game.
Saheb-e-Alam: Working at tea stall

 Saheb now has a regular income. He is paid 800 rupees

and all his meals. Thus, food is no problem.
 But his face has lost the carefree look. The steel canister
in his hand now seems a burden. He is no longer his
own master. He may have to work for longer hours.
 The helplessness of doing things at his own will makes
him sad.
 While reading activity
(In continuation….)
 Describe the irony in Saheb’s name.
 What kind of gold did the people of Seemapuri look for in
the garbage?
 What could be some of the reasons for the migration of
people from villages to cities?
 What explanations does the author offer for the children not
wearing footwear?
 How was Saheb’s life at the tea stall? 
Saheb-e-Alam: Important points
Saheb-e-Alam : Important points
Lost Spring
 This lesson can be divided into 3 sub parts i.e. the
stolen childhood of Saheb-e-Alam, Mukesh and
Savita.
Mukesh: Introduction
 Mukesh is the son of
a poor bangle-maker
of Firozabad (Orange
region in Uttar
Pradesh map).
 Mukesh is born in
the caste of bangle-
makers.
◦ They know no other
work other than
making bangles.
Firozabad: Mukesh’s home town
 It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry.
 Families have spent generations working around
furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for the
women in the land.
Firozabad: Mukesh’s home town
 Its full of stinking lanes choked with garbage,
crumbling walls, wobbly doors, no windows,
crowded with families.
 Colourful outside:  Dark inside
◦ All the colourful bangles are ◦ The boys and girls sit in dark
kept on the four-wheeled welding pieces of coloured glass
handcarts. into circle of bangles.
Firozabad: Middle men
 The middle men in Firozabad keeps the bangle
makers in poverty.
 These include the moneylenders, the middlemen,
the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats
and the politicians.

Money lenders Police men

Firozabad: Middle men
 The middle men in Firozabad keeps the bangle
makers in poverty.
 These include the moneylenders, the middlemen,
the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats
and the politicians.

Keepers of law Politicians Bureaucrats

Mukesh’s Attitude and his dream
 Mukesh’s grandmother
thinks that the god-
given lineage can never
be broken. Her son and
grandsons are bom in
the caste of bangle
makers.
 But Mukesh wants to be
a motor mechanic.

He insists on being his own master by becoming a motor

mechanic.
Mukesh’s Attitude and his dream
 “A mirage
amidst the
dust”.

Mukesh is breaking their

tradition by thinking of
becoming motor
mechanic
 While reading activity
(In continuation….)
 What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
 What forces conspire to keep the workers in
bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
 How in your opinion can Mukesh realize his
dream?
 How is Mukesh different from the other bangle-
makers of Firozabad? 
Mukesh: Important points
Lost Spring
 This lesson can be divided into 3 sub parts i.e. the
stolen childhood of Saheb-e-Alam, Mukesh and
Savita.
Savita: Introduction
 Savita is a young girl who lives in bangle making town
called Firozabad.
 She lives with a old woman and a old man.
 She knows nothing other than making bangles.
 Her hands move mechanically like a tongs of machine.
Savita: Poverty
 Savita does not even know the importance/
significance of the bangles she is making.
 Beside Savita, an old woman who is married and
had bangles on her wrist but no light is there in
her eyes.
Savita: Poverty
 The “Ek waqt ser bhar khana bhi nahin khaya”
which means they did not enjoyed even a full meal
in her entire life time shows the state of their
poverty.
 The old man had some credit in his lifetime as he
built a house to live in.
 While reading activity
(In continuation….)
 Savita is a symbol of innocence and efficiency.
Comment on this statement.
 The beauty of the glass bangles of Firozabad
contrasts with the misery of people who produce
them. Comment on this statement.
Savita: Important points
While reading activity
(In continuation….)
 While reading activity
(In continuation….)
 Can you name the two distinctive worlds by seeing
the first and second set of images in the last slide?
 Who are the people present in the first set of
images (Classify them as Oppressor/ Oppressed)
 Who are the people present in the second set of
images (Classify them as Oppressor/ Oppressed?)
Two distinctive
worlds in the lesson.

Op
s ed pr
es
es so
pr rs
Op
1. The families of the 1. The other world
bangle-makers is the vicious
belong to one circle of the
world. moneylenders,
2. These workers are the middlemen,
caught in the web the policemen,
of poverty.  the keepers of
3. They are also the law, the
burdened by the bureaucrats and
stigma of the caste the politicians.
in which they are
born. They know no
other work. 
Post reading activities
(In continuation….)

What are the causes

of Child Labour?
Causes of Child Labour
Post reading activities
(In continuation….)

What are the

consequences of
Child Labour?
Consequences of Child Labour
Post reading activities
(In continuation….)

Can you name some

laws against Child
Labour?
Laws against Child Labour in India
Post reading activities
(In continuation….)

How can we
eliminate child
labour in India?
Eliminating and preventing child
labour
Glossary
 Scrounging: searching
 Mutter: speak in low voice
 Glibly: Speaking/spoken in a confident way
 Bleak: empty
 Perpetual state of poverty: never ending condition
of being poor
 Squatter: someone who settles lawfully on
government land with the intent to acquire a title
to it
 Tattered: torn transit homes: temporary homes
Figures of Speech
 The important figures of speech are:
◦ Simile
◦ Irony
◦ Hyperbole
◦ Metaphor
◦ Contrast
Figures of Speech
 The important figures of speech are:
1. Simile:
• A simile is a comparison between two unlike things
using the words "like" or "as.“
• As slippery as an eel
• Like peas in a pod
2. Irony :
• Occurs when there's a marked contrast between what is
said and what is meant, or between appearance and
reality based on humour.
• A traffic cop gets suspended for not paying his parking
tickets.
• The Titanic was said to be unsinkable but sank on its first
voyage.
Figures of Speech
 The important figures of speech are:

3. Hyperbole:
• Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis or effect.
• I've told you to stop a thousand times.
• That must have cost a billion dollars.
4. Metaphor:
• A metaphor makes a comparison between two unlike
things or ideas.
• Heart of stone
• Time is money
Figures of Speech
 The important figures of speech are:

5. Contrast
• Occurs when there's a marked contrast between what is
said and what is meant, or between appearance and
reality not based on humour.
• Unlike most babies, Stuart could walk as soon as he was born
• The weather was snowy, yet it was not cold.
Figures of Speech
 Find figures of speech in the following sentences :
1. Saheb-e-Alam which means the lord of the
universe is directly in contrast to what Saheb is
in reality.
(Irony)
2. Drowned in an air of desolation
(Hyperbole)
3. Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet
miles away from it, metaphorically.
(Metaphor)
Figures of Speech
 Find figures of speech in the following sentences :
4. For the children it is wrapped in wonder; for the
elders it is a means of survival.
(Contrast)
5. As her hands move mechanically like the tongs
of a machine, I wonder if she knows the sanctity
of the bangles she helps make.
(Simile)
6. She still has bangles on her wrist, but not light in
her eyes.
(Contrast)
Figures of Speech
 Find figures of speech in the following sentences :
7. Web of poverty
(Metaphor)
8. Scrounging for gold
(Hyperbole)
9. And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking.
Through the years, it has acquired the
proportions of a fine art.
(Hyperbole)
10. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic
bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulders.
(Metaphor)
 Assignment
 1.Where does the narrator Anees Jung encounter
Saheb every morning?
 2.Why is the narrator embarrassed at having made
a promise that was not meant ?
 3.What was Mukesh’s dream? Did he achieve it?
 4.Which forces conspire to keep the workers in
bangle industry in Firozabad in poverty?
 5, Why couldn’t the bangle makers organize
themselves into cooperatives?