LOST SPRING

ANEES JUNG
The year 2021 was declared the “International
Year for Elimination of Child Labour”. According
to ILO, approximately 160 million child labourers
have been employed worldwide.
According to Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi –
 Child labour is not an isolated phenomenon,
rather it is a universal phenomenon.
 We need social movements to abolish child
labour.
 We need strong laws and their effective
implementation for the successful eradication of
this social evil.
Universal Theme –
Exploitation of children is an egregious crime.
Subjective Theme –
Child labour is a major problem in India that is
widespread with poverty.
Q: Justify the title “Lost Spring”.
Spring signifies new beginnings and rejuvenation. It
is a season of renewal and growth. Childhood is the
best phase of one’s life and is often referred to as
‘spring’. On one hand, this phase is embedded with
frolic and fun, while on the other hand, it is
considered appropriate to initiate the process of
education as tender minds are highly
impressionable.
“Lost spring”, therefore, is a metaphorical
expression which refers to the abysmal living
conditions of the economically disadvantaged
children who languish in the ignominious darkness
of poverty, exploitation, abuse – physical and
mental, rejection and oppression.
The subtitle, “Stories of stolen childhood”
suggests that the children were forced to miss the
pleasures of childhood due to grinding poverty, lack
of employment and inefficient administration.
Socratic Method –
The Socratic method is named after the Greek
philosopher, Socrates who sought to get the
foundations of his students’ views by asking
questions to stimulate critical thinking, reasoning
and logical analysis. It is a technique of arriving at
the truth by posing a series of questions, obtaining
answers, criticising, analysing and synthesising facts
to arrive at a greater truth.
Socratic Irony –
It is a technique where the questioner feigns
ignorance as a way of tricking the other person into
revealing his own lack of knowledge or a flaw in
their logic. Socratic irony involves pretending to be
ignorant, to show someone else is ignorant, thus the
irony.
I. Saheb’s Case Study:
Seemapuri, located on the periphery of Delhi, has
Hebrew and Devanagari roots. ‘Seema’ stands for
wealth or treasure and ‘puri’ is a sacred or a holy
place. It stands for the abundance of riches. It is
situated on the eastern side of Delhi, across the
Yamuna and is better known as the ‘Seemapuri
slums’.
Description of Seemapuri –
It sheds light on the all-pervading hypocrisy of the
privileged strata. The immigrants from Bangladesh,
who have found a haven in Seemapuri, are
suppressed mercilessly by the politicians. Citizenship
appertains principally to a democratic state.
Therefore, a basic right which the tenet of
democracy advances is the equality of all citizens.
Equality in the eyes of law, equality in the exercise
of franchise and equality in the enjoyment of
fundamental rights. However, in Seemapuri, we
observe that the rights of immigrants are limited in
actual practice owing to fabricated circumstances.
Their life is doomed in the dark lanes of poverty and
uncertainty. The inhuman living conditions and
dilapidated structures speak volumes of the
persisting economic deprivation. They are denied a
social identity and a rightful existence.
Set amidst the green fields of Dhaka.
Green fields, here, refers to the idyllic stretches of
expansive vegetation.
There were many storms that swept away their
fields and homes. (FOS: Pun)
“Storms” can refer to natural calamities and also a
human-induced catastrophe.
That’s why they left, looking for gold in the big city
where he now lives. (FOS: Hyperbole)
Gold refers to something precious and valuable.
“Looking for gold” is an idiom that stands for
livelihood, since even the rags that they pick are
gold to them as they sustain them.
“Go to school,” I say glibly.
It is a phrase said casually, insincerely and
thoughtlessly. The promise rings falls to her too. The
privileged class have no intention to keep promises
and the poor children are in no position to question
or criticise them. However, Saheb takes the promise
made by Anees Jung to be true. She has just added
to the litany of broken promises. The callousness
and hypocrisy of the society as a whole comes to
fore through this.
“There is no school in my neighbourhood.”
No social amenities or the basic right of citizenship
reflects the hypocritical society.
“Saheb-e-Alam,” he announces. (FOS: Irony)
Saheb-e-Alam means “the Lord of the universe” that
doesn't fit well with his financial conditions.
An army of barefoot boys who appear like the
morning birds. (FOS: Simile)
The boys are free-spirited and go about scavenging
in the morning.
Q: Why do the boys move in the morning?
 They do so to avoid human contact and
questioning of the affluent strata.
 The sun beats them down at noon.
It is not lack of money but a tradition to stay
barefoot, is one explanation.
Wearing shoes is a mere luxury which the ragpickers
cannot afford. Therefore, staying barefoot is a
forced necessity or entrenched (firmly established
and difficult to change). They can wear shoes when
the privileged strata doles (offers as charity) out to
them. Unfortunately, Saheb belongs to a society that
contemplates poverty with equanimity and thus, has
lost the power of feeling.
Now drowned in an air of desolation. (FOS:
Metaphor)
It shows how the people migrated to the cities for
better opportunities, and modernization that the
people of Udipi had accepted.
Q: Why do people migrate? – for a better life:
  more exposure
 job opportunities
 civic amenities
 healthcare
 educational facilities
 high living standards
But many others like the ragpickers in my
neighbourhood remain shoeless.
The story from Udipi advances the fact that the
condition changed in a remote village, but not in a
place situated on the periphery of Delhi.
A place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away
from it, metaphorically.
It shows the economic disparity between the capital
of the country and the slums adjacent to it.
Food is more important for survival than an identity.
For the displaced refugees, not starving of hunger is
the primary task. As long as they obtain food grains
at a subsidised rate, they are disinterested in any
political identity or proof of citizenship. (Q: Saheb
does not exist in the government records.
Expatiate the inference.)
Corrupt politicians –
The outraged conscience of the politicians, who
profess and practice diabolic activities, jeopardise
the existence of the ragpickers. The practice of
nepotism, high-handedness and the systematic
corruption promote child labour. Their double
standards make them unresponsive to human
claims. They lack ethical approach to the problems.
Their greed and consumption style of living make
them oblivious to the fact that intensive efforts must
be invested to convert the wastelands to human
settlements, minimise the incidents of
unemployment and provide children’s education.
Children grow up in them, becoming partners in
survival.
Children are treated as tools to earn money in
Seemapuri, as their remuneration would add to the
family income. Therefore, parents fix them up for
earning and not for education or learning.
Through the years, it has acquired the proportions
of a fine art. (FOS: Hyperbole)
The writer advances the fact that one should know
where to find garbage – what to take, what to
ignore, what is the best time for it, etc. It requires
guidance to master this skill.
Q: “Garbage to them is gold.” Explain. – While
rummaging through the garbage heap, the
ragpickers beget commodities which cannot be
termed as valuables. However, those commodities
can be treated to gold as they ensure the survival of
the ragpickers. For the affluent strata, however,
these commodities hold no value.
It seems that for children, garbage has a meaning
different from what it means to their parents.
Ragpicking has a different perspective for children.
It is a fun-filled activity and a source of recreation
for the child. An unexpected find kindles his curiosity
and he rummages for more. For the elders,
however, it is a means of survival.
Q: What is the significance of Saheb standing
behind the fence? – Although Saheb stands by the
fenced gate of the neighbourhood club, he is miles
away from it as far as the social hierarchy is
concerned.
Saheb too is wearing tennis shoes that look strange
over his discoloured shirt and shorts.
Tennis shoes are ideally exorbitant as tennis is
regarded as an expensive and a “rich man’s game”.
However, Saheb wearing those tennis shoes,
discarded by a rich boy shows how Saheb’s dreams
(here, of wearing shoes) and their fulfilment is verily
dependent on the mercy and sympathy of the
affluent strata.
The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic
bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulder.
Plastic bags are a symbol of freedom and
independence. They provided Saheb with the
impetus to hunt for more. With that, he would be
the master of his own life.
The steel canister renders him an economic identity
but stands for dependence, slavery, encroachment
of independence, loss of freedom, monotony and
responsibilities. He is no longer the master of his
own life for he is now under the control of the tea
stall owner.
Q: Is Saheb happy to work at the tea stall?
 No, he has lost his carefree look.
 Metaphorically, the burden of the canister also
puts the heavy burden of responsibilities on him
 at such a young age when he was supposed to
be spirited and carefree.
 He has lost his independence and now works as
a child labourer.
Plight of the ragpickers –
The unlawful squatters of Seemapuri are denied a
social and political identity. They rummage through
the garbage heap to find something valuable to
sustain their lives. They live in sub-human conditions
which is appalling. Their society dehumanises them.
The administrative machinery has looked askance at
boys like Saheb who are condescended as unwanted
intruders. Unfortunately, the ragpickers belonged to
a society that contemplates poverty with equanimity.
Saheb’s society is on a downward path to
decadence. He dwells in the dark lanes of poverty,
lack of education, lack of employment, political and
economic exploitation and vote-bank politics.
Development is a distant cry for the ragpickers who
have stoically accepted their fate.
Q: How is spring lost for Saheb?
 He is forced to pick rags at the tender age of
education.
  He is working at the tea stall.
 He suffers from the lack of educational
opportunities.
 The political and economic maladministration
also curb his independence.
 The ineffective administrative machinery adds to
his plight.
Q: Saheb is child of destiny. Explain.
 He was a victim of war-induced displacement.
 He was one among nine million people that
were pushed to India, after a terrifying
campaign of horrendous conflicts and killings.
 The widespread genocide which Pakistan
administered, resulted in the displacement of
Bangladeshi population in East Pakistan.
 Saheb hailed from Dhaka. Dignity and happiness
eluded him in the teaming city where he eked
out his livelihood.
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II. Mukesh’s Case Study:
Firozabad can be best described as a city that
produces 50 million bangles for all the women in the
land. It accounts for 70% of the total glass
production in the small sector in India. Also known
as the “bangle capital of India”, it is located 237
kilometres from Seemapuri.
Description of Firozabad –
Negotiating through the garbage-filled alleys, Anees
Jung notices the ramshackled huts in dilapidated
conditions which dot the area. All the houses are
old, decrepit and wear all the marks of poverty. She
encounters a primitive state of living at Mukesh’s
dwelling. The rooms are cramped holes – not
illuminated and ventilated frequently. With 150 glass
melting units, thousands of informal and
unorganised units, 15,000 laborious hands and over
300 million dollars worth of an annual turnover,
Firozabad wakes up to haze and smoke bellowing
from hutments.
Taboos of Firozabad –
 stoical acceptance of fate
 social conditioning
 broken spirit
 dormant initiative
 superstitious mindset
His dream looms like a mirage amidst the dust of
streets.
Mirage is an optical illusion. Mukesh’s dream is
unreal in the context of his life. His dreams can
never transform into reality.
Hazards of the bangle-making industry –
 Skin burns, skin diseases and skin cancer might
be caused.
 Dark and dingy cells, devoid of ventilation and
illumination increase the chances of declining
eyesight.
 Chances of lung infection are high due to
inhaling toxic fumes.
 Overall health condition and well-being is
affected.
Q: Why are children forced into bangle-
making?
 They have nimble fingers.
 They acquire the skill quickly.
 By the time they become young adults, they
master the skill of bangle-making.
A frail young woman is cooking the evening meal for
the whole family. (FOS: Situational Irony)
Mukesh’s sister in law is preparing food for all
members of the family and yet appears “frail”. She
wears the marks of poverty and malnutrition as she
is not provided with a fair share of meals in the
male-dominated society.
Q: Why is Mukesh’s father considered a failed
man?
 He failed to renovate his house.
 He failed to send his sons to school.
 He failed as a tailor, and then took to the
generational craft of bangle-making.
 He only successfully passed on the art of
bangle-making to the future generations.
Q: “It is his karam, his destiny.” Explain its
significance. – It is a manifestation of a
superstitious mindset. Mukesh’s grandmother
believes that the profession has been gifted to them
by God and therefore, it should be preserved and
treasured and passed on to the next generation. It
signifies entrenched ignorance.
Significance of bangles –
The word ‘bangle’ has been derived from the Hindi
word ‘bangri’ which means “glass”, and are
traditional ornaments.
In northern India, married women wear glass
bangles. Bangles are glorified by their poetic
symbolisations in Indian literature and are marked
as the epitome of feminine grace. They are the
harbingers of auspiciousness and the insignia of
marriage. Sarojini Naidu describes them as the
“lustrous tokens of radiant lives”.
Symbolism of the colours –
 sunny gold - happiness and prosperity
 paddy green - good luck and fertility
 royal blue - empathy and dependability
 pink - kindness and respect
 purple - wisdom and spirituality
Paradox of bangles –
Ironically, the bangle-makers are deprived of these
virtues (of happiness, joy and celebration) and are
embroiled pathetically in the quagmire of pessimism
and dismal subjugation.
Her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a
machine. (FOS: Simile)
Savita is emotionally detached while working and
lacks pride and passion. This is because she knows
that the bangles will only amplify her miseries. Thus,
she works in a mechanical way and is compared to
the tongs of a machine.
Women of Firozabad –
Savita and the other women exemplify passive
victimisation and willing subjugation. Women in
Firozabad signify selflessness, self-effacing sacrifice
and silence. The cramping restrictions of rigid,
orthodox societal norms clamp their existence. Men
have always been economically predominant in
Firozabad and therefore, women too have been
forced into the intergenerational occupation. Women
of Firozabad are denied the rights of education,
freedom and growth. They are viewed as partners in
the profession pursued by the male counterparts.
Mukesh’s grandmother, his sister in law, the young
girl Savita and her grandmother are all examples of
above.
Young men echo the lament of their elders.
Failures and disappointments of the elders have
been passed on to the younger ones. Moreover, the
concept of “God-given lineage” has been implanted
in their
Q: How has the youth’s senses been numbed?
 by years of back-breaking toil
 by prolonged exposure to hot furnaces
I ask a group of young men who have fallen into the
vicious circle of middlemen.
The vicious circle is a situation in which one problem
leads to a chain of problems. It refers to the endless
cycle of misery, despair and dejection. It is a
strange nexus of those involved in the system and in
the systematic exploitation of the lesser privileged
classes.
Q: Why are there no leaders among them?
 lack of education
 deep-seated fear of going against the law
Q: Which two worlds does Anees Jung refers
to?
 a world of families caught in the web of poverty,
casteism and ignorance – the oppressed class
 a world of the vicious circle of the money
lenders, bureaucrats, middlemen, politicians,
 policemen and other ‘enforcers of law’ – the
oppressor class
Q: Which “baggage” is being referred to? –
The baggage of child labour which is an
encumbrance burden heaped on the youth by the
society.
And daring is not part of his growing up.
In Mukesh’s society, questioning the existing norms
and social evils is not allowed as he would be
thwarted (suppressed) mercilessly.
Few airplanes fly over Firozabad.
Airplanes signify or symbolise grand, distant,
unattainable and far-fetched dream as Mukesh’s.
People of Firozabad are not exposed to such
dreams, of grandeur and lustre. It also hints at how
Mukesh gets embarrassed of his dreams to fly a
plane because he, too, is aware of the
unattainability of it.
Plight of the bangle-makers –
Firozabad is the land of resplendent bangles. People
sit crouched for hours by a furnace inhaling toxic
fumes, while their deft fingers mould the ends of
glittering bangles. They have been pushed into a
corner and their circumstances are akin to those of
the labourers of the 19th century. They are
vulnerable to the ensnaring grind of poverty and the
strange nexus with paltry wages, paying for two
meals a day is a luxury. The strangled hold of
bangle-making has razed off their dreams and
aspirations. Firozabad is redundant and refuting to
embrace an emancipated society. The bangle-
makers are deprived of the fruits of labour. They are
reduced to penury (poverty) while keeping in with
the chronic want of society. Recognition of the
bangle-makers and their rights are far-fetched in
Firozabad.
Q: How is spring lost for Mukesh?
 Mukesh’s childhood is doomed in the dreary
desert of casteism, economic and political
exploitation and inadequate educational
opportunities.
 The bangle-makers lack exposure and
awareness.
 The ineffective administration leads to weak
implementation of laws that further provides
 impetus to the strange nexus to exploit
Mukesh’s community.
 They suffer from social conditioning and stoical
acceptance.
 Mukesh is forced to be a child labourer and
prods on regardless of the myriads of problems
thrown his way.
Q: Mukesh is a victim of destiny. Explain.
 Mukesh is a mute victim of an inter-generational
endurance.
 His father was a failed man and with no
alternative left, he took to his father’s trade of
bangle-making.
 His tribulations are perennial and all the doors to
escape from the giant trap of low income are
shut.
Q: Throw light on the strange paradoxes of
Indian society.
Q: What are the similarities between
Seemapuri and Firozabad? – the various rooted
social evils (ignorance, lack of education, social
conditioning, stoical acceptance, etc.)
Q: What are the differences between Saheb
and Mukesh? – Their contrasting outlooks
distinguish them from one another. Mukesh has
definite dreams that he wishes to fulfil unlike Saheb.
Curbing child labour –
 stringent implementation of laws
 evening classes for the lesser privileged children
 awareness campaigns for parents
 more employment/job opportunities for parents
 imparting vocational skills
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