Class 12 NCERT Solutions eNGLISH 

Flamingo Prose Chapter 2

Lost Spring 

Think as you read 

Q1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?

✅ 20 Words

Saheb looks for coins or anything useful in garbage. He lives in Seemapuri, Delhi, after migrating from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

✅ 40 Words

Saheb searches for something valuable—coins, shoes, hope—in garbage. He lives in Seemapuri, Delhi. His family came from Dhaka, Bangladesh, after floods destroyed their fields. Now, garbage is his daily bread. For him, trash is treasure and survival.

✅ 60 Words

Saheb, a ragpicker, searches for useful items like coins, shoes, or plastic in garbage dumps. For him, it’s not trash but hope. He lives in Seemapuri, a slum near Delhi. His family migrated from Dhaka, Bangladesh, after natural disasters destroyed their land. With no school or job, Saheb helps his family survive through ragpicking—his way of finding gold.

✅ 80 Words

Saheb, a young boy, roams the streets of Seemapuri, Delhi, searching through garbage dumps. He looks for anything valuable—coins, metal, or plastic. For him, garbage offers hope and joy. His family migrated from Dhaka, Bangladesh, due to floods and poverty. Seemapuri lacks proper facilities, but to people like Saheb, survival matters more than comfort. Garbage, to children like him, is not filth—it is full of surprises and daily bread. It’s his only connection to a dreamless survival in a harsh world.

Q2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?

✅ 20 Words

Some say it’s tradition; others say it’s poverty. But in truth, the children are too poor to afford shoes.

✅ 40 Words

The author finds many barefoot children and asks why. Some say it’s a tradition to go barefoot, but this seems like an excuse. The real reason is poverty. The children don’t have money to buy shoes and get used to living without them.

✅ 60 Words

When the author asks children why they don’t wear footwear, many answers are given. One says the shoes were not taken down from the shelf. Another says it’s a tradition. But the author understands it is poverty—not choice—that keeps children barefoot. Walking without shoes becomes part of their identity, reflecting a deeper, ongoing struggle with deprivation and inequality.

✅ 80 Words

The author observes that many children in Seemapuri and elsewhere walk barefoot. When asked, some children give vague answers—like their mothers didn’t take shoes down, or it’s a tradition. However, the author believes these are just ways to hide the harsh truth: extreme poverty. They can't afford footwear and slowly accept it as normal. This reflects how poverty is normalized and passed off as culture. The absence of shoes becomes a silent symbol of the larger issue of social neglect and economic hardship.

Q3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall? Explain.

✅ 20 Words

No, Saheb is not happy. Though he earns, he has lost freedom. He looks dull and burdened at the tea stall.

✅ 40 Words

Saheb now works at a tea stall and earns ₹800 plus meals. But he no longer looks happy. His carefree smile is gone. The plastic bag was his own, but the steel canister belongs to his employer. He feels burdened.

✅ 60 Words

Saheb took a job at a tea stall hoping for better life. Though he earns ₹800 and meals, he doesn’t seem satisfied. Earlier, he had freedom while ragpicking. Now, he carries a heavy canister, looking tired. The joy and dreams once seen in his eyes are gone. He is no longer his own master, and it shows in his dull expression.

✅ 80 Words

Saheb started working at a tea shop, where he earns ₹800 and gets meals. But his cheerful personality has changed. Earlier, while ragpicking, he had freedom to roam and hope to find something valuable. Now, he works under someone else, carrying a steel container heavier than his old plastic bag. Though the job is more stable, it has taken away his innocence and independence. He feels restricted, bound, and less happy. His body works, but his spirit appears tired and defeated.

Q4. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

✅ 20 Words

Firozabad is famous for its glass bangle industry. Almost every family here is involved in making colorful glass bangles.

✅ 40 Words

Firozabad is known for its traditional glass-blowing industry. The city produces bangles in vibrant colors worn by Indian women. Generations of families, including children, work in this hazardous trade. Bangle-making is both their livelihood and their curse.

✅ 60 Words

Firozabad is called the heart of India’s glass bangle industry. It is home to thousands of families who’ve been making bangles for generations. Every street has glass furnaces and flickering oil lamps where men, women, and even children work. Though beautiful bangles are created here, the people making them live in poverty, darkness, and dangerous conditions, often losing their eyesight early.

✅ 80 Words

Firozabad is world-famous for its intricate and colorful glass bangles, worn by women across India. The city is filled with furnaces, workshops, and families engaged in bangle-making for generations. From children to elders, everyone is involved in the process. However, behind the beauty of bangles lies the harsh truth: extreme poverty, health hazards, and exploitation. Children lose their eyesight working in dark rooms beside fire. Despite their skill, the bangle-makers live in broken homes, surrounded by hopelessness and burdened by age-old traditions.

Q5. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.

✅ 20 Words

Children inhale glass dust, work in dark rooms, face high temperatures, and often lose eyesight or suffer serious health issues.

✅ 40 Words

Glass bangle workers, including children, face dangerous conditions. They sit near hot furnaces in small, dark spaces. Continuous exposure to glass dust and intense heat causes breathing problems, burns, and blindness. Despite these hazards, the poor continue working for survival.

✅ 60 Words

The bangle industry in Firozabad is filled with hazards. Children and adults work in poorly ventilated, dark rooms with high temperatures. The constant exposure to furnace heat and glass particles leads to burns, eye infections, and even blindness. Many lose vision before adulthood. Lack of awareness, poverty, and pressure to continue family tradition trap them in this unhealthy, life-threatening work environment.

✅ 80 Words

Working in the glass bangle industry poses serious health risks. The workers sit in cramped, poorly lit rooms with high furnace temperatures. Children, especially, inhale fine glass dust, damaging their lungs and eyes. Prolonged exposure often results in blindness before reaching adulthood. Many suffer from skin burns, respiratory diseases, and eye infections. Since they work for meager wages and lack education or alternatives, they silently endure these conditions. The situation reflects how poverty forces families to prioritize survival over health and safety.

 Q6. How is Mukesh’s attitude different from that of his family?

✅ 20 Words

Mukesh dares to dream. He wants to become a motor mechanic, unlike his family who accepted bangle-making as destiny.

✅ 40 Words

Mukesh’s family is stuck in poverty and believes making bangles is their fate. But Mukesh dreams of becoming a motor mechanic. He wants to learn and break free from this cycle. His courage and ambition make him different from others.

✅ 60 Words

While Mukesh’s family has accepted bangle-making as their only destiny, Mukesh thinks differently. He dreams of becoming a motor mechanic and working in a garage. Unlike others, he doesn’t believe in helplessness or fate. He is ready to walk long distances to learn and work. His bold thinking, desire to grow, and will to be “his own master” make him stand out.

✅ 80 Words

Mukesh’s attitude is full of hope and determination. His family and neighbors in Firozabad have accepted poverty, tradition, and bangle-making as their fate. They believe in destiny and never question the system. But Mukesh is different. He wants to learn car repair and become a motor mechanic. Even though the garage is far, he says he will walk. He doesn’t want to live in darkness like others. His refusal to surrender to helplessness makes him a symbol of change and courage.

Talking about the text 

  1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?

✅ 20 Words

Mukesh can fulfil his dream by learning car repair, staying focused, working hard, and not giving up despite difficulties.

✅ 40 Words

Mukesh can achieve his dream by joining a garage, observing carefully, learning skills, and staying determined. He must avoid falling back into bangle-making. Education, guidance, and support from others can help him grow. His hope and courage are his strengths.

✅ 60 Words

Mukesh’s dream of becoming a motor mechanic is difficult but not impossible. If he gets training at a garage and remains determined, he can succeed. He must resist pressure to continue family tradition. Education or vocational training will help. Mentorship and community support can also push him forward. His belief that “I will walk” shows his willingness to go the distance.

✅ 80 Words

Mukesh dreams of becoming a motor mechanic—very different from the family tradition of bangle-making. He can achieve this dream if he stays committed, finds a mentor, and learns the skills in a garage. Though poverty and social pressure may try to pull him back, his determination gives him hope. Education, skill development, and support from NGOs or the government can help him break the cycle. His dream reflects a deep desire to change his future, and with hard work, it’s possible.

2 Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.

✅ 20 Words Answe

Workers suffer burns, eye damage, and lung problems. Children often lose eyesight. They work in dark, hot, and unsafe conditions.

✅ 40 Words Answer

The bangle industry is dangerous. Workers sit in dark, poorly ventilated rooms with hot furnaces. Children inhale glass dust and suffer burns. Many lose their eyesight at a young age. Long hours and heat make it a harmful and painful job.

✅ 60 Words Answer

Working in the glass bangles industry exposes people to serious health hazards. The rooms are dark and small, with very little air. Workers, including children, sit near high-temperature furnaces. They inhale glass dust and toxic fumes, causing breathing problems and loss of eyesight. Many children become blind before they grow up. This industry harms their body and kills their childhood.

✅ 80 Words Answer:

The glass bangle industry in Firozabad is full of health hazards, especially for children. Workers operate in tiny, dark rooms with poor ventilation and blazing furnaces. Constant exposure to glass dust and high temperatures causes burns, respiratory illnesses, and often blindness. Children work for long hours, ruining their health and growth. Many lose their eyesight even before adulthood. Despite these risks, they continue working due to poverty, tradition, and helplessness. The industry, while producing beauty, destroys the lives of those who make it.

3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?

✅ 20 Words

Child labour ruins childhood. It must be eliminated through education, strict laws, awareness campaigns, and support for poor families.

✅ 40 Words

Child labour steals children’s future. It causes health issues, illiteracy, and poverty. To stop it, we need free education, better job options for parents, strong laws, and social awareness. Everyone must work together to give children a safe future.

✅ 60 Words

Child labour must be eliminated because it robs children of their rights, health, and happiness. Children like Saheb and Mukesh should be in school, not in dangerous jobs. The government should enforce anti-child labour laws strictly. NGOs and schools must support poor families. Awareness campaigns and community involvement are key to helping children study and grow safely, with hope and dignity.

✅ 80 Words

Child labour is a major issue that denies children their basic rights to education, health, and freedom. It forces them into dangerous, low-paying jobs at an early age. Children working in places like Seemapuri and Firozabad lose their childhood and dreams. To eliminate this, the government must strictly enforce child labour laws. Free education, financial support for poor families, and awareness drives can help. Society must come together to protect children, ensuring they grow with opportunities, not with burdens.

EXTRA QUESTIONS 

❓ Q1. What forces conspire to keep the workers in Firozabad in poverty?

✅ 20 Words

Middlemen, police, law enforcers, and politicians trap the workers in poverty. Tradition and fear stop them from rebelling.

✅ 40 Words

Bangle workers are stuck in a web of poverty due to greedy middlemen, corrupt police, and unsupportive politicians. Families are scared to protest. Social customs, caste stigma, and lack of education keep them from escaping this cycle. They live in helpless silence.

✅ 60 Words

The poor bangle makers of Firozabad are trapped by a corrupt system. Middlemen exploit them, police threaten them, and politicians ignore their problems. The workers are afraid of breaking laws or protesting. Generations remain poor due to blind faith in destiny, lack of education, and absence of leaders. The entire system seems built to keep them poor, helpless, and quiet.

✅ 80 Words

In Firozabad, bangle workers are victims of a cruel and corrupt system. Middlemen underpay them, and if they try to unite, the police beat and jail them. There’s no political support or legal protection. Their own families have been brainwashed into believing that poverty is their fate. Years of silence, fear, and tradition have killed their dreams. No one dares to break this chain. It is not just poverty, but a combination of caste, corruption, and powerlessness that forces them to remain trapped forever.

 Q2. How is garbage a means of survival for Seemapuri’s residents?

✅ 20 Words

For Seemapuri residents, garbage provides food and income. It’s their livelihood. For children, it’s also a source of hope.

✅ 40 Words

In Seemapuri, people survive by ragpicking. Garbage gives them food, plastic, and things they can sell. Adults see it as survival, while children see it with curiosity and joy. It may seem dirty, but to them, it’s life-saving gold.

✅ 60 Words

The residents of Seemapuri depend on garbage for survival. They are migrants from Bangladesh with no identity but ration cards. Garbage provides them grain, income, and shelter. Children like Saheb find small treasures in garbage—coins, shoes, bits of hope. To outsiders, it’s filth; to them, it’s life. Garbage feeds them, clothes them, and gives their children a reason to keep scrounging.

✅ 80 Words

For the people of Seemapuri, especially ragpickers, garbage is not waste—it is wealth. Most of them migrated from Bangladesh due to poverty and natural disasters. Without jobs or documents, they rely on collecting and selling recyclable materials. Garbage becomes their lifeline, providing them with daily food and a little income. Children search for coins or small treasures and view it with excitement. Though it appears dirty and meaningless to us, for Seemapuri residents, garbage means survival, livelihood, and a fragile sense of security.

Q3. Why is child labour deeply rooted in places like Firozabad?

✅ 20 Words

Child labour in Firozabad is due to poverty, tradition, lack of education, and fear of breaking the inherited occupation.

✅ 40 Words

In Firozabad, children work because their families are poor and uneducated. Making bangles is their traditional job. They don’t know that child labour is illegal. Fear, helplessness, and lack of opportunities force children to follow the same painful path.

✅ 60 Words

Child labour continues in Firozabad because of deep-rooted poverty and tradition. Families have made bangles for generations and believe it’s their destiny. Parents are too poor to send children to school. They are unaware or afraid of the law. The system—including middlemen and police—traps them. Children grow up believing that working in dark rooms is their only choice.

✅ 80 Words

Child labour in Firozabad is a tragic result of economic, social, and traditional pressures. Families have been making bangles for generations and see it as their destiny. Most are too poor to afford education. They fear breaking the law or challenging middlemen. Even though child labour is illegal, there is no strong enforcement. Parents unknowingly pass on the burden to their children. Without awareness, leadership, or courage, children continue working in dangerous conditions, silently accepting pain as part of their lives.

 Q4. How is Mukesh’s dream different from others in Firozabad?

✅ 20 Words

Mukesh dreams of becoming a motor mechanic. Unlike others, he doesn’t accept bangle-making as his only destiny or identity.

✅ 40 Words

While most children in Firozabad follow their parents into bangle-making, Mukesh dares to dream differently. He wants to learn car repair and become a motor mechanic. He is willing to work hard and break free from generational poverty and limitations.

✅ 60 Words

Mukesh stands out in his community because he dreams beyond tradition. He refuses to accept bangle-making as his fate. He wants to learn to repair cars and become a motor mechanic. His desire shows courage and hope. While others silently accept their situation, Mukesh is ready to walk long distances to a garage. His determination gives light in a world filled with darkness.

✅ 80 Words

Mukesh is a symbol of courage and hope in Firozabad. While others around him, including children, are stuck in the cycle of bangle-making, he dreams of becoming a motor mechanic. He doesn’t want to spend his life in a dark, hot room. He is ready to break tradition and even walk miles to learn car repair. Mukesh’s dream is not just about work—it’s about self-respect, freedom, and breaking the cycle of generational poverty. His small dream holds big strength and silent rebellion.

 Q5. Why is the statement “Garbage to them is gold” considered a hyperbole?

✅ 20 Words

It exaggerates reality. For poor children, garbage means survival and hope. It symbolizes how poverty gives value to even trash.

✅ 40 Words

The statement is a hyperbole because it strongly emphasizes how the poor see garbage as precious. For ragpickers like Saheb, it provides food, coins, and dreams. It may be trash to us, but for them, it’s life-sustaining and valuable.

✅ 60 Words

The line “Garbage to them is gold” is a hyperbole used to stress how deeply poor children like Saheb depend on ragpicking. While others see garbage as useless, they find hope, food, and money in it. It supports their families. It shows how poverty changes perspective—what seems worthless to one is wealth to another. It’s emotionally and symbolically powerful.

✅ 80 Words

The phrase “Garbage to them is gold” is a hyperbolic expression that highlights the contrast between the world of the rich and the poor. To ragpickers like Saheb, garbage isn't just waste—it's a way of life. It feeds them, gives them something to sell, and occasionally offers small treasures. This exaggeration is used to draw attention to the sad reality that what society throws away becomes a survival source for the underprivileged. It reflects both their poverty and their hope.

 Q6. How is the beauty of bangles contrasted with the misery of those who make them?

✅ 20 Words

Bangles are beautiful and colorful. But their makers live in poverty, darkness, and danger. Their lives are full of suffering.

✅ 40 Words

The bangles sparkle in many colors and symbolize joy and marriage. But the makers, like Mukesh’s family, live in poverty, dark rooms, and dangerous conditions. Children go blind while making them. The beauty of bangles hides their makers’ pain and struggle.

✅ 60 Words

The bangles made in Firozabad are symbols of beauty and celebration for women. But the workers making them, including children, live in miserable conditions. They work in hot furnaces, inhale glass dust, and go blind. Their homes are dark, poor, and unsafe. This painful contrast between bright bangles and dark lives reveals a deep societal irony and injustice.

✅ 80 Words

Firozabad’s bangles are a symbol of Indian culture—colorful, beautiful, and worn during celebrations. Yet, the people who make them live in extreme misery. Generations of families, including children, work in dark, suffocating rooms with high temperatures. Many lose their eyesight young. They earn little and suffer much. The brightness of the bangles hides the darkness of their lives. This striking contrast shows how society enjoys the product but ignores the pain of the hands that make it.

Q7. Why do people in Firozabad not dream of change or protest against their condition?

✅ 20 Words

They are trapped in poverty and fear. They believe it is their destiny. There is no leader or support system.

✅ 40 Words

People in Firozabad feel helpless. They are scared of police and middlemen. They lack education and leadership. For generations, they have done the same work and accepted poverty as fate. Their tired minds cannot think of change or dream freely.

✅ 60 Words

Firozabad’s bangle-makers don’t dream of freedom because they are mentally and economically trapped. They fear police action if they protest. Middlemen exploit them, and leaders are missing. Years of poverty have killed their hope. They believe bangle-making is their karma. This mindset, passed on for generations, stops them from even imagining a better life. They need courage, awareness, and support to break free.

✅ 80 Words

The people of Firozabad live in a web of poverty and fear. For generations, they have worked in the glass bangle industry and accepted it as their destiny. They lack education, leadership, and awareness of their rights. The system of middlemen, police, and political neglect keeps them silent. Many are afraid that if they protest, they’ll be punished. Over time, even their ability to dream has been suppressed. They survive day to day, unable to imagine a life beyond their current suffering.

Q8. What role does tradition play in the lives of people in Seemapuri and Firozabad?

✅ 20 Words

Tradition traps them in poverty. In Firozabad, tradition keeps families in bangle-making. In Seemapuri, ragpicking becomes habitual survival.

✅ 40 Words

In both Seemapuri and Firozabad, tradition plays a big role in continuing poverty. Ragpicking and bangle-making are passed down generations. People believe it is their fate. They fear change and have no support to break free from these old customs.

✅ 60 Words

In Seemapuri and Firozabad, tradition becomes a cage. In Seemapuri, ragpicking has become a way of life passed from parents to children. In Firozabad, bangle-making is considered a family duty and even a caste-based job. People do not question these roles. They believe it’s their karma. This traditional thinking blocks progress, education, and better opportunities for children and future generations.

✅ 80 Words

Tradition plays a dual role—it gives identity, but also imposes limits. In Seemapuri, families have accepted ragpicking as a daily tradition for survival. Children like Saheb grow up believing it’s normal. In Firozabad, bangle-making is seen as a hereditary caste duty. People, especially elders, believe that this work is their destiny. They pass it on to children without realizing its dangers. This blind following of tradition stops people from dreaming big, seeking education, or stepping out of poverty’s circle.

 Q9. Why did Saheb’s family come to Seemapuri?

✅ 20 Words

Saheb’s family came to Seemapuri after leaving Dhaka due to floods and poverty. They came seeking food and survival.

✅ 40 Words

Saheb’s family migrated from Dhaka, Bangladesh, to Seemapuri in Delhi after floods ruined their fields. Hunger forced them to leave. Seemapuri offered ration cards, food, and basic shelter. Though the living conditions were poor, they found a way to survive.

✅ 60 Words

Saheb’s family left Dhaka because floods destroyed their land and livelihood. With no food or future there, they migrated to Seemapuri, Delhi. Though life in Seemapuri is harsh—mud houses, no sewage, or proper jobs—they receive ration cards and food. For the family, escaping hunger was more important than living in comfort. Like many migrants, they chose survival over stability.

✅ 80 Words

The family of Saheb came to Seemapuri from Dhaka, Bangladesh, due to natural disasters like floods that wiped out their crops. They faced extreme poverty and hunger, so they left their homeland in search of survival. Seemapuri, though a slum, gave them a ration card, a voter ID, and enough to fill their stomachs. The place lacks hygiene and infrastructure, but it offers a form of life. Their story reflects the sad reality of thousands of migrants choosing hunger-relief over dignity and comfort.

 Q10. What is the condition of schools for children like Saheb?

✅ 20 Words

There are no proper schools for children like Saheb. Education is unavailable or unreachable due to poverty and migration.

✅ 40 Words

Children like Saheb have no access to quality education. Schools are either too far, unaffordable, or non-existent. Their families focus on survival, not schooling. Even when schools are nearby, lack of money, documents, and awareness keeps them away from learning.

✅ 60 Words

The condition of education for poor children like Saheb is disheartening. Their families cannot afford to send them to school. Even when there’s a school nearby, the children don’t go—due to poverty, lack of awareness, or the need to earn. Migration makes it worse. Promises of schools are often false or empty. These children are trapped in a cycle where survival takes priority over education.

✅ 80 Words

Saheb and children like him live in a world where schools are a distant dream. Either the schools are far away, or they don’t have money, clothes, or identity documents to get admitted. Sometimes schools are promised, but never built. Parents, busy with daily survival, cannot focus on their children’s education. These children grow up picking garbage or doing odd jobs, losing their right to learn. The system fails them by not making education accessible, inclusive, or connected to their real-life needs.

 Q11. How is childhood affected by poverty in 'Lost Spring'?

✅ 20 Words

Poverty steals childhood. Children like Saheb and Mukesh work instead of playing or studying. They lose dreams and innocence.

✅ 40 Words

In ‘Lost Spring’, poverty forces children into harsh labour. Saheb collects garbage; Mukesh makes bangles. They grow up too early, without fun, school, or freedom. Their lives become a burden. Childhood, meant for joy and learning, turns into survival and pain.

✅ 60 Words

The story shows how poverty brutally impacts childhood. Children like Saheb and Mukesh don’t get to play, study, or dream. They work to support their families. Saheb’s innocence fades as he takes a job at a tea stall. Mukesh’s childhood is spent in dark bangle-making rooms. Instead of running freely, they carry responsibilities. Poverty kills their joy, health, education, and imagination, replacing them with duties far beyond their age.

✅ 80 Words

In ‘Lost Spring’, childhood is shown as a season that never arrives for poor children. Poverty forces them into adult roles too early. Saheb becomes a ragpicker and later a tea stall worker. Mukesh works in the hot, dark bangle factories. Their lives are full of struggle, not smiles. They miss school, play, and rest. The weight of earning and surviving replaces learning and dreaming. Anees Jung powerfully shows how poverty snatches not just food and comfort—but also the right to be a child.

 Q12. How does the author use contrast in the story ‘Lost Spring’?

✅ 20 Words

The author contrasts dreams with reality, beauty with suffering—like bangles vs. poverty, free childhood vs. child labour.

✅ 40 Words

Anees Jung uses contrast effectively. Beautiful bangles are made by children who live in darkness. Children dream of freedom but end up in child labour. The title itself—Lost Spring—contrasts childhood’s joy with the harshness of poverty and survival.

✅ 60 Words

The entire story is built on contrast. Children like Saheb and Mukesh dream of education and freedom, but face poverty and work. The brightness of bangles hides the dark lives of their makers. Saheb’s royal name doesn’t match his ragpicker life. These contrasts highlight inequality. The author uses them to expose how poverty and tradition steal the joy, education, and future of children.

✅ 80 Words

In ‘Lost Spring’, contrast is a powerful literary tool. The author shows how children’s names, surroundings, and dreams are in complete contradiction to their reality. Saheb’s name means “Lord of the Universe”, but he is a barefoot ragpicker. Bangles represent colour and celebration, yet their makers live in darkness and misery. Children should be in schools, but they work in hazardous jobs. The title itself—Lost Spring—reflects the tragic gap between what childhood should be and what it becomes for the poor.

 Q13. Why did Saheb stop going to school even after wearing tennis shoes?

✅ 20 Words

Though Saheb got shoes, he didn’t go to school. There was no proper school nearby, and poverty pulled him back.

✅ 40 Words

Saheb got discarded tennis shoes from someone. But shoes alone don’t bring education. There was no school nearby, and his family’s poverty forced him to work. His dream of schooling remained unfulfilled, despite small signs of progress like footwear.

✅ 60 Words

Saheb once said he would go to school if one were built nearby. Later, he got tennis shoes—often seen as a symbol of education and better life. But nothing really changed. There was still no school around. Poverty, ragpicking, and the daily struggle of survival kept pulling him back. His shoes became a silent reminder of what he couldn’t achieve.

✅ 80 Words

Saheb’s story shows how poverty is bigger than dreams. He once longed for school and even got tennis shoes—a hopeful sign. But shoes are not enough. There was no functional school near his slum. His family’s poverty didn’t allow leisure or learning. He had to pick garbage to support his home. The tennis shoes, meant to symbolize change, couldn’t break the chain of hunger. This reflects how opportunities remain out of reach when the system fails to support basic needs like schooling.

 Q14. How does the author describe Seemapuri?

✅ 20 Words

Seemapuri is a slum on Delhi’s edge. It lacks sanitation, clean water, and housing but offers food and ration.

✅ 40 Words

Seemapuri, on Delhi’s outskirts, houses Bangladeshi migrants like Saheb. People live in mud structures with no sewage, drainage, or official identity. Yet, they get ration cards and food, which they value more than dignity or comfort. It’s a place of survival.

✅ 60 Words

Seemapuri is described as a place of contradiction. People live in poverty without basic civic facilities like sanitation or clean water. Huts have no roofs or safety. But the residents don’t complain—they value food over dignity. For them, hunger is the biggest enemy. They get ration, vote, and survive somehow. Saheb’s story starts here, amid broken homes and scattered dreams.

✅ 80 Words

Seemapuri is a slum located at the edge of Delhi. It’s home to thousands of migrants from Bangladesh who live in unhygienic, temporary shelters made of mud and plastic. There’s no proper sewage, drainage, or water supply. Yet, these residents are grateful because they get ration cards and food grains. To them, surviving another day is more important than owning a house or identity. Anees Jung paints Seemapuri as a symbol of silent suffering—where poverty is normal and food is valued more than self-respect.

 Q15. What role do middlemen play in Firozabad?

✅ 20 Words

Middlemen exploit workers. They pay low wages and stop them from selling directly. They trap families in endless poverty.

✅ 40 Words

In Firozabad, middlemen act as controlling agents. They don’t allow workers to deal directly with markets. They pay them unfair wages, and any attempt to protest is met with threats. Workers remain stuck in poverty while middlemen make profits.

✅ 60 Words

The middlemen in Firozabad are powerful and exploitative. They give low wages to bangle workers and take large profits. The workers can’t sell their bangles directly, and even fear to protest. If they try to speak out, police and goons suppress them. Generations have lived under this system, trapped in a web of poverty and fear. Middlemen ensure that no one escapes or improves.

✅ 80 Words

Middlemen in Firozabad control the entire bangle-making economy. They buy the bangles from poor workers at very low prices and sell them at high profits. The workers can’t directly access markets or fair prices. When they try to organize or speak against this exploitation, the police and local authorities beat or jail them. Thus, the middlemen, in collaboration with corrupt systems, maintain the poverty and helplessness of the workers. Their greed ensures that bangle-makers remain poor, blind, and voiceless forever.

Q16. What does the author mean by ‘web of poverty’?

✅ 20 Words

‘Web of poverty’ means a trap where poor people can’t escape due to tradition, exploitation, fear, and helplessness.

✅ 40 Words

The phrase means a cycle that keeps poor families trapped for generations. In Firozabad, people make bangles, earn little, and fear protesting. Their lack of education and tradition of silence make them believe it’s their fate. They can’t break free easily.

✅ 60 Words

‘Web of poverty’ refers to the inescapable conditions in which poor communities live. In Firozabad, families have been making bangles for generations, trapped by low income, middlemen, lack of education, and blind belief in destiny. They accept suffering as normal. They are stuck without knowing how to change things. This web holds them tightly, denying them growth, dreams, and even basic human rights.

✅ 80 Words

The phrase ‘web of poverty’ symbolizes the strong, invisible chains that trap poor people generation after generation. In Firozabad, people like Mukesh’s family are born into bangle-making and die in the same trade. They’re paid little, denied education, and fear change. Even if they want to escape, they don’t know how. The system—made of middlemen, police, and tradition—keeps them tied down. Their poverty is not just financial—it’s mental and emotional. It’s a cycle that repeats unless someone dares to break it.

 Q17. How is Mukesh different from other children in Firozabad?

✅ 20 Words

Mukesh dares to dream. Unlike other children who accept bangle-making, he wants to become a motor mechanic and change life.

✅ 40 Words

Most children in Firozabad follow their parents into bangle-making without questioning. But Mukesh is different. He wants to become a motor mechanic. He talks about garages and learning new skills. His courage to dream makes him stand out from others.

✅ 60 Words

Mukesh is different from other children in Firozabad because he refuses to accept poverty as fate. While others follow the traditional bangle-making path, Mukesh dreams of becoming a motor mechanic. He is willing to walk long distances to learn. His eyes don’t show fear or helplessness—they shine with quiet determination. His hope breaks the silence that binds others.

✅ 80 Words

Unlike most children in Firozabad who are born into bangle-making and accept it without protest, Mukesh dares to break the cycle. He doesn’t believe in destiny like others around him. He dreams of becoming a motor mechanic and learning car repair. Though his environment is filled with poverty and hopelessness, Mukesh shows courage and direction. He is ready to walk far to learn, ready to work hard to change his life. His silent rebellion and hope make him different from everyone else.

 Q18. What does Seemapuri tell us about the lives of migrants?

✅ 20 Words

Seemapuri shows migrants live in poverty without identity. Yet they choose it over hunger. Food matters more than dignity.

✅ 40 Words

Seemapuri reflects the struggles of migrants. They live in huts, without sanitation or documents. But they get food and ration, which is enough. Hunger forced them to move. Their lives show that survival becomes the top priority, even above dignity.

✅ 60 Words

Seemapuri is home to many Bangladeshi migrants who live without proper shelter, sanitation, or official documents. Yet, they choose it because they get food and ration cards. They survive by ragpicking. It shows how migrants often sacrifice comfort, identity, and dignity just to fill their stomachs. For them, survival is more urgent than citizenship. Their lives reflect the sad reality of displacement and poverty.

✅ 80 Words

Seemapuri tells the silent story of thousands of migrants who come to big cities hoping for food and survival. Though the place lacks basic facilities like clean water, sanitation, and proper housing, it offers something more valuable to them—ration cards and meals. Most of the residents are ragpickers who left their homes in Bangladesh after natural disasters. They have no identity, but they do have food. Their lives are about compromise—choosing to live in inhuman conditions just to escape hunger and death.

 Q19. What message does the story 'Lost Spring' give to society?

✅ 20 Words

The story urges society to stop child labour and provide education. It shows how poverty steals children’s dreams and future.

✅ 40 Words

“Lost Spring” reminds us that millions of children lose their childhood to poverty and labour. It urges people to notice their suffering, support education, and challenge systems that keep them poor. It’s a wake-up call for compassion and action.

✅ 60 Words

The story gives a strong message against child labour and social inequality. It asks us to open our eyes to the lost dreams of children like Saheb and Mukesh. Poverty is not just lack of money—it’s loss of freedom, education, and joy. Society must act—by creating opportunities, spreading awareness, and ensuring that children grow with dignity and not in bondage.

✅ 80 Words

“Lost Spring” conveys a powerful social message about the harsh reality faced by poor children in India. It shows how poverty, tradition, and systemic neglect steal their childhood. Saheb becomes a ragpicker, and Mukesh works in a bangle factory. Their stories highlight how innocent dreams die in the face of hunger and helplessness. The story urges readers to recognize these issues, challenge child labour, and work toward creating a world where every child can enjoy education, freedom, and a happy childhood.

 Q20. How does Anees Jung portray the irony in the lives of poor children?

✅ 20 Words

Poor children have rich names or make beautiful things, but live in dirt and misery. Their reality contrasts with appearances.

✅ 40 Words

Anees Jung uses irony to highlight injustice. Saheb means ‘lord of the universe’ but is a ragpicker. Bangles are symbols of beauty, yet their makers live in darkness. Children dream big, but poverty crushes them. Their lives are full of sad contrasts.

✅ 60 Words

Irony runs throughout the story. Saheb’s name means power, but he owns nothing. Mukesh makes colourful bangles but lives in grey, dusty misery. Bangles are symbols of love, yet their creators suffer in silence. Children are supposed to learn and play, but they work in garbage dumps and factories. Anees Jung uses these sharp contrasts to show the emotional and social cruelty faced by poor children.

✅ 80 Words

Anees Jung skillfully uses irony to expose the tragic gap between what should be and what is. Saheb, whose name means 'Lord of the Universe', is a barefoot ragpicker. Mukesh helps make beautiful bangles, symbols of happiness, but lives in dark, suffocating rooms. These children dream of freedom and dignity, but end up in chains of poverty. The names, objects, and surroundings in their lives are filled with beauty and power, yet their reality is full of suffering. This irony strikes the reader deeply.

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