Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering the key people, events, statistics, themes, and details from Anees Jung's "Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood".

Where was author Anees Jung born, and where was she educated?

Anees Jung was born in Rourkela in $1944$ and received her education in Hyderabad and in the United States of America.

From which larger work is the chapter "Lost Spring" excerpted?

It is an excerpt from Anees Jung's book titled Lost Spring, Stories of Stolen Childhood.

What is Saheb doing when the author encounters him every morning?

He is scrounging for gold in the garbage dumps of the author's neighbourhood.

Why did Saheb and his family leave their home in Dhaka?

Many storms swept away their fields and homes, prompting them to move to the big city in search of gold.

What does Saheb's full name, "Saheb-e-Alam," mean?

It means "lord of the universe."

What common explanation is given for poor children walking barefoot, and how does the author view it?

It is explained as a tradition to stay barefoot rather than a lack of money, which the author suspects is merely an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of poverty.

In the story from Udipi, what did the young boy pray for at the temple?

He stopped briefly at the temple where his father was a priest to pray for a pair of shoes.

Where is Seemapuri located, and when did its squatters arrive?

Seemapuri is located on the periphery of Delhi, and its residents are squatters who arrived from Bangladesh back in $1971$.

What are the living conditions of the $10,000$ ragpickers living in Seemapuri?

They live in mud structures with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, completely devoid of sewage, drainage, or running water.

How have the squatters in Seemapuri lived for more than $30$ years without permits or identity?

They hold ration cards that place their names on voters' lists and allow them to purchase grain.

How does the meaning of garbage differ between children and their elders in Seemapuri?

For the elders, garbage is a daily means of survival and bread; for the children, it is wrapped in wonder and the hope of finding a rupee, a ten-rupee note, or a silver coin.

Why was Saheb wearing tennis shoes with a hole in one of them?

They were discarded shoes given to him by a rich boy who refused to wear them due to the hole.

What terms of employment does Saheb receive at the tea stall?

He is paid $800$ rupees and provided all of his meals.

Why does Saheb's face lose its carefree look after working at the tea stall?

The steel canister belongs to the tea shop owner and feels heavier than his plastic bag; he is no longer his own master.

What career ambition does Mukesh express to the author?

He wants to be his own master by becoming a motor mechanic and learning to drive a car.

What industry is the city of Firozabad famous for?

It is the centre of India's glass-blowing industry, famous for making glass bangles.

How many children illegally work in the glass furnaces of Firozabad?

About $20,000$ children work illegally around hot glass furnaces in dingy cells without air and light.

What severe health hazard commonly affects children working in Firozabad's bangle industry?

Because their eyes become more adjusted to the dark than daylight while working near flickering flames, they often lose their eyesight before becoming adults.

Who is the young woman cooking the evening meal in Mukesh's home?

She is the wife of Mukesh's elder brother and serves as the bahu (daughter-in-law) in charge of three men.

What has Mukesh's father achieved after long years of hard labour as a tailor and bangle maker?

He failed to renovate his house or send his two sons to school, managing only to teach them the art of making bangles.

What reason does Mukesh's grandmother give for her husband going blind?

She calls it his "karam" (destiny), believing a god-given lineage of bangle makers can never be broken.

What do glass bangles symbolise in Indian tradition, as mentioned regarding Savita?

They symbolise an Indian woman's suhaag, representing auspiciousness in marriage.

What lament does the old woman sitting beside Savita express about her life?

"Ek waqt ser bhar khana bhi nahin khaya," meaning she has not enjoyed even one full meal in her entire lifetime.

Why do the young bangle makers in Firozabad refuse to form a cooperative?

They fear being hauled up, beaten, and dragged to jail by the police for doing something illegal, as they have fallen into the trap of middlemen and have no leader.

What two distinct worlds does the author identify as trapping the children of Firozabad?

One world is the family bound by poverty and the stigma of caste; the other is a vicious circle of sahukars, middlemen, policemen, keepers of law, bureaucrats, and politicians.

Why is Mukesh content with dreaming of cars rather than flying an airplane?

He sees cars hurtling down the streets of his town every day, whereas few airplanes ever fly over Firozabad.

According to Dana Kornberg's study cited in the text, how are scrap collectors in Delhi typically compensated?

Collectors are rarely paid the full purchase amount at once; instead, they receive small daily payments for expenses while the remainder is retained as a deposit.