Lost Spring for Class XII

1. LOST SPRING
STORIES OF STOLEN CHILDHOOD
MEANING OF EXPRESSION

2. ‘BUT PROMISES LIKE
MINE ABOUND IN
EVERY CORNER OF
HIS BLEAK WORLD.’
 Saheb was keen to go to school but there was no
school in his neighbourhood and he would gladly join
the school if he gets the opportunity. But the author
feels ashamed of making a false promise which she
could not fulfil.
The narrator promised Saheb that
she would build a school, but the
promise was not meant to be
kept. . The author realises her
mistake and feels that Saheb’s life
is already filled with such
promises. His world remains
gloomy as ever because promises
are made and forgotten.

3. ‘SOMETIMES I FIND
A RUPEE IN THE
GARBAGE’
 The author examines and analyses the pathetic
conditions of ragpickers. He looks onto the garbage
for money. A hope for survival.
Spring is the season associated
with optimism and hope. It is a
metaphor for the childhood
stage of our life. Here these
poverty stricken children do
not understand the meaning of
spring in their life.

4. ‘ I WONDER IF THIS IS
ONLY AN EXCUSE TO
EXPLAIN A PERPETUAL
STATE OF POVERTY’  The author realises that the young ragpickers want to
hide their abject poverty by giving such statements.
The man narrated a story in context of people in India
not having shoes in the past owing to poverty. Peoples
priority change along with time , shoes are now easily
available for everyone, but however the conditions of
ragpickers have not changed they still walk barefoot.
The author notices that most of
the young ragpickers do not
wear chappals. A few want to
wear shoes. Some say it is a
tradition to stay barefoot. But
to the author it seems lack of
money. Actually, poverty forces
them to walk without footwear.

5. IT SYMBOLISES AN
INDIAN WOMAN’S
SUHAAG
 Savita a young girl is engaged in making bangles
without understanding the significance of bangles.
 She would realize only when she gets married.
 She works hard and is wearing a faded pink colour
dress which shows poverty.
A bangle symbolizes an Indian
woman's suhaag. A good omen
in marriage.

6. YEARS OF MIND –
NUMBING TOIL HAVE
KILLED ALL INITIATIVE
AND THE ABILITY TO
DREAM.
 Due to years of hard work they can't dream anything
else now. He cannot dare to think for himself. They do
not have the freedom to decide their future. They are
not able to think with a creative mind anymore.
The people working in
Firozabad, have been toiling for
number of years. They do not
have any ability to do
something else or to dream of
it.

7. FEW AIRPLANES FLY
OVER FIROZABAD.
 As the author asks that if Mukesh ever dreamt of flying
a plane. He was happy to drive a car which he had
seen on roads handling planes is a far-fetched reality
as he has seen very few planes flying over the slums.
Firozabad is economically a
backward city. There is no
airport there, So Mukesh can’t
think of becoming a pilot. He is
satisfied with the ambition of
becoming a car mechanic.

8. HIS DREAMS LOOM
LIKE A MIRAGE
AMIDST DUST OF
STREETS THAT FILL HIS
TOWN FIROZABAD.
 To writer his dreams are like a mirage which will never
be attained. The writer thinks that it will be difficult for
a child living in these conditions to achieve his dream
as he his forced to follow the family traditions and
difficult to come out of such rigid clutches.
Mukesh is determined to be his
own master. He wants to
become a motor mechanic

9. THEME OF
LOSTSPRING
 The title ‘Lost Spring’, conveys and pictorises that
childhood is like a spring . It is a metaphor used for
loss of childhood of millions of child labourers. Spring
is symbolic of joy, happiness, beauty and hope.
Theme is the grinding poverty
and the traditions which
condemn poor children to a life
of exploitation.

10. SEEMAPURI IS A
PLACE ON PERIPHERY
OF DELHI YET MILES
AWAY FROM IT ,
METAMORPHICALLY’.
Through this expression the author wants to say that
these ragpickers though living in the outskirts of Delhi
still it is miles away from it. People in Delhi have luxurious
life in contrast to the poverty prevailing conditions in
Seemapuri.
Delhi, in spite of being the
capital of India, where all
developmental policies of the
nation are framed, is unable to
pay attention to these
ragpickers settled on the
periphery of Delhi.

11. ‘FOR THE CHILDREN IT
IS WRAPPED IN
WONDER , FOR
ELDERS IT IS A MEAN
OF SURVIVAL’.
 For children, garbage is wrapped in wonder as they
expect a coin, note or a valuable thing. This gives the
hope of finding more. For elders it isa means of
survival.
To these children of ragpickers
garbage is gold, they might
something attractive but for
elders rag picking is a trade .
They collect things that can be
sold in the market for money.

12. SAHEB IS NO
LONGER HIS OWN
MASTER.
 Life for Saheb changed, ash e was no longer carefree
and his own master. He was burdened with
responsibilities working at a tea stall. The tin canister
looks heavy as it belonged to his master.
The narrator finds Saheb with a
steel canister on his way to milk
booth. The canister seems
heavier than the plastic he
would carry for rag picking.