Lost Spring Question Answer Chapter 2 | Class 12 Flamingo

1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
Answer: People may migrate from villages to cities because of poverty, lack of employment, natural disasters, loss of farmland and lack of food. In Saheb's case, storms destroyed his family's fields and home in Bangladesh, so they migrated to the city in search of a better life.

2. Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept? Why do you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?
Answer: Yes, promises made to poor children are often not kept. Poor children frequently receive false hopes because people make promises without understanding their real needs or without intending to fulfil them. In the chapter, the narrator jokingly promises to start a school for Saheb but later admits that building a school takes longer.

3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?

Answer: Several forces keep the bangle workers in poverty:

• Poverty and lack of education
• The traditional caste-based occupation
• Exploitation by sahukars and middlemen
• Fear of the police and authorities
• Lack of proper leadership
• Social customs and helplessness
• Generations of dependence on bangle making

These forces create a vicious cycle from which the workers find it difficult to escape.

1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Answer: Mukesh can realise his dream through education, skill training and determination. He should leave the traditional occupation of bangle making, learn automobile repair at a garage and work hard to become a motor mechanic. His willingness to walk to a garage to learn shows that he has the determination to change his life.

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

Answer: The major hazards are:

• Extremely high temperatures near furnaces
• Poor ventilation
• Lack of proper light
• Working in dark and unhealthy surroundings
• Damage to eyesight
• Long hours of hard labour
• Risk to children's health and development

Children working in these conditions can lose their eyesight before adulthood.

3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?

Answer: Child labour should be eliminated because children need education, healthy development, safety and a proper childhood. They should not be forced to work in dangerous conditions.

Child labour can be reduced through:

• Strict enforcement of child labour laws
• Free and accessible education
• Financial support for poor families
• Better employment opportunities for adults
• Awareness among parents and society
• Punishment for employers who illegally employ children

1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Answer: Firozabad is famous for its glass bangles. Almost every other family is involved in making bangles, and it is an important centre of India's glass-blowing industry.

2. How is Mukesh's attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Answer: Mukesh wants to break away from the traditional occupation of his family. He dreams of becoming a motor mechanic and is ready to learn the skill. His family, however, has accepted bangle making as their destiny and continues the occupation from one generation to another.