Part I – Sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage
The first part talks about the writer’s impressions about the life of
the unfortunate rag pickers. The rag pickers migrate from Dhaka and
find a settlement in Seemapuri. They end up losing their fields and
homes due to storms. They then come to the big city to find a living,
but are poor. The author then watches Saheb, the rag picker, every morning who is
always scrounging for “gold” in her neighbourhood. Garbage is actually
the means of survival for the elders and it is something wrapped in
wonder for the children. Sometimes, the children find a coin or two from
it. Even these kids have desires and ambitions, but they have no clue
about how to achieve them. There are many things that are unreachable to
them, for instance, shoes, tennis and similar stuff. Later on, Saheb
starts working at a tea stall where he earns 800 Rupees and also gets to
eat all the meals. But the job takes away his freedom.
Part II – I want to drive a car
The second part is about the life of Mukesh, who comes from the
family of bangle-makers. Firozabad is quite popular for its
glass-blowing industry. A staggering 20,000 children are a part of this
business and any law that forbids child labour is brutally ignored here.
Also, the working environment and the living conditions are pathetic.
Children live in dingy cells and work around hot furnaces that make them
blind when they enter adulthood. Since they are weighed down by debt,
they cannot think or find any way to escape this trap. The politicians,
policemen, middlemen and bureaucrats obstruct their way of progress.
Most women in such families think that this is their fate and just
follow the tradition. But Mukesh is very different from the rest of the
folks there. He has dreams of becoming a motor mechanic The garage is quite far from his house but he shall walk.
NCERT Solutions of Lost Spring Class 12 Flamingo
