Question

“But Promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world.”What promise does the author recall? In what context was it made? Was it fulfilled?

Answer 1

Hint: The theme of the poem 'Lost Spring' is the desperate poverty of rag pickers in Seemapuri and bangle makers in Firozabad. The poem delves into the issues of extreme poverty, a terrible social system, and customs that force children to work and live under exploitation.

Complete answer:
Saheb was promised by the storyteller. The pledge, however, was never meant to be kept.
The author then realises her error and concludes that Saheb's life is already full of such promises.
However, the pledges were never kept.
Promises are made and then forgotten, so his reality stays as bleak as ever.

Saheb was asked about going to school by the author. Saheb explained that his neighbourhood lacked a school. When they established a school, he vowed to go. The author inquired, half-jokingly, if he would come if she began one. Saheb agreed to arrive with a big smile. After a few days, he approached the author and inquired about the school's readiness. The author was humiliated. She'd planned a prom.

Promises that are rarely kept:
Promises made to the impoverished are almost never honoured. Half-jokingly, the author asks Saheb if he will come to her school if she opens one. Saheb contests this. He asks if the school is ready a few days later. The author is embarrassed for making a promise he intends to keep.
Every newcomer to this planet is greeted with promises like hers.

The gist of the lesson is as follows:
1) I occasionally come upon a rupee in the trash.
The author investigates and analyses the poverty-stricken conditions and traditions that condemn children to a life of exploitation. These children are denied an education and are forced into hardships at a young age.

2) The writer meets Saheb, a rag picker whose parents have fled poverty in Dhaka in order to make a living in Delhi. His family, like many other rag picker families, resides in Seemapuri. Other than a ration card, they have no other form of identity.

3) Is the only method to make money.
The writer is saddened to watch Saheb, a rag picker whose name means "ruler of the ground," lose his sense of wonder and wander around with his pals barefooted.
The author meets him in a tea kiosk from morning to noon and pays him Rs. 800. He regretfully understands that he is no longer his own master, and his fragile shoulders bear the brunt of this identity loss.


Note: ‘Lost spring’ is a vivid description of the grinding poverty and tradition that condemn the children in our country to a life of poverty and exploitation.