CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA (LOST SPRING)
OBJECTIVE
Children have been at the receiving end of physical and mental abuse, discrimination and harassment
which has ill-effects on their growth. Despite the establishment and enforcement of various
national and international laws which protect their rights, they face these challenges. Endless hurdles in
their lives, from lack of education to their exploitation as a human resource, are complexly entangled
with the issue of poverty they face. This paper attempts to explore Anees Jung’s “Lost Spring: Stories
of Lost Childhood” to understand the problems that children face, whose lives are entangled with
structures of poverty, gender, caste etc. The paper also attempts to discuss the solutions to these
problems as given by Jung.
CONCLUSION
In view of the above, we can safely conclude that Jung has successfully portrayed the problem of child
labour. She has managed to show us real cases in real situations, providing an understanding of the
holistic view of child labour problem. She advocates for education for all children as their right and
tells us soul-stirring stories where people are fighting for children’s rights and also as to how education
has transformed the lives of people. It would have been even more impressive had she given a more
effective solution for the complex problem she discussed.
About the Author
Anees Jung is an Indian female author, journalist and columnist who writes for major newspapers in
India and abroad. She was born in Rourkela and belongs to an aristocratic family in Hyderabad. Her
father, Nawab Hosh Yar Jung, who was a renowned scholar and poet, worked as the musahib (adviser)
to the last Nizam (prince) of Hyderabad State. And her mother and brother are also well-known Urdu
poets.
Jung hit the headlines with the publication of ‘Unveiling India in 1987’, which is primarily a travel diary
that focuses on interviews with women. She went on write many subsequent books on the same topic,
and talked to women about their everyday lives, and wrote books like ‘Night of the New Moon:
Encounters with Muslim women in India’ (1993) and Seven Sisters (1994). Her book ‘Breaking the
Silence (1997) includes conversations on women’s lives from around the world.
BOOKS WRITTEN BY ANEES JUNG
1-Unveiling India 2-Night of the New Moon: Encounters with Muslim women in India 3-Seven Sisters 4Breaking the silence 5-Beyond the Courtyard
INTRODUCTION: THE LOST SPRING
As we all know, spring is the season associated with optimism and hope. It also works as a metaphor for
the childhood stage of our life. Right from the time we’re born until late childhood, every child hopes for
new beginnings and a bright future. The phase of childhood is all about innocence, energy, and
tremendous inclination towards outdoors activities along with fun and play. And playtime does not have
any limits. It is also a time of getting more skill and knowledge and going to school. Here, we take a look
at a particularly impressive rendition – here is the lost spring summary!
The ‘Lost Spring’ written by Anees Jung talks about the national shame of children being forced to live a
life of poverty and exploitation. The main two protagonists of the chapter, Saheb-e-Alam and Mukesh
don’t live their childhood as they have to carry the burden of poverty and illiteracy. In their miserable
stories of exploitation, the author provides glimpses of fortitude and resilience.
Child Labour with reference to Lost spring
Summary of Lost Spring
The Lost Spring summary describes the terrible condition of poor children. These children are those who
didn’t get to enjoy childhood because of the prevailing socio-economic condition in this world. This is
something that one can see all over the world. These children don’t have the opportunity for schooling.
Moreover, there is a lot of pressure on these children to enter into labour early in life. These
unfortunate children are forced into labour. This certainly denies them education as well as the
opportunity to have enjoyment. The author Anees Jung raises voice to eliminate child labour. Jung does
so by raising awareness regarding child education and strict law enforcement against child labour. The
call is to put an end to the exploitation of children. This way the children will be able to enjoy the days of
the spring and have fun.
Introduction to Lost Spring
The text highlights the insufferable trials of youthful lives of children who are forced to lose the days of
spring to exploitation and child labour. Even though India provides constitutional protection to children
from child labour, it is openly flouted and abused.
From begging to rag picking, children are engaged in all sorts of hazardous, unhygienic and exploitative
forms of labour. They are subjected to torture, intimidation, physical abuse and abject poverty in order
to survive on slim pickings. Anees Jung describes the condition and life of two such young brave hearts
who despite their pitiable sufferance, are full of dreams and spring.
LIVES OF CHILDREN LIKE SAHEB AND MUKESH
Shab-e-Azam
The first boy is named a Sahab-e-Azam or literally the monarch of the world. He is a rag picker who lives
n the streets of Delhi. His family had to leave Dhaka after storm and floods destroyed their fields. Azam
scours the dirty litter of the Delhi streets every day in search of the treasure that could change his life
forever.
Even though older pickers look for food etc the young kids are just happy and fascinated by the colourful
wrapping and packaging of the garbage. That is the travesty of our independent and young nation where
there are millions of young Azam struggling to find proper meals let alone good education and safe
homes.
Forced to earn his keep, Azam starts working at a teas stall where he is subjected to inhuman treatment
and abuse. He has to forego his ownership of his spring and his dreams in lieu of the imprisonment of
child labour.
Mukesh
The second story is about Mukesh who also lives in Delhi. His family is from Firozabad and is employed
in the glass making industry since many a generation. His father and a long list of ancestors have paid
the price of being in such a hazardous occupation, losing their vision at a young age.
Mukesh, too, is involved in glass blowing and vulnerable to the dark snare of blindness. But unlike
thousands of young children who are resigned to their fate, Mukesh dreams of ruling his own destiny.
He loves cars and wants to have one of his own someday.
He even goes to a garage in order to learn about cars and engines. Even though the place is quite far
from his place, he walks every day to it and hopes to change his fortune by sheer will, tenacity and
power of his dreams.
How does the author describe the area of Seemapuri?
In the story ' Lost Spring' the writer Anees Jung mentions Seemapuri, a town on the periphery of Delhi. It
is a slum area. Around 10,000 rag-pickers live here. Their houses are structures of mud. They have roofs
of tin and tarpaulin. In Seemapuri, there is no sewage drainage. The people of Seemapuri had come
from Bangladesh in 1971. These people have no identity. But they have ration card. Food is more
important for them than else. They pitch their tents wherever they can find food. For them rag-picking
means their food or their life.
//Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi; most of the rag-pickers live here. Life conditions are
not very good here. There are hardly any civic amenities such as sewage, drinking water, decent homes,
schools, hospital, etc. available there. They do rag-picking for their survival. Young children who should
have been studying at schools, are forced to scavenge garbage mounds of garbage. The Government
must look into their plight and ensure reasonable life conditions to the poor children.
Q. How does the writer describe Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi?
Answer - In the story ' Lost Spring' the writer Anees Jung mentions Seemapuri, a town on the periphery
(boundary ) of Delhi. It is a slum area. Around 10,000 rag-pickers live here. Their houses are structures of
mud. They have roofs of tin and tarpaulin. In Seemapuri, there is no sewage drainage. The people of
Seemapuri had come from Bangladesh in 1971. These people have no identity. But they have ration
card.
Describe the town of Seemapuri ( Lost Spring )They have their names on voters' list. Food is more important for them than else. They pitch their tents
wherever they can find food. For them rag-picking means their food or their life. Rag - piking ( garbage )
to them is gold. Here gold means daily bread. For children, it is more than daily bread. For children, it is
an amazing thing wrapped in wonder. When they find a silver coin in a heap of garbag , they do not stop
probing it. These children have always hope of finding more.
Q. Write a brief ( short ) note on the town of Firozabad ( a town famous for its bangles ).
Answer- The writer has mentioned another town in the story and it is Firozabad. This town is dusty. It is
famous for its bangles. Almost all the families here are engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of
India's glass- blowing industry. For generation) Families in the town ( Firozabad ) have been working
around glass furnaces. These people of Firozabad weld glass and make bangles for the women of all the
country. Even after this, these people have are very poor.
Q. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Solution
The glass bangles industry has many health hazards. It usually employs small children. It is illegal to
employ very young children in hazardous industries, but certain forces like ! middlemen, moneylenders,
police and politicians combine to entrap the poor workers.
Let us first consider the places where bangle makers work. It is a cottage industry. They work in the glass
furnaces with high temperatures. The dingy cells are without air and light. Boys and girls work hard
during day next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps. They weld pieces of coloured glass into circles of
bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. That is why, they often end
up losing their eyesight before they become adults.
Glass blowing, welding and soldering pieces of glass are all health hazards. Even the dust from polishing
the glass of bangles adversely affects the eyes and even adults go blind. Thus, the surroundings,
prevailing conditions and the type of job involved-all prove risky to the health of the workers.
SOS Childrens Villages of India
SOS Children's Villages of India is an independent and non-profit organisation working towards holistic
development of parentless children, women and children belonging to vulnerable families. Based at
Faridabad, they have worked with children and communities in disaster struck and disaster-prone areas,
spreading hope to weary societies and families.
Striving to achieve their vision where every child grows up in a family with love, respect & security, the
organization bases its work on the four pillars of The Mother, Brothers and Sisters, The House and The
Village. Their various flagship programs like Family Based Care and Family Strengthening Program have
reached out to over 25,000 parentless children across 22 states and 32 locations in India.
The noble efforts of their 1700 strong workforce were awarded the Strong Delivery Capability & High
Financial Proficiency Award by the prestigious CRISIL VO 2A. Providing a home-like environment and
long-term support to every child up to the age of 24, the members of this organization are committed to
the welfare of parentless and abandoned children and to the strengthening of families and communities
as a preventive measure in the fight against abandonment and social neglect.
//We are an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organisation working for the holistic
development of parentless children, women and children belonging to vulnerable families. Founded in
1949 in Austria, SOS Children’s Villages began its operations in India in 1964. For over 50 years, we have
reached out to over 25,000 children through our 32 SOS Children’s Villages and 32 community projects
in India.SOS Children’s Villages of India was established in 1964 at Faridabad near Delhi. SOS India has
worked with children, communities, disaster struck and disaster accutane prone areas, giving hope to
weary communities and families. SOS India is the largest operation within the SOS International
Federation of 134 countries.
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, prohibits children from working in certain
occupations and regulates their conditions of work in others (including permitted working hours, rest
and holidays). The Act lays down rules for those employing children as well as penalties for their
unlawful employment.
This Act, which defines a child as a person under 14, was amended by The Child Labour (Prohibition and
Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016. The amendment prohibits the employment of children between 6
and 14 in any occupation or process (except two), and introduces the category of ‘adolescents’ (those in
the 14-18 age group), who are prohibited from working in ‘hazardous occupations and processes’ that
are defined in the Factories Act, 1948.
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