Lost Spring: Saheb and Mukesh Compared
Updated 17 October 2026 · Draft, not yet fact-checked
Saheb is a ragpicker from Seemapuri who loses his carefree freedom when he takes a tea-stall job; Mukesh is a bangle maker's son in Firozabad who still dares to dream of becoming a motor mechanic. Both lose their childhood to poverty, but Saheb's story shows a loss of freedom and Mukesh's shows trapped tradition and a spark of hope.
Both boys lose childhood to poverty: Saheb loses his freedom, while Mukesh is bound by tradition yet still holds a spark of hope.
Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.
Understand Saheb and Mukesh Compared: Two Stolen Childhoods
Why compare them. The chapter has two halves. Part one is about Saheb-e-Alam in Seemapuri, part two about Mukesh in Firozabad. The board often asks for a character sketch of one boy, or for what the two stories have in common, so you should be able to hold both in a single frame.
Saheb. His family left Dhaka after storms swept away their fields and homes, and now lives among about 10,000 ragpickers who came from Bangladesh in 1971. They live in mud houses with tin roofs, without drainage or running water, with ration cards but no identity papers. Saheb roams barefoot looking for something valuable in the garbage; to the children it is 'wrapped in wonder' because a coin or a rupee may turn up. His name means lord of the universe, a cruel contrast with his life. He wishes to go to school and likes games like tennis that he can only watch. When he takes a job at a tea stall for 800 rupees and meals, the narrator notices that he is no longer his own master.
Mukesh. In Firozabad, every other family makes glass bangles. Mukesh's family works in dark, airless rooms near hot furnaces, and many children lose their eyesight. His grandmother calls their work karam, their destiny. Unlike the older workers, Mukesh insists on a different future: he wants to be a motor mechanic and is ready to walk to a distant garage to learn. The narrator adds that he does not dream of flying planes, because few planes fly over Firozabad.
What they share. Both are children who should be in school; both are held back by poverty; both live where adults accept hardship; neither has a way out through education.
How they differ.
- Kind of trap: Saheb is a refugee in a city, with no stable home or papers; Mukesh belongs to an old family trade held in place by caste, debt and middlemen.
- Work: Saheb's rag-picking is unorganised and carefree in a way; Mukesh's work is hazardous to the eyes.
- Attitude: Saheb is hopeful but passive and later loses his freedom; Mukesh actively chooses a goal.
- What the author notices: with Saheb it is loss of freedom; with Mukesh it is the loss of the ability to dream.
The writer's tone. Anees Jung is not angry in a shouting way. She states what she sees, includes her own half-hearted promise to start a school, and lets the contrast between name and life, and between bangles and hunger, speak.
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
Garbage to them is gold.
Author: The ragpickers of Seemapuri.
Garbage is their only source of food and shelter.
Saheb is no longer his own master!
Author: After the tea-stall job.
Even a wage takes away his freedom.
Few airplanes fly over Firozabad.
Author: Why Mukesh does not dream of flying.
Dreams are limited by what a child sees around him.
Saheb and Mukesh Compared: Two Stolen Childhoods: key facts
- Saheb at a glance
Place Seemapuri Family left Dhaka after storms Work rag-picking, later tea stall Pay 800 rupees and meals Wish school, tennis Loss freedom - His name Saheb-e-Alam means lord of the universe.
- Mukesh at a glance
Place Firozabad Family trade glass bangles Danger dark, airless rooms near furnaces; loss of eyesight Grandmother says karam Wish motor mechanic Attitude I will walk - Determined, but dreams are limited by his surroundings.
- Common ground
- Poverty
- No school
- Child labour
- No way out through education
- Adults who accept their lot
- Use as the opening of any comparison.
- Contrast table
Saheb refugee, no papers Mukesh old family trade, caste and debt Saheb loses freedom Mukesh keeps a dream Saheb passive hope Mukesh active choice - Three contrasts earn full content marks.
How to answer Saheb and Mukesh Compared: Two Stolen Childhoods questions
Use this for a comparison, character sketch or theme question on the two boys.
- 1Open with the shared fact: both are children denied school by poverty.
- 2Give one concrete detail for each boy: Seemapuri garbage and the tea stall for Saheb; furnaces and the motor mechanic dream for Mukesh.
- 3State two contrasts: kind of trap and attitude to the future.
- 4Quote or paraphrase one line of the author for each boy.
- 5Close with the lesson: society's indifference, and why hope must be backed by action.
Saheb and Mukesh Compared: Two Stolen Childhoods in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
A job that pays but takes away freedom
Suppose a thirteen-year-old boy in a small town starts washing cups at a roadside tea shop for a fixed wage, and stops playing cricket with his friends in the evening.
His mother is glad about the money. Using Saheb's story, explain what may be lost even though the job pays.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Saheb earned 800 rupees and meals, but the narrator notes he is no longer his own master.
- The boy likewise gives up play, school time and the freedom to decide how to spend a day.
- Money helps the family today but may cost the child his education and future.
Answer: The boy loses freedom, play and time for school, just as Saheb does. The wage is real, but the childhood it costs cannot be bought back.
Memory hook: A wage can pay the bills and still take the child.
Dreams limited by what we see
Imagine a girl in a village with no library or science lab who says she wants to be a tailor, because the tailor is the only skilled person she has seen.
Which line of the chapter explains her limited dream, and how could a teacher widen it?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Mukesh does not dream of flying because few planes fly over Firozabad.
- A teacher can show her books, visits and role models from other fields.
- Wider exposure lets a child dream beyond her surroundings.
Answer: The line about few airplanes over Firozabad fits. The teacher can widen her dream by exposing her to new careers and people.
Memory hook: You cannot dream of what you have never seen.
Tricks to remember Saheb and Mukesh Compared: Two Stolen Childhoods
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
S for Seemapuri, S for Stolen freedom
Saheb loses freedom; Mukesh keeps a dream.
Use it when: Quick one-line contrast for the 2-mark answer.
G-F-M: Garbage, Furnace, Mechanic
Garbage (Saheb), Furnace (bangles), Mechanic (Mukesh's dream).
Use it when: Recalls the key setting or detail for each boy.
Three Ps of the trap
Poverty, Past (caste and karam), Powerful (middlemen, police, politicians).
Use it when: For the vicious-circle question.
Saheb and Mukesh Compared: Two Stolen Childhoods: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: Where the families came from · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The ragpickers of Seemapuri had come from which place, and why had Saheb's family left their home?
(a) Nepal, because of a drought
(b) Dhaka (Bangladesh), because storms swept away their fields and homes
(c) Delhi, because a factory closed
(d) Firozabad, because of a bangle ban
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The ragpickers came from Bangladesh, and Saheb's family left Dhaka after storms took their fields and homes (1 mark).
Answer: (b)
Example 2: Who is the speaker? · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Who says that the bangle makers cannot break their calling because it is their karam, their destiny, and what does the idea suggest about their outlook?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- It is Mukesh's grandmother who calls it karam (0.5).
- The idea shows fatalism: they accept poverty as destiny (0.5).
Answer: Mukesh's grandmother; it shows fatalism, an acceptance of poverty as destiny.
Example 3: Two kinds of loss · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Compare what Saheb and Mukesh lose to poverty. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Saheb: freedom and school (1).
- Mukesh: health, eyesight and the habit of dreaming (1).
Answer: Saheb loses his freedom and his chance of school: he roams free as a ragpicker, but at the tea stall he is no longer his own master. Mukesh's family works near furnaces, losing eyesight and the ability to dream; he alone still wants to become a motor mechanic.
Example 4: Why does Mukesh's dream stay small? · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
The narrator says Mukesh does not dream of flying planes. What does this reveal about the effect of environment on dreams? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- State the reason in the text (1).
- Generalise to environment (1).
Answer: The author says few planes fly over Firozabad, so Mukesh cannot imagine becoming a pilot. His dream of being a motor mechanic comes from cars he has seen. A child's dreams are shaped by what he sees, so poverty and isolation shrink his ambitions even when he is determined.
Example 5: Is hope enough? · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Mukesh insists that he will walk to a distant garage to learn motor mechanics. Do you think determination alone can break the cycle of poverty shown in the chapter? Write in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Introduction: Mukesh's resolve (1).
- Body: forces against him such as the cycle of sahukars, middlemen, police and politicians (2).
- What else is needed: schools, enforcement of laws, support (1).
- Conclusion and accuracy (1).
Answer: Determination is a vital first step, but it cannot break the cycle alone. Mukesh's decision to walk to a distant garage and become a motor mechanic shows courage that the older bangle makers have lost. Yet the chapter describes a vicious circle of moneylenders, middlemen, police, bureaucrats and politicians who keep families poor, and workers who fear that forming a cooperative will only get them beaten and jailed. A child alone cannot fight these forces. He also needs a school that is nearby and free, laws against child labour that are actually enforced, and adults who support his plan. Hope gives direction, but opportunity gives the means. Mukesh's story is hopeful only if society is ready to meet his determination halfway.
Where students lose marks in Saheb and Mukesh Compared: Two Stolen Childhoods
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Calling Saheb and Mukesh by the same trap
Both are poor, so students blur their situations.
Wrong working
Both boys are bangle makers living in Firozabad.
Right working
Saheb is a refugee ragpicker in Seemapuri; Mukesh belongs to a bangle-making family in Firozabad.
Do this: Keep the S-S and M-F pairs: Saheb-Seemapuri, Mukesh-Firozabad.
Usually costs: 1 mark in comparison answers.
Mistake: Writing that Saheb is unhappy because he is poor
The text says he is unhappy at the tea stall because he lost his freedom, not because he is poor.
Wrong working
Saheb is unhappy because he earns very little.
Right working
Saheb loses his freedom and carefree look; he is no longer his own master.
Do this: Quote the line on the master.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Calling Mukesh a pilot dreamer
Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic; the author says he does not dream of flying.
Wrong working
Mukesh dreams of becoming a pilot.
Right working
Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic; few airplanes fly over Firozabad.
Do this: Memorise the G-F-M list.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Ignoring the writer's own role
The author appears in the story with her promise; students leave it out of the sketch.
Wrong working
The author only describes the boys.
Right working
She also admits her own empty promise, which shows how easily society forgets the poor.
Do this: Add one line on the author's promise in theme answers.
Usually costs: Part of 5 marks.
Exam tips
- Name the place for each boy: Seemapuri for Saheb and Firozabad for Mukesh.
- Use the quotations Garbage to them is gold and Saheb is no longer his own master exactly.
- In a comparison, give two similarities and two contrasts; one of each is too thin.
- End a theme answer with a social point: child labour laws and schools, not only pity.
- Keep a 40-50 word answer to two linked points.
Practice questions on Saheb and Mukesh Compared: Two Stolen Childhoods
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Fill in: The ragpickers of Seemapuri have no ________ but they have ration cards, because for them survival matters more than identity.
Hint
Think of papers that prove who one is.
Answer
identity papers (permits).
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does the author say that for the children of Seemapuri garbage is 'wrapped in wonder'? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Think of what a child hopes to find.
Answer
For the children, garbage may hide a coin or a rupee, so each heap holds the thrill of a surprise. For their parents it is survival, but for the children it carries the excitement of a lucky find. Poverty makes them find wonder in what others throw away.
Q3 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Saheb is happy as a ragpicker but unhappy at the tea stall. Is this a surprising change? Explain with evidence in 120-150 words.
Hint
Freedom against pay; his earlier hopes.
Answer
It is not surprising once we see what each job means to Saheb. As a ragpicker he is poor and barefoot, but he is free. He roams with his friends, decides when to start and stop, and can hope to find a coin in the garbage. At the tea stall he earns 800 rupees and meals, a steady wage that the family may need, but his time now belongs to his employer. He carries a canister that is not his own, and the author notes that he is no longer his own master. The loss of freedom, the end of his carefree look and the lack of school make him sad. The change shows that a wage can bind a child as firmly as poverty does, and that childhood needs freedom and play as much as food.
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
The old woman in Firozabad wears bangles but has never eaten a full meal. What irony does the author bring out? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Think of what bangles mean for a married woman, and what her life is actually like.
Answer
The old woman wears bangles, the symbol of a married woman's suhaag, yet she has never had a full meal in her life. The irony is that the bangle makers who produce symbols of good fortune live in hunger and poverty.
Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
The author says her own promise of starting a school for Saheb was an empty one. Do you think she is being too hard on herself? Give your judgement in 40-50 words, using the text.
Hint
Say what happens when Saheb runs up to ask.
Answer
She is honest rather than harsh. Her half-joking offer raised hope in Saheb, who later runs up to ask whether the school is ready, and she is embarrassed. She criticises herself to show how common careless promises to the poor are.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.What does Saheb-e-Alam mean?Show answer
Lord of the universe.
2.What does Saheb earn at the tea stall?Show answer
800 rupees and meals.
3.What trade is Firozabad known for?Show answer
Making glass bangles.
4.What does Mukesh want to be?Show answer
A motor mechanic.
5.What does the grandmother call the family's work?Show answer
Karam, their destiny.
6.Why does Mukesh not dream of flying?Show answer
Few airplanes fly over Firozabad.
Saheb and Mukesh Compared: Two Stolen Childhoods: frequently asked questions
Who is the author of Lost Spring?
Anees Jung wrote Lost Spring, a chapter in Flamingo.
What is the central idea of Lost Spring?
Poverty, caste and indifference steal the childhood of millions of children, though hope can survive in some.
Is Mukesh a hopeful character?
Yes, he dares to dream differently, though his dream is limited by what he sees around him.
Which question types come from this comparison?
A 2-mark question on what the boys lose or dream, and a 5-mark question on child labour, poverty or hope.