A. THINK AS YOU READ :
1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps ? Where is he and where has he come from ?
Ans - Saheb is looking for some notes (money ) or coins in the garbage dumps . He is in a place called Seemapuri in Delhi and he has come from Bangladesh .
2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear ?
Ans - The author explains that those he has to work according to the owner and cannot act according to his wishes .
3. Is Saheb happily working at the tea stall ? Explain .
Ans - No , he is not happy because he has to work according to the owner and cannot act according to his wishes .
B. THINK AS YOU READ :
1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous ?
Ans - It is famous for bangle - making , the dust blowing bangle industry is in Firozabad .
2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry ?
Ans - In the glass bangles industry people have to work in closed cells without air and light , their eyes are most comfortable in darkness than light . Sometimes they turn blind from the dust of glass .
3. How is Mukesh's attitude to his situation different from that of his family ?
Ans - Mukesh's family consists of al bangle makers and they have accepted their lot . But Mukesh has dared to dream different and become a motor mechanic instead of a bangle maker .
C. UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT :
1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from village to cities ?
Ans- The living conditions in villages are not so upgraded , they are continuously thrown under the dangers of natural calamities like floods , landslides ,storms , families etc. So , they are forced to migrate to cities .
2. Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept ? Why do you think this happen in the incidents narrated in the text ?
Ans Yes, promises made to all poor people are hardly kept because they are lacking in the processes of the government and they are not able to put stress for achieving their rights .
3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry to Firozabad in poverty ?
Ans - The group of conspires consists of the middlemen , the Sahukars , the policemen , the law keepers , the bureaucrats and the political leaders .
D. TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT :
1. How , in your opinion , can Mukesh realise his dream ?
Ans - He can realise his dream by properly learning the work of a motor mechanic and not to be put down by any difficulty .
2. Why should child labour be eliminated and how ?
Ans - Child labour is a cruel system . It should be eliminated and make the young ones educated so that they can know the difficulty world and live a respectable and independent life . Child labour should be banned by law and organisations should fight for the cause .
E. ADDITIONAL SHORT ANSWERS :
1. What was Saheb's full name ? Do you think it is ironical ?
Ans Saheb's full name was Saheb - e - Alam which means ' the lord of the Universe ' . The name is absolutely ironical because in reality Saheb is not even his own master , he hardly gets to eat or wear properly .
2. What does Saheb look for in the garbage dumps ?
Ans - Saheb ( and other such children ) looks for some coins , currency notes and other things in the garbage dumps .
3. Wherefrom and why has he come to Delhi ?
Ans - Saheb's home is in Dhaka . Storms destroyed all their houses and crops, so to earn their food the families came out to Delhi .
4. What is the name of the place where Saheb lives ?
Ans - The place is Seemapuri which lies on the periphery of Delhi .
5. What kind of place is Seemapuri ? Describe according to the another ?
Ans - Seemapuri area is inhabited by Bangladeshis who came here in 1971 . They live in poor living conditions . In mud houses and tin roofs without any drainage , sewage and sanitation their lives pitiable .
B. LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS :
1. Describe the life of the ragpickers of Seemapuri ?
Ans - The ragpickers of Seemapuri had their homes in Dhaka where there houses and crops were destroyed by the storms and they had to flee in order to get their food . The place is not at all good to live in . Their houses are not structured with roofs of tin and tarpaulin . There is no sanitation and drainage system . They search for coins and other things in the garbage dumps and whatever they get they earn their livelihood from there . Their children are not sent to school to study , all day they are only searching garbage heaps . For them garbage is the source of survival , for the children garbage is an adventure and an excitement . The author is touched to see their pitiable condition in the slum area .
2. Write a note on the miserable reality of the bangle makers of Firozabad ?
Ans - The bangle makers of Firozabad live a very painful reality . The entire area is involved in the job of making glass bangles , every family , every person , every child of the community is linked with the glass industry . These workers work in closed cells with glass furnaces with dust of glass , their eyes are most adjusted to darkness than light . They often lose their eyesight while working continuously in those suffocating conditions . Besides , they have no improvement in their living standards ; they live together with animals in poor houses , some of them don't even have a reliable roof over the heads . Generation after generation their lives are confined and lost in those glass pieces and lost eyesights . The authorities also discriminate them and stop any betterment to their lives.
