by Anees Jung
A tale of discovering wonders in the ordinary, rising beyond social stigma, and of dreaming the impossible.
“I sometimes find a rupee, even a ten-rupee note.”
I. Sometimes I find a Rupee in the garbage
Answer the following questions:
1) What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
Saheb is a ragpicker who is looking for gold in the garbage dumps. Gold here is a metaphor for a coin of one rupee, a 5-rupee or a 10-rupee note or any valuable item that he may find.
He currently lives in Seemapuri on the periphery of Delhi. He has come from Dhaka, Bangladesh after a storm destroyed their home and fields.
2) What casual promise did author make which she regretted later?
Unknowingly and casually, the author asked Saheb whether he would go to school if the author made one. Saheb said yes and took it very seriously. Later, whenever they met, Saheb asked the narrator if her school was ready.
3) Why would Saheb laugh if he knew the meaning of his full name?
Saheb-e-Alam is the full name of Saheb, which means Lord of the Universe. Saheb was a ragpicker who collected garbage. The meaning of his name is quite opposite of what he does for a living. Therefore, he would have laughed.
4) What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
One of them gives an excuse that his mother did not bring them down from the shelf. But even if she did, he would have thrown them off. According to the author, it is not a lack of money, but a tradition to stay barefoot. It may be the way to express their perpetual state of poverty.
5) Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically. Explain.
Literally, Seemapuri on the periphery of Delhi would only be a few miles away from the main city. However, there is a huge difference between the lifestyles and standards of living of people at these two places. Therefore, metaphorically, Seemapuri is miles away from Delhi.
6) What does garbage mean to adults and children of Seemapuri?
For the adults of Seemapuri, ragpicking is their means of survival. It has acquired the fine proportions of art. Garbage to them is gold. It is their daily bread and a roof over their heads.
For children of Seemapuri, it is even more. For them, garbage is wrapped in wonder. They might find a coin of one rupee or a ten-rupee note. This, for them, is like finding some treasure. Once they find something, they keep hoping to find more. There is a sense of excitement and enthusiasm each time they to for ragpicking.
7) Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.
No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall. The bag that he used to carry over his shoulders was his own. The canister he carries belongs to the owner of the tea-stall. There is a burden of responsibility on him, and his carefree attitude is gone. The canister seems heavier than the bag he used to carry. Saheb is not happy as he is no longer his own master now.
II. I want to drive a car
1) What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
City of Firozabad is famous for its bangles and glass-blowing industry.
2) Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
The workers have to work in poorly ventilated dingy rooms without enough light. They are constantly looking at the flames and their eyes become adjusted to that. They are not used to the daylight outside. This damages their eyesight.
They work at hot temperatures inside very small and cramped rooms.
While polishing the glass or bangles, the fine dust floating in the air might get into their eyes and many of them suffer from blindness at an early age.
3) How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Mukesh’s family members and many people in Firozabad have accepted bangle-making as their destiny. They feel that this is what they are supposed to do as their fathers and grandfathers have done the same. Years of mind-numbing hard-work has made them lose the daring and ability to dream or take initiative. However, Mukesh still dares to dream. He wants to become a motor mechanic and drive a car. The enthusiasm of doing something different is still alive in him.
4) What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
There are two factors here. First, people themselves have accepted bangle-making as their destiny. They have neither any other skill nor money to dare and do something different. There is a lack of leadership and ability to take initiatives. They are burdened by the stigma of caste in which they are born.
Second, there is this vicious circle made up of the saahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians. They conspire to keep these bangle makers poor. They impose such a baggage of responsibility and helplessness on these bangle makers that they cannot put it down. Before one knows, the worker accepts the baggage as naturally as his father did.