I A Baker from Goa - NCERT

1 ActivityDiscuss in images of people and of places come to your mind,when you think of our country? parts of India have you lived in, or visited? Can you namesome popular tourist destinations? may know that apart from the British, the Dutch and theFrench, the Portuguese have also played a part in the history ofour country. Can you say which parts of India show Frenchand Portuguese influences? you say which parts of India grow (i) tea, (ii) coffee?IA Baker from GoaThis is a pen-portrait of a traditional Goan village Baker who stillhas an important place in his elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgicallyabout those good old Portuguese days, the Portugueseand their famous loaves of bread. Those eaters of loavesmight have vanished but the makers are still still have amongst us the mixers, the mouldersand those who bake the loaves.

2 Those age-old, time-tested furnaces still exist. The fire in the furnaceshas not yet been extinguished. The thud and jingle of 2022-23 the traditional Baker s bamboo, heralding his arrivalin the morning, can still be heard in some the father is not alive but the son still carrieson the family profession. These bakers are, even today,known as pader in our childhood in Goa, the Baker used tobe our friend, companion and guide. He used tocome at least twice a day. Once, when he set out inthe morning on his selling round, and then again,when he returned after emptying his huge jingling thud of his bamboo woke us up fromsleep and we ran to meet and greet him. Why wasit so? Was it for the love of the loaf? Not at all. Theloaves were bought by some Paskine or Bastine,the maid-servant of the house! What we longed forwere those bread-bangles which we chose it was sweet bread of special Baker made his musical entry on the scenewith the jhang, jhang sound of his specially madebamboo staff.

3 One hand supported the basket onhis head and the other banged the bamboo on theground. He would greet the lady of the house with Good morning and then place his basket on thevertical bamboo. We kids would be pushed asidewith a mild rebuke and the loaves would be deliveredto the servant. But we would not give up. We wouldclimb a bench or the parapet and peep into thebasket, somehow. I can still recall the typicalfragrance of those loaves. Loaves for the elders andthe bangles for the children. Then we did not evencare to brush our teeth or wash our mouthsproperly. And why should we? Who would take thetrouble of plucking the mango-leaf for thetoothbrush? And why was it necessary at all? Thetiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could washand clean up everything so nicely, after all! are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?

4 Bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know? is the Baker called? would the Baker come everyday? Why did the childrenrun to meet him? 2022-23 Marriage gifts are meaningless without the sweetbread known as the bol, just as a party or a feastloses its charm without bread. Not enough can besaid to show how important a Baker can be for avillage. The lady of the house must preparesandwiches on the occasion of her daughter sengagement. Cakes and bolinhas are a must forChristmas as well as other festivals. Thus, thepresence of the Baker s furnace in the village isabsolutely Baker or bread-seller of those days had apeculiar dress known as the kabai. It was a single-piece long frock reaching down to the knees. In ourchildhood we saw bakers wearing a shirt andtrousers which were shorter than full-length onesand longer than half pants.

5 Even today, anyonewho wears a half pant which reaches just belowthe knees invites the comment that he is dressedlike a pader!The Baker usually collected his bills at the endof the month. Monthly accounts used to be recordedon some wall in pencil. Baking was indeed aprofitable profession in the old days. The Baker andhis family never starved. He, his family and hisservants always looked happy and prosperous. Theirplump physique was an open testimony to this. Eventoday any person with a jackfruit-like physicalappearance is easily compared to a Baker . the following. What is a must(i)as marriage gifts? cakes and bolinhas(ii)for a party or a feast? sweet bread called bol(iii)for a daughter s engagement? bread(iv)for Christmas? did the bakers wear: (i) in the Portuguese days? (ii) when theauthor was young? invites the comment he is dressed like a pader ?

6 Why? were the monthly accounts of the Baker recorded? does a jackfruit -like appearance mean? 2022-23 of these statements are correct?(i)The pader was an important person in the village in old times.(ii)Paders still exist in Goan villages.(iii)The paders went away with the Portuguese.(iv)The paders continue to wear a single-piece long frock.(v)Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life in the old days.(vi)Traditional bread-baking is still a very profitable business.(vii)Paders and their families starve in the present bread an important part of Goan life? How do you know this? the right answer. What is the tone of the author when he says the following?(i)The thud and the jingle of the traditional Baker s bamboo can still beheard in some places. (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)(ii)Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the familyprofession.

7 (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)(iii)I still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. (nostalgic, hopeful,naughty)(iv)The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean upeverything so nicely, after all. (naughty, angry, funny)(v)Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals.(sad, hopeful, matter-of-fact)(vi)The Baker and his family never starved. They always looked happy andprosperous. (matter-of-fact, hopeful, sad) this extract, the author talks about traditional bread-baking during hischildhood days. Complete the following table with the help of the clues onthe left. Then write a paragraph about the author's childhood s childhood daysthe way bread was bakedthe way the pader sold breadwhat the pader worewhen the pader was paidhow the pader looked2022-23 the piece from the text (on the left below) with the other pieceon Goan bakers (on the right).

8 What makes the two texts so different?Are the facts the same? Do both writers give you a picture of the Baker ?Our elders are often heardreminiscing nostalgically aboutthose good old Portuguese days,the Portuguese and their famousloaves of bread. Those eaters ofloaves might have vanished butthe makers are still there. We stillhave amongst us the mixers, themoulders and those who bake theloaves. Those age-old, time-testedfurnaces still exist. The fire in thefurnaces had not yet beenextinguished. The thud and thejingle of the traditional Baker sbamboo, heralding his arrival inthe morning, can still be heardin some be the father is not alivebut the son still carries on thefamily find a travel brochure about a place you have visited. Look at thedescription in the brochure. Then write your own account, adding detailsfrom your own experience, to give the reader a picture of the place, ratherthan an impersonal, factual groups, collect information on how bakeries bake bread now and how theprocess has changed over are a number of craft-based professions which are dying out.

9 Pick oneof the crafts below. Make a group presentation to the class about the skillsrequired, and the possible reasons for the decline of the craft. Can youthink of ways to revive these crafts?(i)Pottery(v)Carpentry(ii)Batik work(vi)Bamboo weaving(iii)Dhurri (rug) weaving(vii)Making jute products(iv)Embroidery(viii)HandloomAfte r Goa s liberation, people usedto say nostalgically that thePortuguese bread vanished withthe paders. But the paders havemanaged to survive because theyhave perfected the art of door-to-door delivery service. The paderspick up the knowledge of bread-making from traditions in thefamily. The leavened, oven-bakedbread is a gift of the Portugueseto India.[Adapted from NandakumarKamat s The Unsung Lives of GoanPaders ]2022-23 IICoorgCoorg is coffee country, famous for its rainforests and between Mysore and the coastal town ofMangalore sits a piece of heaven that must havedrifted from the kingdom of god.

10 This land of rollinghills is inhabited by a proud race of martial men,beautiful women and wild , or Kodagu, the smallest district ofKarnataka, is home to evergreen rainforests, spicesand coffee plantations. Evergreen rainforests coverthirty per cent of this district. During the monsoons,it pours enough to keep many visitors away. Theseason of joy commences from September andcontinues till March. The weather is perfect, withsome showers thrown in forgood measure. The airbreathes of invigoratingcoffee. Coffee estates andcolonial bungalows standtucked under tree canopiesin prime fiercely independentpeople of Coorg are possiblyof Greek or Arabic one story goes, a part ofAlexander s army movedsouth along the coast andsettled here when returnbecame impractical. Thesepeople married amongst thelocals and their culture isapparent in the martialtraditions, marriage andreligious rites, which aredistinct from the Hindumainstream.