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Summary Of A BAKER FROM GOA Class 10 English
Elders Nostalgic About Portuguese Bread:
Elders in Goa still think fondly about those good old Portuguese days and their famous loaves of bread. The eaters of loaves might have died but the makers are still there. The fire in the furnaces that make these breads has not yet been extinguished. At least, the thud and jingle of the baker’s bamboo still heralds his arrival in the morning.
Baker’s Arrival:
The narrator recalls his childhood in Goa. The baker used to be their friend, companion and guide. He used to come at least twice a day. The children ran to meet the baker the moment they heard the jingling thud of his bamboo. He would greet the lady of the house. The elders enjoyed the typical fragrance of those loaves and the kids, the music of the bamboo.
Baker’s Importance on Christmas and Other Festivals:
Marriage gifts in Goa are meaningless without the sweet bread or the bol. Any party or feast is incomplete without bread. The baker is very important for the village. On the occasion of her daughter’s engagement, the lady of the house must prepare sandwiches. Cakes and ‘bolinhas’ are a must for Christmas and other festivals.
Baker’s Dress:
In good old days, the baker or bread-seller had a peculiar dress. It was called the kabai. It was a single piece frock reaching down to the knees. Even today, anyone who wears a shirt and trousers shorter than full-lengths, he is said to be dressed like a pader.
Baking, a Profitable Profession:
Baking was really a profitable profession in those days. The bakers and their families were quite prosperous and happy. Their plumpy bodies were an open testimony to their prosperity.
Theme
The writer presents a pen-portrait of a traditional Goan village baker who still has an important place in
its society. Elders still think fondly of the famous Portuguese loaves of bread. The family tradition is still
carried on even today by the new generation of bakers or paders in Goa. Even today, marriage gifts are
meaningless without the sweet bread or the bol, just as a party or a feast loses its charm without Goan
bread.
Message
Glimpses of India conveys a strong message of the amazing diversity of India. The first account is an
observation of life of a typical baker and his place in the traditional Goan society. It is an engaging narrative which brings home to the readers the life and times of the traditional bakers who were an important and inseparable part of the life of this community.
Plot
In this lesson, the narrator’s elders often recall the time when Goa was under the rule of the Portuguese.
They talk how the importance of bakers is still maintained in their villages even after the Portuguese have
left. They are known as ‘paders’ in Goa. The mixers, moulders and their time-tested furnaces continue to
serve the people of Goa with their famous bread loaves. However, original ones may not exist but their
profession is being continued by their sons. The thud of their bamboo stick can still be heard in some parts of the village. The same jingling thud would wake the narrator and his friends during their childhood days who would go running to him without brushing or washing their mouth properly.
Justification of the Title
The title, ‘Glimpses of India’ is justified as the pieces of writing highlighting the rich diversity of India.
‘A Baker from Goa’ describes the special place of a baker in the life of the Goan people. The baker has a
role in not only the life of the people but also on special occasions like marriages. He is a regular visitor
in households as he supplies breads of various types. He is eagerly awaited by the adults and children
alike and is a prominent pillar of the traditional life of Goa.
Key Points (Train of Thoughts)
- Elders often think fondly of good Portuguese days and their famous loaves of bread.
- The age-old furnaces still bake those breads.
- The thud and jingle of the baker’s bamboo announcing his arrival can still be heard in some places.
- Even today, these bakers are known as ‘pader’ in Goa.
- The children ran to meet and greet him. •
- They longed for bread-bangles and sweet bread of special make.
- Marriage gifts were meaningless without the sweet bread known as the ‘bol’.
- The lady of the house must prepare sandwiches on the occasion of her daughter’s engagement.
- Cakes and ‘bolinhas’ are a must for Christmas and other festivals.
- The presence of the baker’s furnace in the village is absolutely essential.
- The bakers in old days used to wear a dress known as the kabai.
- Baking was quite a profitable profession in the old days.
- The baker and his family always looked happy and prosperous.
Character Sketch
The Baker of Goa: The baker or the pader used to be an essential part of the Goan’s life. The baker or bread seller had a peculiar dress during the Portuguese days. It was known as the kabai. It was a single piece long frock reaching down the knees. With the passage of time, he started wearing a shirt and trousers which were just longer than the short pants. The baker and his family always looked happy and prosperous in the good old days. His sweet breads or the bols are still the part of feasts, marriages and Christmas in Goa.
SUMMARY of COORG
Home to Rainforests:
Coorg is midway between Mysore and Mangalore. This land of rolling hills is the smallest district of Karnataka. It is home to evergreen forests, spices and coffee plantations. During the monsoons, it has lot of rains. The best season for tourists is from September to March. The air breathes of coffee. Coffee estates and colonial bungalows are scattered around the forests.
Of Greek and Arabic Descent:
The people of Coorg are possibly of Greek and Arabic descent. It is said that a part of Alexander’s army settled here. These people married among the locals. Their culture and traditions are different from the Hindu mainstream. According to another theory, they are of Arab origin. Their long, black coats with embroidered waist-belts resemble the kuffia worn by the Arabs and the Kurds.
Brave People:
Coorgi people and their homes are known for their hospitality. There are endless tales of valour related to the people of Coorg. The Coorg Regiment is one of the most decorated in the Indian Army. The first chief of the Indian Army, General Cariappa, was a Coorgi. Even today Kodavus are the only people in India permitted to carry firearms without a licence. In Coorg, you can take to highenergy adventures like river-rafting, canoeing, rock climbing and trekking.
A Tourist Paradise:
Birds, bees and butterflies give you company everywhere in Coorg. Macaques, Malabar squirrels, langurs and wild elephants are found in large numbers in the forests. On the top of Brahramagiri hills, you can have a panoramic view of the entire misty landscape of Coorg. The largest Tibetan settlement at Bylakuppe is famous for its Buddhist temple.
Theme
‘Coorg’ familiarises us with a tourist place of India. It makes us feel the beauty of Coorg. It makes us aware of the people of Coorg. It tells us about its location, historical background, climate, etc.
Message
Glimpses of India conveys a strong message of the amazing diversity of India. The account about Coorg
is informative and descriptive and presents to the reader Coorg and its many interesting aspects like its
culture, landscape, crops, flora and fauna.
Plot
The lesson ‘Coorg’ gives us a beautiful insight of the smallest district of Karnataka and its people. The place has amazing weather throughout the year with enough rain during the monsoon season. The people of Coorg are known to be very brave. Coffee is the main crop grown in this region. A variety of animals can be found there while the place is surrounded by beautiful Brahmagiri hills, islands and Tibetan settlements.
Justification of the Title
This second account of ‘Glimpses of India’ describes Coorg. It proudly describes the splendor of region and its various aspects with great admiration. Coorg is also known by the name of ‘Kodagu’. The Coorg people live a life of complete independence. Kodavus or Coorgis are known for their bravery and hospitality.
Character Sketch
The People of Coorg:
The Coorgi people are distinct people. Their religious practices, marriages and traditions are distinct from the Hindu mainstream. According to one story, a part of the Alexander’s army travelling the coast, settled here, as their return became impractical. So, they are believed to be of Greek origin. The Coorgi dress, a long, black coat with an embroidered waist-belt resembles the kuffia worn by Arabs. So, some think that they are of Arabic origin.
SUMMARY of TEA FROM ASSAM
Tea Very Popular:
Tea is very popular in India. At every platform of railway stations you can hear vendors saying; “Chai-Chai-garam-Chai”. You can find everyone in the compartment sipping the steaming hot tea. Over eighty crore cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world.
Tea Plantations:
It was green, green everywhere. Rajvir had never seen so much greenery before. The green paddy fields gave way to tea bushes. Small tea bushes stretched as far as the eyes could see. Amid the tall sturdy shady trees, there were rows of tea bushes. Pranjol was born and brought up on the plantation. So he was not excited. Assam has the largest concentration of tea plantations in the world.
Origin of Tea:
No one really knows who discovered tea. One Chinese emperor had always boiled water before drinking it. A few leaves of the twigs burning under the pot fell into the water. It gave it a delicious flavour. It is said they were tea leaves. According to an Indian legend Bodhidharma, an ancient Buddhist ascetic cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during meditations. Ten tea plants grew out of his eyelids. The leaves of tea banished sleep. Tea was first drunk in China during 2700 B.C.
The words like ‘Chai’ and ‘Chini’ are from Chinese language. Tea came to Europe only in the sixteenth
century. It was drunk more as medicine than as beverage.
New Sprouted Leaves:
Acre upon acre of tea bushes were spread over the slopes. They were all pruned to the same height. Groups of tea-pluckers with bamboo baskets on their backs, were plucking the newly sprouted leaves. A tractor was pulling a trailor-load of leaves. Rajvir asked if it was the second-flush or sprouting period. It lasts from May to July and yields the best tea.
Theme
In ‘Tea from Assam’, Arup Kumar Datta describes how popular tea has become as a beverage in the world.
Over 80 crore cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world. It shows the increasing popularity of
tea. The lesson gives a graphic description of the sea of tea bushes stretching as far as eyes can go in Assam. The plucking of the newly sprouted leaves by groups of tea-pluckers with bamboo baskets on their backs are vividly described in the lesson.
Message
‘Glimpses of India’ conveys a strong message of the amazing diversity of India. ‘Tea from Assam’ explores
the region of Assam and the many practices and legends associated with tea growing. Though far from
each other the three regions give a good idea of how varied yet unique are the three regions in their
importance, culture and landscape.
Plot
The lesson is about two friendsPranjol and Rajvir who are travelling to Pranjol’s hometown, Assam for
the summer vacation. Assam is known as the ‘tea country’. It has the largest concentration of plantations
in the world. During their journey they talk about the various ‘legends’ that are known to have discovered
tea. The story tells us about the popularity of tea as beverage.
Justification of the Title
‘Tea from Assam’ is a story that revolves around the world famous tea that Assam produces. It also
describes the legends and practices associated with tea.
Key Points (Train of Thoughts)
• Tea is really a very popular beverage in India.
• More than eighty crores of cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world.
• Assam has the largest concentration of plantations in the world.
• No one really knows who discovered tea.
• One Chinese legend says that a few leaves of the twigs burning under the pot fell into the boiling water. • The leaves gave it a delicious flavour. They were tea leaves.
• Words like ‘Chai’ and ‘Chini’ are from Chinese language.
• According to an Indian legend, an ancient Buddhist ascetic cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during meditation.
• Ten tea plants grew out of his eyelids.
• Rajvir saw acre upon acre of tea bushes and nearly all of them were neatly pruned to the same height.
• Groups of tea-pluckers with bamboo baskets on their backs were plucking newly sprouted leaves.
• A tractor was pulling a trailer-load of leaves.
• Rajvir asked Pranjol’s father if it was the second-flush or sprouting period.
• The sprouting periods lasts from May to July and this period yields the best tea.
Character Sketch
Rajvir:
He was a youngster and classmate of Pranjol in Delhi. He was excited to visit Tea estate in Assam.
He was invited there by Pranjol to spend summer vacation. He was an ardent fan of detective stories. He
enjoyed seeing magnificent view of tea-bushes in Assam. His knowledge about tea and its history was
profound. He had done a lot of reading about tea. He even surprised Pranjol’s father with his in-depth
knowledge of the subject.
Pranjol:
He had been born and brought up on a tea plantation. He studied with Rajvir in Delhi. His father
was the manager of a tea-garden in Upper Assam. He invited Rajvir to visit his home and the Dhekiabari
Tea Estate during summer vacation. He was also an ardent fan of detective stories.