Chapter 7-I : Glimpses of India - A Baker from Goa

Oral Comprehension Check

Page 86

Question: 1

What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?

Answer:

The elders in Goa are nostalgic about the good old
Portuguese days and their love of bread and loaves. The writer says that the eaters of loaves have left but the makers still exist.

Question: 2

Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know?

Answer:

Yes, bread making is still popular in Goa. This is very clear from the narrator’s statement that the eaters have gone away leaving the makers behind. There are mixers, moulders and the ones who bake the loaves. The time tested furnaces still exist there.

Question: 3

What is the baker called?

Answer:

The baker is called a pader in Goa.

Question: 4

When would the baker come everyday? Why did the children run to meet him?

Answer:

The baker would come twice a day—once early in the morning and the second time when he returned after selling his stuff.

The children would run to meet him as they wanted to have bread-bangles.

Page 87

Question: 1

Match the following. What is a must

1. as marriage gifts? – cakes and bolinhas
2. for a party or a feast? – sweet bread called bol
3. for a daughter’s engagement? – bread
4. for Christmas? – sandwiches

Answer:

1. as marriage gifts – sweet bread called bol
2. for a party or a feast – bread
3. for a daughter’s engagement – sandwiches
4. for Christmas – cakes and bolinhas

Question: 2

What did the bakers wear :

1. In the Portuguese days
2. When the author was young

Answer:

1. The bakers were usually dressed up in a peculiar dress called kabai. It was a single piece long frock reaching down to the knees.
2. During his childhood days, the author saw the bakers wearing a shirt and trousers which were shorter than full length ones and longer than half pants.

Question: 3

Who invites the comment – “he is dressed like a pader” Why?

Answer:

Any person who is wearing a half pant which reaches just below the knees invites this comment. This is because the baker, known as a pader, used to dress like that.

Question: 4

Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded?

Answer:

Monthly accounts of the baker were recorded on some wall in the house with a pencil.

Question: 5

What does a ‘jackfruit-like appearance’ mean?

Answer:

It means having a plump physique, like a jackfruit.

Thinking about the Text

Question: 1

Which of these statements are correct?

1. The pader was an important person in the village in old times.
2. Paders still exist in Goan villages.
3. The paders went away with the Portuguese.
4. The paders continue to wear a single-piece long frock.
5. Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life in the old days.
6. Traditional bread-baking is still a very profitable business.
7. Paders and their families starve in the present times.

Answer:

1. Correct
2. Correct
3. Incorrect
4. Incorrect
5. Correct
6. Correct
7. Incorrect

Question: 2

Is bread an important part of Goan life? How do you know this?

Answer:

Yes, bread is an important part of Goan life. It is needed for marriage gifts, parties and feasts. Bread is also needed by a mother for preparing sandwiches during her daughter’s engagement. Thus, it is necessary to have breads for every occasion, because of which the presence of a baker’s furnace in the vi .age is very important

Question: 3

Tick the right answer. What is the tone of the author when he says the following?

1. The thud and the jingle of the traditional baker ‘s bamboo can still be heard in some places, (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)
2. Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession, (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)
3. I still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves, (nostalgic, hopeful, naughty)
4. The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all. (naughty, angry, funny)
5. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals, (sad, hopeful, matter-of-fact)
6. The baker dnd his family never starved. They always looked happy and prosperous, (matter-of-fact, hopeful, sad)

Answer:

1. Nostalgic
2. Hopeful
3. Nostalgic
4. Funny
5. Matter-of-fact
6. Matter-of-fact

Writing

I. In this extract, the author talks about traditional bread-baking during his childhood days. Complete the following table with the help of the clues on the left. Then write a paragraph about the author's childhood days.

Clues	Author’s childhood days
the way bread was baked	The bakers used to bake loaves in the mixers and moulders, with age-old, time-tested furnaces that were never extinguished
the way the pader sold bread	The baker made his musical entry on the scene with the ‘jhang, jhang’ sound of his specially made bamboo staff. One hand supported the basket on his head and the other banged the bamboo on the ground
what the pader wore	The baker or bread-seller of those days had a peculiar dress known as the kabai. It was a single-piece long frock reaching down to the knees. In his childhood, he saw bakers wearing shirt and trousers which were shorter than full length ones and longer than half pants.
when the pader was paid	The baker usually collected his bills at the end of the month. Monthly accounts used to be recorded on some wall in pencil.
how the pader looked	The baker used to have a plump physique with a jackfruit-like physical appearance.

II.1. Compare the piece from the text (on the left below) with the other piece on Goan bakers (on the right). What makes the two texts so different? Are the facts the same? Do both writers give you a picture of the baker?

The topic of both the given texts are very similar. They both talk about the paders in Goa. The patterns of describing it though, are different and also based at different times. The text on the left side talks about the memories of the elders who recall nostalgically about those good old Portuguese days, whereas the text on the right-side talks about the period after Goa’s liberation.

2. Now find a travel brochure about a place you have visited. Look at the description in the brochure. Then write your own account, adding details from your own experience, to give the reader a picture of the place, rather than an impersonal, factual description.

Answer: to be self attempted