Glimpses of India

I. A Baker from Goa

by Lucio Rodrigues

 

This part of the chapter is a pen-portrait of a traditional Goan village baker or ‘Pader’ who still has an important place in the Goan culture.

Chapter Summary

The Old Portuguese Days in Goa

In the old days of Goa, the Portuguese were famous for their loaves of bread. The Portuguese left Goa a long time ago but the traditional bakers and their furnaces (a machine for baking) still exist there.

The mixers, moulders and the people who bake the loaves still exist carrying on their business of baking. The sound of the baker’s bamboo in the morning can still be heard in some places. These bakers are still known as pader in Goa.

The Traditional Baker during the Narrator’s Childhood

The narrator recalls his childhood in Goa, when the baker used to be their friend, companion and guide. He came to their house twice a day. He came once in the morning while selling his bread and again in the evening after selling all his bread.

The baker used to arrive with a jingling sound of the bamboo stick that woke everyone up. As soon as the children heard the sound, they ran to meet the baker and get the bread bangles which was sometimes made of sweet bread.

The Baker’s Arrival

The baker used to carry the bread basket on his head along with a bamboo stick. His one hand supported the basket and other hand banged the bamboo stick on the ground. As the baker came, he would great the lady of the house and put his basket on the stick.

The children would be pushed aside and the loaves would be delivered to the maid servant. Howerver, the children still found a way to peep into the basket. The author remembers the sweet fragrance of the bread and how they did not even brush their teeth before eating anything.

Importance of Bread in Traditional Ceremonies

The presence of a baker was essential during those times in Goa. Marriages or any festival were incomplete without the sweet bread known as bol. Sandwiches were prepared by the lady of the house for her daughter’s engagement. Cakes and bolinhas were essential for Christmas and other festivals.

The Baker’s Dress and Monthly Accounts

The baker in Goa wore a special dress known as Kabai. It was a single piece long frock that reached down to his knees. During the narrator’s childhood, bakers wore shirts trousers which were shorter than full-length and longer than half pants. Even today in Goa, if anyone in the streets is seen wearing half pants, he is referred to as a pader.

The baker used to maintain his monthly accounts on a wall  in  pencil  and collected his bills at the end of the month.

Baking : A Profitable Profession

In old days, baking was a profitable profession. A baker’s family and servants were always happy and prosperous. Their plump body structure proved the fact that a baker and its family were never hungry.




Multiple Choice Questions

1. The baker used to come ………… .

(a) Once a day

(b) Twice a day

(c) Once a week

(d) Twice a week

Ans. (b) The baker used to come twice a day - once in the morning with his basket full of breads and second in the evening with his empty basket.

 

2. From where did the ‘jhang-jhang’ sound come?

(a) Basket of bread

(b) Musical instrument used by baker

(c) Noises of children

(d) Specially made bamboo staff of baker

Ans. (d) The ‘jhang-jhang’ sound came from the specially made bamboo staff of baker.

 

3. What did the baker used to bring for children?

(a) Loaves

(b) Bread Bangles

(c) Sweet bread

(d) Sandwiches

Ans. (b) The baker used to bring bread bangles for children.

 

4. The author is ......... when he says, ‘‘Loaves for the elders and the bangles for the children”.

(a) despairing

(b) proud

(c) nostalgic

(d) regretful

Ans. (b) The author nostalgically remembers his childhood when the bakers in Goa used to come to their houses.

 

5. Match the following essentials required during

various events as mentioned in ‘A Baker from Goa’.

Events Essentials

A. As marriage gifts                          1. Sandwiches

B. For a party or feast                       2. Cakes and bolinhas

C. For a daughter’s engagement     3. Bol

D. For Christmas                               4. Bread

Codes

A B C D A B C D

(a) 1 3 2 4

(b) 3 4 1 2

(c) 2 3 1 4

(d) 4 1 3 2

Ans. (b) 3412 is the correct matching sequence.

 

6. What do bakers used to wear during old Portuguese days?

(a) Long shirt

(b) Long frock

(c) Kabai

(d) Bol

Ans. (c) Bakers used to wear a very specific dress called kabai during old Portuguese days.

 

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

(a) Anyone who wears a half pant which reached just below the knees

(b) Anyone who wears a long piece of frock till knees

(c) Anyone who wears a shirt and trousers

(d) Anyone who bakes bread

Ans. (a) Anyone who wears a half pant which reached just below the knees invites the comment – “he is dressed like a pader”.

 

8. How is the traditional baker recognised?

(a) With the thud and jingle of the bamboo

(b) With his baking style

(c) With his clothing style

(d) None of the above

Ans. (a) The traditional baker is recognised with the thud and jingle of the bamboo.

 

9. Choose the option that lists the set of sentences that are not true according to the given extract.

(i) The loaves of bread loved by the narrator are Portuguese.

(ii) The loaves of bread are a special delicacy in Goa.

(iii) The baker is a celebrated personality of Goa.

(iv) Baking as a profession is dead in Goa.

(v) The arrival of a baker is a special highlight of the day for the narrator.

(vi) The narrator misses the loaves of Portuguese bread sellers.

(a) 1 and 2

(b) Only 4

(c) Only 6

(d) 3 and 5

Ans. (b) Only statement 4 – Baking as a profession is dead in Goa is false.

 

 

 

 

Extract Based MCQs

1. Read the extract to attempt the questions that follow.

“Our elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically about those good old Portuguese days, the Portuguese and their famous loaves of bread. Those eaters might have vanished but the makers are still there. We still have amongst us the mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves. Those age-old, time-tested furnaces still exist. The fire in these furnaces has not yet been extinguished. The thud and jingle of traditional baker’s bamboo, heralding his arrival in the morning, can still be heard in some places.”

 

(i) The narrator says that the furnaces were ‘time-tested’ because

(a) they had been thoroughly tested each time, before being used

(b) they had proved the test of time and were working well

(c) they had been tested by modern day experts

(d) they had the power to withstand inexperienced usage

Ans. (b) The narrator says that the furnaces were time-tested because they had proved the test of time each time, before being used.

 

(ii) Those eaters might have vanished but the makers are still there.

Pick the option that expresses the tone of the narrator.

1. elated

2. morose

3. nostalgic

4. hopeful

5. sarcastic

6. critical

7. celebratory

(a) 1 and 7

(b) 2 and 6

(c) 3 and 4

(d) 4 and 5

Ans. (c) The author’s tone is nostalgic for the Portuguese loaves of bread and at the same time is hopeful that these bread and the portuguese bakers exist in Goa.

 

(iii) Pick the idiom that brings out the same meaning of ‘reminiscing’ as used in the passage.

(a) Train of thought

(b) Commit something to memory

(c) A trip down memory lane

(d) Jog somebody’s memory

Ans. (c) The idiom ‘a trip down the memory lane’ brings out the same meaning of ‘reminiscing’ as used in the passage.

 

(iv) Why do you think the baker came in with ‘a thud and a jingle’?

(a) He wanted to make everyone alert and active with his presence

(b) He wanted to wake up everyone from their slumber and ask them to visit the bakery

(c) He was used to making a loud noise as most people responded to just that

(d) He wanted to make people aware that he had come around to sell his goods

Ans. (d) The baker came with a thud and jingle because he wanted to make people aware that he had come around to sell his breads.

 

(v) The ‘fire in the furnaces has not yet been extinguished’ implies that

(a) the furnaces are still being used to bake the loaves of bread

(b) the fire is in the process of being reviewed as a replaceable method for heating furnaces

(c) the furnaces are very strong and cannot be shifted for use in other areas

(d) the fire in the furnaces takes a long time to cease burning, once lighted

Ans. (a) The fire in the furnace has yet not been extinguished implies that the furnaces are still being used to bake the famous loaves of Portuguese bread.

 

2. Read the extract to attempt the questions that follow.

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. He would greet the lady of the house with ‘Good Morning’ and then place his basket on the vertical bamboo. We kids would be pushed aside with a mild rebuke and the loaves would be delivered to the servant. But we would not give up. We would climb a bench or the parapet and peep into the basket, somehow.

 

(i) How would the baker greet the lady of the house?

(a) With Good Evening

(b) With Good Morning

(c) With a Bow

(d) With a Smile

Ans. (b) The baker used to greet the lady of the house with Good Morning.

 

(ii) Choose the option that lists the set of statements that are not true according to the given extract.

1. The baker was a celebrated individual.

2. The children loved the loaves of bread.

3. The baker was very rude.

4. Only the servant would address the baker.

5. The baker entered with a musical sound.

6. The baker carried the loaves of bread in a box.

(a) 1, 2 and 4

(b) 2, 5 and 6

(c) 1, 3 and 5

(d) 3, 4 and 6

Ans. (d) Statements 3, 4 and 6 are not true.

 

(iii) What did the baker do first once he reached a house?

(a) Place the basket and deliver the loaves

(b) Place the basket on the vertical bamboo and deliver the loaves to the servant

(c) Deliver the loaves to the lady of the house

(d) None of the above

Ans. (b) Once the baker reached a house he put the basket on his vertical bamboo and deliver the loaves to the servant.

 

(iv) Why would the children not give up?

(a) Peeping into the basket

(b) Crying to peep into the basket

(c) To choose a bread bangle of their choice

(d) Pushing aside others to peep into the basket

Ans. (c) The children would not give up to choose the bread-bangle of their choice.

 

(v) Select the correct option for (1) and (2).

1. The baker used to push aside the children.

2. The bread loaves were delivered to the servant.

(a) (1) is the result of (2)

(b) (2) is the result of (1)

(c) (1) is independent of (2)

(d) (1) contradicts (2)

Ans. (c) Statement (1) is independent of (2).


Subjective Questions

 

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

Ans. Yes, bread-making is still popular in Goa. This is very clear from the narrator’s statement that the Portuguese have gone away but the traditional bakers and their furnaces still exists. The mixers, moulders and the people who bake the loaves still exist in Goa.

 

2. What did the bakers wear

(i) in the Portuguese days?

(ii) when the author was young?

Ans. (i) The bakers usually wore a peculiar dress called Kabai. It was a single piece long frock reaching down to the knees.

(ii) When the author was young, he saw the bakers wearing a shirt and trousers. The trousers were shorter than full length and longer than half-pants.

 

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

Ans. The baker would come twice a day, once early in the morning and the second time when he returned after selling all his bread. The children would run to meet him for those bread-bangles and sweet bread of special make, which they choose very carefully.

 

4. ‘The tiger never brushed his teeth’. Why does the author say so?

Ans. The author said so because when the baker used to bring bangles for children, they did not even care to brush their teeth or wash their mouths properly. They did not like to take the trouble of pluching the mango leaf for the toothbrush. They did not feel it necessary to wash their mouths just take tigers who never brush their teeth

before meals.

 

5. Why was the baker’s furnace essential in a traditional Goan village? CBSE 2010, 2020

Ans. The baker’s furnace was essential in a traditional Goan village because different kinds of breads were required for different occasions. Marriage gifts are meaningless

without the sweet bread known as bol. The lady of the house must prepare sandwiches on the occasion of her daughter’s engagement. Cakes and bolinhas are essential for Christmas as well as other festivals.

 

6. How do we know that Goa’s bakers are very prosperous ? CBSE 2019

Ans. We know that Goa’s bakers are very prosperous from their plump physique. Baking in Goa is an important profession as breads were an essential part of all

festivities in Goa. As a result, the baker, his family and servants never starved. They were always happy and prosperous.

 

Long Answer Type Questions

1. After reading the story ‘A Baker from Goa’, do you think our traditions, heritage, values and practices are the roots that nourish us? Why/why not? CBSE 2015

Ans. Yes, I think that our traditions, heritage, values and practices are the roots that nourish us. They shape our personality and provide us with emotional support. They make us mentally strong and enable us to face a difficult situation. They even impact our behavioural pattern towards the other people in the society. The story highlights the importance of the traditional practice of making breads at every occasion. In Goa, every occasion is incomplete without bread. A marriage is incomplete if it does not include a sweet bread known as ‘bol’ All festival and feasts are incomplete without cakes and bolinhas. Even today, the elders remember those old famous breads baked by Portuguese bakers. From childhood till their old age, they remember the Portuguese bread. This shows that bread is an important part of the Goan life that continues even today. Thus, our traditional practices keep our past heritage alive and nourishes us.

 

2. ‘During our childhood in Goa, the baker used to be our friend, companion and guide.’ What does this statement tell us about the character of the baker?

Ans. The given statement tells us that the baker was a very respected person in Goan society. He would guide children about good behaviour. This happened when he

mildly scolded them for peeping into his basket. He taught children about giving respect to the elders. This was when he wished ‘Good Morning’ to the lady of the house. He was very informal with the children. So the narrator considered him a friend and companion. He was not simply a vendor interested in selling what he made. Even though he scolded the children, he offered them bread bangles and sweet bread of their choice. A party or feast lost its charmwithout bread. Cakes and bolinhas were a must for Christmas and other festivals. Presence of the baker’s furnace in the village was absolutely essential. Thus, he was an important character in Goan society of those days.

 

3. Why were the children fascinated by the baker? How did they show their eagerness to see him? CBSE 2020

Ans. The children according to the narrator, were eager to see him. They used to wake up whenever they heard the jingling sound of the bakers’s bamboo stick. Whenever the baker greeted the lady of the house, children would surround the baker who would rebuke them and hand over the loaves to a servant. Then, the children would climb over a chair to peep into the basket full of bread loaves. These children didn’t even brush their teeth before taking the bread bangles that they could choose carefully. Their actions made it clear that the children were fascinated by the baker and were always eager to see him.

 

 

Extract Based Questions

1. Read the extract to attempt the questions that follow.

We kids would be pushed aside with a mild rebuke and the loaves would be delivered to the servant. But we would not give up. We would climb a bench or the parapet and peep into the basket, somehow. I can still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. Loaves for the elders and the bangles for the children.

(i) Who are ‘we’ in the extract?

(ii) Why were the children pushed aside?

(iii) Which word/phrase in the extract means the same as ‘an expression of disapproval/a scolding’?

(iv) What was there in the basket?

(v) What did children do when they were pushed aside by the baker?

Ans. (i) ‘We’ in the extract refers to the narrator and his friends.

(ii) The children were pushed aside so that the bread can be delivered to the servant.

(iii) The word ‘rebuke’ from the extract means ‘an expression of disapproval/a scolding’.

(iv) There were some loaves for the elders and some bangles for the children.

(v) When children were pushed aside by the baker then they climbed a bench or the parapet to peep into the baker’s basket.

 

 

2. Read the extract to attempt the questions that follow.

The baker usually collected his bills at the end of the month. Monthly accounts used to be recorded on some wall in pencil. Baking was indeed a profitable profession in the old days. The baker and his family never starved. He, his family and his servants always looked happy and prosperous. Their plump physique was an open testimony to this. Even today any person with a jackfruit- like physical appearance is easily compared to a baker.            CBSE 2019

(i) Where did the baker record his accounts?

(ii) Why did the baker and his family never starve?

(iii) Which word in the extract is same in meaning of ‘build’?

(iv) How can a baker be identified in Goa?

(v) “The monthly records were maintained an some walls in pencil”. What does this show about the relationship between the baker and the Goan people.

Ans. (i) The baker recorded his accounts on some wall with pencil.

(ii) The baker and his family never starved because baking was a profitable profession.

(iii) ‘Physique’ fromthe extract is same inmeaning of ‘build’.

(iv) Any person with a jackfruit-like physical appearance or plump physique is easily identified to a baker.

(v) The baker and the Goan people shared a relationship based on trust and friendship as the baker did not require to remember the records of his sale.