I. A Baker from Goa
This is a pen-portrait of a traditional Goan village baker who still has an important place in his society.
OUR elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically about those good old Portuguese days, the Portuguese and their famous loaves of bread. Those eaters of loaves 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, timetested furnaces still exist. The fire in the furnaces has not yet been extinguished. The thud and jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo, heralding his arrival in the morning, can still be heard in some places. Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries
on the family profession. These bakers are, even today, known as pader in Goa.
During our childhood in Goa, the baker used to be our friend, companion and guide. He used to come at least twice a day. Once, when he set out in the morning on his selling round, and then again, when he returned after emptying his huge basket. The jingling thud of his bamboo woke us up from sleep and we ran to meet and greet him. Why was it so? Was it for the love of the loaf? Not at all. The loaves were bought by some Paskine or Bastine, the maid-servant of the house! What we longed for were those bread-bangles which we chose carefully. Sometimes it was sweet bread of special make.
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 can still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. Loaves for the elders and the bangles for the children. Then we did not even care to brush our teeth or wash our mouths properly. And why should we? Who would take the trouble of plucking the mango-leaf for the toothbrush? And why was it necessary at all? The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all!
Questions:
01. What do the elders think about their past?
02. Why were the Portuguese Famous For?
03. How can one know the arrival of a baker?
04. Who are famous for loaves of bread?
05. What are the bakers known now a days?
06. How many times the baker visits during the author’s childhood?
07. Who is being referred to above and what are they known for?
08. Which place in India is the author talking about?
09. How is a Traditional baker recognize?
10. What tells us that bread making is still popular there?
11. Who is Carrying the business?
12. What marks the arrival of the baker in the morning?
13. What are the bakers called in Goa?
14. What was the unusual visit of a baker?
15. Who purchased the loaves?
16. What was the most liking bread of the children?
17. What was Pastin and Bastin?
18. What do you means by the bangles?
19. Who made up the children by their sleep?
20. Who make the sleep of children disturbed?
21. Who were there to by their loaves?
22. What types of loaves were favorite in children’s?
23. How the baker’s entry is known?
24. What was used to be with a baker?
25. What two types of loves were keep by the baker?
26. How did the baker greats the lady of the house?
27. What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?
28. Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know?
29. What is the baker called?
30. When would the baker come everyday? Why did the children run to meet him?
31. Trace the word which means ‘announcing’.
32. Trace the word which means ‘vacant’
33. Trace the word which means ‘Scold’.
Meaning:
Word | Meaning in English | Meaning in Hindi |
reminiscing | Old Remembering | iqjkuh Le`fr |
nostalgically | Thinking deeply | xgurk ls lkspuk |
Portuguese | Citizens of Portugal | iqrZxky dk ukxfjd |
loaves of bread | Bread | jksVh |
vanished | Disappeared | xk;c gksuk |
amongst | In middle | chp esa |
moulders | Shapers, Wasters | vkdkj nsus okyk |
timetested | Famous for tase | izfl} Lokn |
furnaces | Stoves, Fire Place | HkV~Vh |
Exist | Coming out | Ckgj vkuk |
extinguished | Coming out | fudyuk ;k ckgj vkuk |
thud | A type of low dull sound | ,d izdkj dh Hkn~nh vkokt |
traditional | ikjeifjd | |
baker | Who cook the bread | jksVh cukus okyk |
bamboo | A long stick or a type of tree | ckal |
heralding | Announcing | ?kks”k.kk djuk |
arrival | Coming | vkuk |
carries | ys tkuk | |
profession | Work, Business | O;kikj |
pader | A slow mover | /khjs /khjs pyus okyk |
During | In middle | chp esa |
childhood | In child | cpiu |
friend /companion | Companion | lkFkh ;k nksLr |
guide | Who show the path or way, Helper | lgk;d |
at least | de ls de | |
twice a day | Two times in a day | fnu esa nks ckj |
returned | Coming back | okfil vkuk |
emptying | Vacating | [kkyh djuk |
huge | Big | cMk |
jingling thud | Thud with tinkling sound | ?kafV;ksa ds chp tksj dh vkokt |
woke up | Awoke | Tkkxuk |
greet | To give respect | lEeku nsuk |
Paskine or Bastine | ilfdu vkSj cfLru | |
maid-servant | Lady servant | vk;k ;k ukSdjkuh |
chose | Taking with own desire | pquuk |
carefully | Attentively | /;ku ls ;k lko/kkuh ls |
Sometimes | Now and then | dHkh dHkh |
special | Particular | fo'ks”k |
Bamboo staff | Base of bamboo stick | ckal dk vk/kkj |
Banged | Break, A sound | czsd |
Vertical | Lateral | {kSfrt |
Pushed aside | Turn aside | ,d rjQ djuk |
Mild rebuke | Scolding lightly | /khes ls MkVuk |
Delivered | Distributed | ckaVuk |
Parapet | Small Wall | nhokj |
Peep | Looking down | >kaduk |
Typical | Hard | dfBu |
Fragrance | Scent, Smell | lqxa/k |
Properly | Rightly | lgh izdkj ls |
Trouble of plucking | Taking trouble of plucking | rksMus dh ijs’kkuh mBkuk |
Marriage gifts are meaningless without the sweet bread known as the bol, just as a party or a feast loses its charm without bread. Not enough can be said to show how important a baker can be for a village. The lady of the house must prepare sandwiches on the occasion of her daughter’s engagement. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals. Thus, the presence of the baker’s furnace in the village is absolutely essential.
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 our childhood we saw bakers wearing a shirt and trousers which were shorter than full-length ones and longer than half pants. Even today, anyone who wears a half pant which reaches just below the knees invites the comment that he is dressed like a pader!
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.
Questions:
01. By whom was the business of baking started in Goa?
02. Where were the monthly account decoded?
03. What is a kabai?
04. When the baker did collect his bills?
05. How were the accounts recorded?
06. How were the accounts maintained?
07. What is the author’s view about the baking profession?
08. What testimony is given baker for the bakers’ family?
09. What is the author’s view about the profession of baking?
10. What physical characteristic about the bakers is given here?
11. What was purchased by the people?
12. When would the marriage gifts become meaningless?
13. What was special at the time of daughter’s engagement?
14. What was prepared on the Christmas and other festivals?
15. How is sweet bread known?
16. What was important at the daughter engagements?
17. Pick out a phrase that means ‘pleasantly fat body’
Meanings:
Word | Meaning in English | Meaning in Hindi |
Meaningless | Without Meaning | vFkZghu |
Charm | Attraction | vkd"kZ.k |
loses | [kksuk | |
bolinhas | cksyhukl | |
absolutely | Quiet | fcYdqy |
essential | Necessary, Need | vko';d |
peculiar | Particular | |
profitable | With Profit, gain | ykHknk;d |
prosperous | Rich | le`}’kkyh |
plump physique | Round body | xksyeVksy ‘kjhj |
testimony | Statement | dFku |
Q. Write a Story of a baker in Olden days.
OR
What do you know about the baker?
OR
Give a pen portrait of a traditional Goan’s village Baker? OR
Bakers have an important position in Goan’s village. How?
Ans. Old people know about the loaves of bread of Portuguese. Portuguese had left India but their tradition is still now. Activities of mixers moulder and furnaces are found at same places even today. These bakers are known as ‘Pader’ in Goa.
A baker used to come twice a day once in the morning and secondly after selling his breads in evening. The Jingling thud of his bamboo wakes the author and other children from their sleep. They met and greet him. They were eager to get bread bangles or special sweet bread.
When he stayed his one hand supported the basket on his head and other banged the bamboo on the ground. He would greet the lady of house with Good Morning and placed his basket on vertical bamboo. He also deliver the loved to servant and bread bangles to children.
In Goa marriage gifts are meaningless without sweet bread, knows as ‘Bol’. A party or feast was important in a village to have it. The furnace is essential on that Festival. The dress of Padre is known ‘Kabi’ which was singled pieced long frock down to knee. Now they wore trouser and shirts or half paint. They usually collect their bills at the end of month, pader family and servant look happy and prosperous. Their body was a proof of it
Q. 1: What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about? Solution: Elders in Goa are nostalgic about good old Portuguese days, about the Portuguese, and their famous loaves of bread. Goa was a Portuguese colony. After independence Goa became part of India. Goa has distinct effect of Portugues and Anglo Indian culture. Christianity is one of the main religions in Goa. Elders usually fondly remember old days because once people grow old they accumulate rich experiences of their past. It is a normal human psychology that past always looks better than present. Q. 2: Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know? Ans. : From the story it is clear that bread-making is still popular in Goa. The author has described about the existence of time-old furnaces and their still burning fire. The Goan society is still having moulders, bread mixers and bakers. Q. 3: What is the baker called? Ans. : Baker is called a Pader in Goa. Q. 4: When would the baker come every day? Why did the children run to meet him? Ans. : The baker usually comes in the morning everyday. The children are fond of his musical sales pitch. Moreover, they are unable to wait to savour the bread rings. Q. 5: Match the following. What is a must Q. (i) as marriage gifts? – cakes and bolinhas Q. (i) for a party or a feast? – sweet bread called bol Q. (iii) for a daughter’s engagement? – bread Q. (iv) for Christmas? – sandwiches
Q. 6: What did the bakers wear: (i) in the Portuguese days? (ii) when the author was young?\ Ans. : (i) In the Portuguese days bakers used to wear a knee length single piece frock known as kabai. (ii) When the author was young bakers used to wear a shirt and a knee length pant. Q. 7: Who invites the comment — “he is dressed like a pader”? Why? Ans. : Even toady if someone wears a pant with length a little bit down from knees he invites the comment, “he is dressed like a pader”, because bakers used to wear such dresses in Goa. Q. 8: Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded? Ans. : Bakers used to record the monthly account on some walls with pencil. We still find this practice followed by panwallahs in many towns and villages in India. The panwallah write monthly dues account on their shops walls. Q. 9: What does a ‘jackfruit -like appearance’ mean? Ans. : A baker’s profession was apparently a profitable profession. This was evident from plump appearance of the baker as if he was well fed. A plump person can give a jackfruit like appearance. Q. 10: Which of these statements are correct? The pader was an important person in the village in old times. Ans. : Correct a. Paders still exist in Goan villages. b. The paders went away with the Portuguese. c. The paders continue to wear a single-piece long frock. d. Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life in the old days. e. Traditional bread-baking is still a very profitable business. f. Paders and their families starve in the present times.
Q. 11: Is bread an important part of Goan life? How do you know this? Ans. : Some of the facts which show the importance of bread in Goan life are as follows. Sandwiches must be prepared on the occasion of a daughter’s engagement. Cakes and bolinhas are must for Christmas and other festivals. Q. 12: Tick the right Ans. . What is the tone of the author when he says the following? a. The thud and the jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo can still be heard in some places. (nostalgic, hopeful, sad) b. Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession. (nostalgic, hopeful, sad) c. I still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. (nostalgic, hopeful, naughty) d. The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all. (naughty, angry, funny) e. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals. (sad, hopeful, matter-of-fact) f. The baker and his family never starved. They always looked happy and prosperous. (matter-of-fact, hopeful, sad)
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