A Baker from Goa — Lucio Rodrigues
Summary (English)
The lesson recalls the village baker (pader) as a warm, essential figure in Goan life since Portuguese times. Every morning his bamboo staff’s thud announced fresh loaves for families and ring-shaped “bread-bangles” for children. Special items like bol and bolinhas were a must for engagements, weddings, feasts and Christmas, showing that bread was culturally important. The baker first wore a long frock-like kabai, later a shirt with knee-length half-pants. Monthly accounts were pencilled on a wall and settled together—evidence that baking was steady and profitable. The narrator’s nostalgic tone, smells of warm loaves and lively morning scenes together portray how the pader’s craft and presence shaped everyday Goan community life.
सार (हिन्दी)
यह पाठ गोवा के गाँव के बेकर (पादेर) की आत्मीय और सामाजिक भूमिका को याद करता है, जो पुर्तगाली दौर से जीवन का महत्वपूर्ण हिस्सा रहा है। सुबह-सुबह उसकी बाँस की छड़ी की ठक-ठक से ताज़ी लोफ़ ब्रेड आती और बच्चों को कड़े-आकार की “ब्रेड-बैंगल्स” मिलतीं। सगाई, शादी, दावत और क्रिसमस पर बोल व बोलिन्यास अनिवार्य मानी जाती थीं— इससे ब्रेड का सांस्कृतिक महत्व स्पष्ट होता है। पहनावा पहले लंबी कबाई, बाद में शर्ट और घुटनों से नीचे तक हाफ-पैंट। मासिक हिसाब दीवार पर चॉक/पेंसिल से लिखा जाता और एक साथ चुका दिया जाता—यानी यह पेशा स्थिर और लाभकारी था। लेखक की स्मृतियाँ (लोफ़ की खुशबू, सुबह का माहौल) बताती हैं कि पादेर की कला और उपस्थिति ने गोवा के रोज़मर्रा जीवन और समुदाय को गहराई से प्रभावित किया।
- Key themes: nostalgia, Goan culture, social importance of bread, family professions.
- Keywords: pader, kabai, bol/bolinhas, bread-bangles, monthly wall accounts.
Glimpses of India (Part I): A Baker from Goa — Lucio Rodrigues
NCERT “Before You Read” • Oral Comprehension Check (Part 1 & 2) • Thinking about the Text (I & II) • Writing & Project Tasks (EN + HI)
🔹 BEFORE YOU READ — Activity (Discuss in class)
- India images (people & places) — आपके मन में कौन सी तस्वीरें आती हैं?
- Visited parts of India — लोकप्रिय पर्यटन स्थल नाम बताइए।
- European influence — फ्रेंच/पुर्तगाली असर किन भागों में दिखता है?
- Cash crops — भारत में (i) चाय, (ii) कॉफी कहाँ उगती है?
🗣️ Oral Comprehension Check — Part 1
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Q1. What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about? / गोवा के बुज़ुर्ग किस बात को याद करते हैं?
Ans (EN): The Portuguese days and the village baker (pader) with his fresh loaves and morning rounds.
उत्तर (HI): पुर्तगाली दौर और गाँव के पादेर—उनकी सुबह-सुबह की आवाज़ और ताज़ी लोफ़ ब्रेड।
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Q2. Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know? / क्या आज भी गोवा में ब्रेड बनती/लोकप्रिय है?
Ans: Yes. Old ovens still work; mixers/moulders/bakers continue; special breads are still needed for occasions.
उत्तर: हाँ—पुराने भट्ठे चल रहे हैं; पादेर आज भी काम करते हैं; समारोहों में विशेष ब्रेड अनिवार्य है।
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Q3. What is the baker called? / बेकर को क्या कहते हैं?
Ans: Pader (पादेर).
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Q4. When would the baker come every day? Why did children run to him? / वह रोज़ कब आता था? बच्चे क्यों दौड़ते थे?
Ans: Early morning with the thud/jingle of his bamboo; kids ran for ring-shaped bread-bangles and treats.
उत्तर: सुबह उसकी बाँस की छड़ी की ठक-ठक/झंकार के साथ; बच्चे कड़े-आकार की ब्रेड व मिठाइयों के लिए।
🗣️ Oral Comprehension Check — Part 2
Q1. Match the following — “What is a must?”
| Occasion | Must-have |
|---|---|
| (i) as marriage gifts | sweet bread called bol |
| (ii) for a party or a feast | bread (loaves) |
| (iii) for a daughter’s engagement | sandwiches |
| (iv) for Christmas | cakes and bolinhas |
हिन्दी कुंजी: (i) bol, (ii) ब्रेड, (iii) सैंडविच, (iv) केक व bolinhas
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Q2. What did the bakers wear: (i) in Portuguese days? (ii) when the author was young?
Ans: (i) A long frock-like kabai. (ii) Shirt with half-pants (below knees, shorter than full trousers).
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Q3. Who invites the comment “he is dressed like a pader”? Why?
Ans: Anyone wearing half-pants reaching just below the knees—typical of the baker’s later dress.
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Q4. Where were the monthly accounts recorded?
Ans: On a wall, in pencil; bills were settled monthly.
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Q5. What does a “jackfruit-like appearance” mean?
Ans: A plump, bulky physique—sign of prosperity of the baker and his family.
🧠 Thinking about the Text
1. Which statements are correct?
- (i) The pader was important in old village life — Correct.
- (ii) Paders still exist in Goan villages — Correct.
- (iii) The paders went away with the Portuguese — Incorrect.
- (iv) Paders continue to wear a single-piece long frock — Incorrect (later: shirt + half-pants).
- (v) Bread and cakes were integral to old Goan life — Correct.
- (vi) Traditional bread-baking is still a very profitable business — Generally True in the lesson’s context.
- (vii) Paders and their families starve now — Incorrect.
2. Is bread an important part of Goan life? How do you know?
Ans (EN): Yes—because marriages, engagements, feasts and Christmas specifically require items like bol/bolinhas, sandwiches, and loaves; the baker’s furnace is “absolutely essential”.
उत्तर (HI): हाँ—शादी, सगाई, दावत, क्रिसमस में खास ब्रेड अनिवार्य है; इसलिए पादेर का भट्ठा “अत्यावश्यक” माना गया।
3. Tick the right tone
- (i) Thud/jingle can still be heard — nostalgic
- (ii) Son carries on family profession — hopeful
- (iii) Recall the typical fragrance — nostalgic
- (iv) Tiger never brushed; hot tea cleans — funny
- (v) Cakes & bolinhas are a must — matter-of-fact
- (vi) Baker’s family never starved — matter-of-fact
📋 Thinking about the Text (I) — Table & Paragraph
| Clues | Author’s childhood days — Answer |
|---|---|
| the way bread was baked | In age-old, time-tested furnaces/ovens; the fire had not been extinguished. |
| the way the pader sold bread | Morning rounds with a bamboo staff’s thud/jingle; door-to-door delivery; greetings to the lady of the house. |
| what the pader wore | Earlier a long frock-like kabai; later a shirt with half-pants (below knees). |
| when the pader was paid | Monthly; accounts recorded on a wall in pencil. |
| how the pader looked | Healthy/plump; a “jackfruit-like” physique signifying prosperity. |
Short Paragraph (EN): In the author’s childhood, bread was baked in old ovens whose fires still burned. Each morning the pader arrived to a bamboo’s thud and cheerful greetings, bringing loaves for elders and ring-shaped “bread-bangles” for children. Once dressed in a kabai, later in shirt and half-pants, he kept monthly accounts on a wall. The baker’s plump figure reflected how profitable and essential his trade was to village life.
अनुच्छेद (HI): लेखक के बचपन में रोटी पुराने भट्ठों में पकती थी। सुबह-सुबह पादेर बाँस की छड़ी की ठक-ठक के साथ आता, बड़ों के लिए लोफ़ और बच्चों के लिए कड़े जैसी ब्रेड लाता। पहले वह कबाई पहनता, बाद में शर्ट-हाफ पैंट। दीवार पर मासिक हिसाब लिखा रहता। उसका स्फीत शरीर दिखाता है कि यह पेशा लाभकारी और ग्राम-जीवन के लिए आवश्यक था।
🔍 Thinking about the Text (II) — Compare the Two Pieces
How are the two texts different? The textbook extract is a nostalgic, personal sketch (sensory details: thud/jingle, fragrance, bread-bangles) while the adapted piece is informational/expository (survival of paders, family tradition, door-to-door service, Portuguese gift of leavened bread). Are the facts the same? Broadly yes—both affirm the continuing presence of paders and their cultural role. Do both give a picture of the baker? Yes; one paints a lived memory, the other summarizes background and practices.
✍️ Writing Task — Travel Brochure → Personal Account
- Find/read a brochure of a place you’ve visited.
- Write your own account adding sights, sounds, smells, interactions so it becomes lively, not just factual.
Tip (HI): केवल तथ्य नहीं—अपना अनुभव, भावनाएँ, छोटी-छोटी बातें जोड़ें ताकि पाठक को जगह “दिखे-महसूस” हो।
🧩 Project / Group Activity
- Modern Bakeries: पता करें आज ब्रेड कैसे बनती है—फर्मेंटेशन/ओवन/हाईजीन/डिलीवरी—और समय के साथ क्या बदला है।
- Declining Crafts: कोई एक शिल्प चुनें (Pottery/Batik/Dhurri/Embroidery/Carpentry/Bamboo/Jute/Handloom). उसकी कुशलताएँ, गिरावट के कारण, और पुनर्जीवन के तरीके (training, e-commerce, design labs, micro-credit) प्रस्तुत करें.
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