Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 5 Glimpses of India Notes in English

1The Chapter at a Glance

The book calls this unit a set of “glimpses”: three short pieces, each about a different region of India. The teacher’s note at the end says the aim is to show “how varied and charming and beautiful our country is”. Each part has its own writer, its own style and its own corner of the country.

	Part I: A Baker from Goa	Part II: Coorg	Part III: Tea from Assam
Writer	Lucio Rodrigues	Lokesh Abrol	Arup Kumar Datta
Region	Goa (west coast)	Coorg / Kodagu, Karnataka (south)	Upper Assam (north-east)
Kind of writing	A pen-portrait, told as childhood memory (“I”, “we”)	A travel piece, like a brochure, with a Fact File	A short story with dialogue between two boys
Main subject	The traditional baker, the pader	Coffee country: rainforests, spices, a martial people	Tea: its legends, history and how it is grown
Mood	Nostalgic and gently funny	Admiring, full of description	Curious and informative

2Part I: A Baker from Goa

2.1 About the Writer and the Piece

Lucio Rodrigues wrote this piece (the book names him on its contents page). The book’s headnote calls it “a pen-portrait of a traditional Goan village baker who still has an important place in his society”. A pen-portrait is a short word-picture of a person. The writer looks back at his own childhood in Goa, so the voice is personal and full of fond memories.

2.2 The Piece, Step by Step

Stage 1: The makers are still there

Older Goans often talk with longing about the “good old Portuguese days” and the famous Portuguese loaves. The writer’s point is simple: the people who ate those loaves may be gone, but the people who make them are not. The mixers, the moulders and the bakers are still at work, and the old, time-tested furnaces (ovens) are still burning. In some places you can still hear the thud and jingle of the baker’s bamboo announcing that he has come. Often the father has died and the son carries on the family profession. In Goa these bakers are still called pader.

Stage 2: The baker in the writer’s childhood

• The baker was the children’s friend, companion and guide.
• He came at least twice a day: once in the morning when he set out on his selling round, and again on his way back with his huge basket empty.
• The jingling thud of his bamboo woke the children, and they ran out to greet him.
• They did not run for the loaves. The loaves were bought by the maid-servant of the house (a Paskine or Bastine). The children wanted the bread-bangles, which they picked out carefully; sometimes there was also a special sweet bread.

Stage 3: How the baker made his entry

The baker announced himself with the “jhang, jhang” of his specially made bamboo staff. One hand held the basket steady on his head; the other hand banged the bamboo on the ground. He wished the lady of the house “Good morning” and rested his basket on the upright bamboo. The children were pushed aside with a mild rebuke (a gentle scolding) and the loaves went to the servant. Still the children did not give up: they climbed onto a bench or the parapet (a low wall) to peep into the basket. The writer can still remember the special smell of those loaves.

Stage 4: Bread at every occasion

The writer says it is hard to overstate how important a baker is to a village, and gives a list of occasions where bread is a must:

Occasion	What is a must
Marriage gifts	The sweet bread called bol; gifts mean nothing without it
A party or a feast	Bread; without it the feast loses its charm
A daughter’s engagement	Sandwiches, which the lady of the house must prepare
Christmas and other festivals	Cakes and bolinhas

So the writer concludes that the baker’s furnace in the village is “absolutely essential”.

Stage 5: The baker’s dress

Even today, anyone wearing a half pant that ends just below the knees is teased that he is “dressed like a pader”.

Stage 6: Bills, profit and the baker’s looks

• The baker usually collected his money at the end of the month.
• The monthly accounts were written in pencil on a wall.
• Baking was a profitable trade in the old days. The baker, his family and his servants never went hungry and always looked happy and well-off.
• Their plump physique (pleasantly fat body) was “an open testimony” (clear public proof) of this.
• Even now, a person with a jackfruit-like appearance, that is, round and well-fed, is easily compared to a baker.

2.3 The Pader at a Glance

Point	What the book says
Name	Pader
Signal of arrival	Thud and jingle of his bamboo staff: “jhang, jhang”
Visits	At least twice a day
Dress	Kabai (Portuguese days); shirt with knee-length trousers (writer’s childhood)
Payment	Monthly, accounts in pencil on a wall
Looks	Plump, “jackfruit-like”
Profession today	Carried on by sons; furnaces still alight

3Part II: Coorg

3.1 About the Writer and the Piece

Lokesh Abrol wrote this piece (named on the contents page). The headnote sums it up: “Coorg is coffee country, famous for its rainforests and spices.” It reads like a travel brochure: rich description first, then a practical Fact File on how to get there.

3.2 The Land

• Location: midway between Mysore and the coastal town of Mangalore.
• The writer calls it “a piece of heaven that must have drifted from the kingdom of god”: a land of rolling hills.
• It is home to “a proud race of martial men, beautiful women and wild creatures”. Martial means having to do with war.
• Coorg, or Kodagu, is the smallest district of Karnataka.
• It has evergreen rainforests, spices and coffee plantations. Evergreen rainforests cover thirty per cent of the district.

Season	What happens
Monsoon	It rains so hard that many visitors stay away
September to March	“The season of joy”: perfect weather, a few showers, air full of the fresh smell of coffee

Coffee estates and colonial bungalows sit tucked under tree canopies (roof-like coverings of branches) in the best spots.

3.3 The People of Coorg

The people are described as fiercely independent. Their origin is uncertain: they are “possibly of Greek or Arabic descent”. The book gives a reason for each idea.

3.4 Hospitality and Bravery

• Coorgi homes are known for hospitality, and the families gladly tell many tales of valour (stories of bravery) about their sons and fathers.
• The Coorg Regiment is one of the most decorated in the Indian Army, meaning it has won a very large number of bravery awards.
• General Cariappa, the first Chief of the Indian Army, was a Coorgi.
• Even now, the Kodavus are the only people in India allowed to carry firearms without a licence.

3.5 River and Wildlife

• The river Kaveri gets its water from the hills and forests of Coorg.
• Mahaseer, a large freshwater fish, is found in plenty in these waters.
• Kingfishers dive for fish. Squirrels and langurs drop half-eaten fruit into the water just for the fun of the splash and the ripples.
• Elephants enjoy being bathed and scrubbed in the river by their mahouts (keepers).
• In the forest: birds, bees and butterflies; macaques, Malabar squirrels, langurs and slender loris watch from the tree canopy.
• The writer’s one exception, said with a smile: “I do, however, prefer to step aside for wild elephants.”

3.6 Adventure and Places to See

Coorg changes even the laziest visitor. The book says “The most laidback individuals become converts to the life of high-energy adventure”. The sports it lists:

Place	Why visit
Brahmagiri hills	The climb gives a panoramic view of the whole misty landscape of Coorg
Nisargadhama	A sixty-four-acre island, reached by walking across a rope bridge
Bylakuppe	India’s largest Tibetan settlement, nearby; Buddhist monks in red, ochre and yellow robes

The piece ends by saying such surprises wait for visitors searching for “the heart and soul of India, right here in Coorg”.

3.7 Fact File: How to Reach

Mode	Details from the book
Gateway	Madikeri, the district headquarters, is the only gateway to Coorg
By air	Nearest airports: Mangalore (135 km) and Bangalore (260 km)
By rail	Nearest railheads: Mysore, Mangalore and Hassan
By road	Two routes from Bangalore, both about 250-260 km. The route via Mysore is used most; the other goes via Neelamangal, Kunigal and Chanrayanapatna

4Part III: Tea from Assam

4.1 About the Writer and the Story

Arup Kumar Datta wrote this piece (named on the contents page). Pranjol, a boy from Assam, studies with Rajvir at a school in Delhi. Pranjol’s father manages a tea-garden in Upper Assam, and Pranjol has invited Rajvir home for the summer vacation. Most of the facts about tea come out through the boys’ conversation.

4.2 The Journey, Step by Step

Stage 1: Tea on the train

A vendor calls out “Chai-garam… garam-chai” and Pranjol orders two cups. Nearly everyone in the compartment is drinking tea. Rajvir shares a striking fact: over eighty crore cups of tea are drunk every day across the world. Pranjol agrees that tea is very popular, then goes back to his detective book. Rajvir also loves detective stories, but right now he would rather watch the view.

Stage 2: Into tea country

There is green everywhere, more than Rajvir has ever seen. The soft green paddy fields give way to tea bushes. Against densely wooded hills, a “sea of tea bushes” stretches as far as he can see. Tall, sturdy shade-trees tower over the small tea plants, and doll-like figures (the workers) move between the neat rows. Far away stands an ugly building with smoke pouring out of tall chimneys (the tea factory).

Rajvir cries out in excitement at his first tea garden. Pranjol, who was born and brought up on a plantation, is not excited at all. He tells Rajvir that Assam has the largest concentration of plantations in the world and that he will see “enough gardens to last you a lifetime!”

Stage 3: Legends and history of tea

Rajvir has been reading up on tea. Nobody really knows who discovered it, he says, but there are many legends.

Pranjol’s reaction to the first legend, “Tell me another!”, is said scornfully (the book uses “scoffed”): he does not take the story seriously.

Stage 4: Arrival at Dhekiabari

• The train reaches Mariani junction; the boys push through the crowded platform with their luggage.
• Pranjol’s parents are waiting, and they drive towards Dhekiabari, the tea-garden Pranjol’s father manages.
• An hour later the car turns sharply off the main road, crosses a cattle-bridge and enters the Dhekiabari Tea Estate.
• On both sides of the gravel road lie acres of tea bushes, all pruned to the same height.
• Groups of tea-pluckers, with bamboo baskets on their backs and plastic aprons, pick the newly sprouted leaves.
• Pranjol’s father slows down to let a tractor pass, pulling a trailer full of tea leaves.

Stage 5: Rajvir’s homework

Rajvir asks Mr Barua (Pranjol’s father) whether this is the second-flush or sprouting period, which lasts from May to July and gives the best tea. Mr Barua is surprised: “You seem to have done your homework before coming.” Rajvir admits he has, and says he hopes to learn much more during his stay.

4.3 The Two Boys

5Themes, Message and Key Lines

5.1 Themes

5.2 Key Lines to Remember

Line (exact)	Part	What it shows
“Those eaters of loaves might have vanished but the makers are still there.”	I	The bakers outlived the Portuguese era
“The fire in the furnaces has not yet been extinguished.”	I	The trade is still alive
“Loaves for the elders and the bangles for the children.”	I	Each age group had its own bread
“The tiger never brushed his teeth.”	I	Humour: childish excuses
“Their plump physique was an open testimony to this.”	I	Baking made the bakers prosperous
“The air breathes of invigorating coffee.”	II	Coorg is coffee country
“I do, however, prefer to step aside for wild elephants.”	II	The writer’s light humour about danger
“Tell me another!” scoffed Pranjol.	III	Pranjol does not believe the legend
“You seem to have done your homework before coming”	III	Mr Barua is impressed by Rajvir’s knowledge

6Words and Language

6.1 Words from the Margin

Word	Part	Meaning in the book
reminiscing nostalgically	I	thinking fondly of the past
heralding	I	announcing
rebuke	I	an expression of disapproval; a scolding
fragrance	I	scent
plump physique	I	pleasantly fat body
open testimony	I	public statement about a character or quality
drifted from	II	been carried along gently by air
martial	II	having to do with war
canopies	II	roof-like coverings that form shelters
prime	II	here, best
mainstream	II	a tradition which most people follow
tales of valour	II	stories of courage and bravery, usually in war
most decorated	II	having received the maximum number of awards for bravery in war
laidback	II	relaxed; not in a hurry
trails	II	paths created by walking
panoramic view	II	a view of a wide area of land

6.2 Definitions

6.3 Collocations from Part II

Possible pairings from the book’s adjective list: unique / ancient culture; serious monks; sudden / unforgettable surprise; unique / unforgettable / terrible experience; terrible weather; ancient / unique tradition. Phrases from the text to complete: tales of valour; coastal town; a piece of heaven; evergreen rainforests; coffee plantations; rope bridge; wild elephants (or creatures).