Our Elders
Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow them:
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, time-tested 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 paper 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.
Word-Meaning: Reminiscing nostalgically— thinking fondly of the past भूतकाल को प्यार से याद करना Vanished— disappeared, गाएब हो गये है Heralding— announcing, उद्घोश्धा करते हुए Jingling— the sound of little bells, घुन्घ्रूओ की आवाज़ Vertical— standing straight सीधा खड़ा हुआ Rebuke—an expression of disapproval; a scolding ताड़ना Fragrance— scent, खुशबू
Questions
1.Our elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically. Why?
2. Have makers of famous loaves vanished?
3. What heralded the arrival of a baker in the morning?
4. What was the position of the baker in Goa during the narrator’s childhood?
5. Was it the love of the loaf that made children run and greet the baker?
6. How did the baker make his musical entry on the scene?
7. How could the children peep into the basket?
8. What does the narrator still recall about those loaves?
Answers
1. Our elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically about those good old Portuguese days and their famous loaves of bread.
2. No, eaters of those loaves might have vanished but the makers are still there.
3. The thud and jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo heralded the arrival of a baker in the morning.
4. The baker used to be the friend, companion and guide during the narrator’s childhood in Goa.
5. No, the children longed for bread-bangles and they used to run and greet the baker for them.
6. The baker made his musical entry on the scene with his `jhang, jhang’ sound of his bamboo staff.
7. The children would climb a bench or the parapet to peep into the basket.
8. The narrator still recalls the fragrance of the loaves.
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