Glimpses of India

A Baker from goa

[Link] Nostalgic About Portuguese Bread: Elders in Goa still

think fondly about those good old Portuguese days and their
famous loaves of bread. The eaters of loaves might have died but
the makers are still there. The fire in the furnaces that make these
bread has not yet been extinguished. At least, the thud and jingle of
the baker’s bamboo still herald his arrival in the morning.

2. Baker’s Arrival: The narrator recalls his childhood in Goa. The

baker used to be their friend, companion and guide. He used to
come at least twice a day. The children ran to meet the baker the
moment they heard the jingling thud of his bamboo. He would greet
the lady of the house. The elders enjoyed the typical fragrance of
those loaves and the kids, the music of the bamboo.

3. Baker’s Importance on Christmas and Other Festivals:

Marriage gifts in Goa are meaningless with the sweet bread or the
bol. Any party or feast is incomplete without bread. The baker is
very important for the village. On the occasion of her daughter’s
engage segment, the lady of the house must prepare sandwiches.
Cakes and `bolinhas’ are a must for Christmas and other festivals.
4, Baker’s Dress: In good old days, the baker or bread seller had a
peculiar dress. It was called the labia. It was a single piece frock
reaching down to the knees. Even today anyone who wears a shirt
and trousers shorter than full-lengths then he is said to is dressed
like a paper.

5. Baking, a Profitable Profession: Baking was really a profitable

profession in those days. The bakers and their families were quite
prosperous and happy. Their plumpy bodies were an open
testimony to their prosperity.

Coorg
Lokesh Abrol
1. Coorg is situated between Mysore and the coastal town of
Mangalore.
2. It is called the land of rolling hills.
3. It is inhabited by a proud race of martial men, beautiful women
and wild creatures.
4. It is the smallest district of Kamatka.
5. Coorgi is the home of evergreen forests, spices and coffee
plantations.
6. September to March is the most pleasant season for the tourists.
7. During this period, weather is perfect and the air breathes of
coffee.
8. The people of Coorg are fiercely independent people.
9. They are possible of Greek or Arabic origin.
 10. It is said that a part of Alexander’s army settled there and
married amongst the locals.
11. Their long black coat with an embroidered waist-belt Kuppia
resembles the kuffia worn by the Arabs.
12. Coorgi homes are known for their hospitality.
13. The Coorg Regiment is one of the most decorated in the Indian
Army.
14. The first Chief of the Indian Army, General Cariappa, was a
Coorgi.
15. The river, Kaveri, obtains its water from the hills and forests of
Coorg.
16. High energy adventures with river rafting, canoeing, rock
climbing and mountain biking are quite popular in Coorg.
17. Birds, bees butterflies, Malabar squirrels and langurs find
shelter in the rainforests of Coorg.
18. The top of the Brahamagiri hills gives you a panoramic view of
the misty valley of Coorg.
19. India’s largest Tibetan settlement at Bylakuppe is famous for its
Buddhist monks and temple.

Tea From Assam Summary in English

[Link] Very Popular: Tea is very popular in India. At every platform of railway
stations, you can hear vendors saying; “Chai-Chaff garam-Chai”. You can find
everyone in the compartment sipping the steam hot tea. Over eighty crore cups of
tea are drunk every day throughout the world.
2. Tea Plantations: It was green, green everywhere. Rajvir had never seen
so much greenery before. The green paddy fields gave way to tea bushes.
Small tea bushes stretched as far as the eyes could see. Amid the tall
sturdy shady trees, there were rows of tea bushes. Pranjol was born and
brought up on the plantation. So he was not excited. Assam has the largest
concentration of tea plantations in the world.

3. Origin of Tea: No one really knows who discovered tea One Chinese
emperor had always boiled water before drinking it. A few leaves of the
twigs burning under the pot fell Into the water. It gave it a delicious flavour.
It is said they were tea leaves. According to an Indian legend Bodhi
dharma, an ancient Buddhist ascetic cut off his eyelids because he felt
sleepy during meditations. Ten tea plants grew out of his eyelids. The
leaves of tea banished sleep. Tea was first drunk in China about 2700 B.C.
The words like ‘Char and ‘Chini’ are from the Chinese language. Tea came
to Europe only in the sixteenth century. It was drunk more like medicine
than a beverage.

4. New Sprouted Leaves: Acre upon acre of tea bushes were spread over
the slopes. They were all pruned to the same height. Groups of tea-
pluckers with bamboo baskets on their backs were plucking the newly
sprouted leaves. A tractor was pulling a trailer-load of leaves. Rajvir asked
if it was the second-flush or sprouting period. It lasts from May to July and
yields the best tea.

Mijbil the otter

The story starts with the writer travelling to Basra along with his pal. At some
point in their journey, the author expresses his choice to domesticate an otter
because after he had lost his pet dog, he feels lonely. His buddy advised that he
should get one from the Marshes along river Tigris in Iraq. As they reached the
destination, they discovered that only the friend’s mail had arrived. After some
days, the buddy left whilst the narrator is still waiting to receive his mail. After
receiving it, he went to his room to discover an otter (introduced to him in a sack),
accompanied by the aid of Arabs with a message. He named the otter Mijbil, and in
short form Mij.

It took some time for Mij to get familiar with his surroundings. Mij cherished
playing with water and learned to open the faucet himself. The time is passing
smoothly in Basra, however, now it was time to go back to London. As British
airlines did not permit animals, so, he had to book some other flight that allowed
Mij on a flight, but in a box. The narrator put him in a box an hour before the flight
in and left for having a meal. As he comes back, he found that box was still and
Mij had created holes and destroyed the internal lining. As a result, blood was
coming out of the holes. He became scared and rushed to the airport as its only ten
minutes left for the flight to take off.

He cleaned the box and reached the airport on time. Also, he explained the whole
incident to the air hostess who suggested him to keep the container on his lap.
Gavin was thankful for her kindness towards him. As soon as he opened the
container, the otter leapt out and disappeared thereby developing chaos in flight.
Passengers had been fearful. The air hostess had taken him again to Gavin and
eventually, they reached London. Mij was fond of ping-pong balls and marbles. He
even developed recreation with the narrator’s broken suitcase.

The narrator took him to walk and the people of London had wild guesses about
the animal. A few people think him to be an infant seal, squirrel or maybe a hippo.
The utmost shocking response came from a labourer digging the hole who asked
the author, “what’s that purported to be?”

Conclusion of Mijbil the Otter

The story explains the bond of the author and his pet otter, and the series of
incidences happened during their journey to London.

Madam Rides The Bus: Summary

This is a very beautiful and sensitive story of an eight-year-old girl who was
very eager to know about the world outside. As she did not have any
friends to play with, she remains indoors and remains busy watching the
people around the street.

She was very curious to enjoy the ride on the bus. The bus goes from her
village to the closest city. She gets to know the timings of the bus from one
of her neighbors. The bus travels to the nearby city which was
approximately 6 miles from her village.

The fare was thirty paise and so, Valli started to reduce her expenses from
the pocket money she got. She eagerly wants to have a ride and so she
planned to travel in the afternoon while her mother was taking a nap.

Valli was standing and waiting for the bus at the roadside. As the bus came
she told the conductor that she wants to go to the nearby town. The
conductor seems to be a good person. He called her Madam and told her
to take a seat.
Description of the bus and her journey
The bus was new and painted green and white in color stripes. The seats
on the bus were very comfortable and luxurious. On her journey, she enjoy
every bit of her journey. She enjoyed watching the lofty mountains, lush
green fields, and palm trees. She experienced all this for the very first time
with her own eyes. On her way to town, she also saw a young cow that was
crossing the road. All this experience was very mesmerizing for her. This
journey was like a dream come true.

She watched everything from small to big, and cherish every moment of
her journey. The landscape was her prime focus. After some time, the bus
reached its final destination and all the passengers got down. The
conductor asked her also to alight the bus. Valli remained on the bus and
took the return ticket as well.

The bus started its return journey and the girl saw the same cow dead by
the roadside street. This scene made her heart cry and she became sad.
She tries to understand the meaning of life and death with this experience.
She came back home and rejoined her family but did not utter a word about
the journey.