7

A Baker from Goa

Oral Comprehension Check - I

 Question: 1:

1.       What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?

2.       Is bread-ma king still popular r in Goa? How do you know?

3.       What is the baker called?

4.       When would the baker come every day? Why did the children run to meet him?

Answer: 1:

1.       The elders in Goa were heard reminiscing nostalgically about the good Old Portuguese days and their famous loaves of bread.

2.       The author mentioned that the eaters of the famous bread loaves might have vanished but the makers were still there. He mentions the age-old time-tested furnaces existed and their fire had still not extinguished. Hence we can say that bread-making is still popular in Goa.

3.       The bakers are known as padre in Goa.

4.       The author said that baker used to be their friend, companion and guide. The baker came 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 worked as an alarm for the children. They ran to meet him and greet him not because of their love of the loaf, which was bought by the maid-servant of the house. They actually longed for the bread -bangles, which they chose carefully. Sometimes, it was a sweet bread of special make.

Comprehension  Check -   II

Question: 1 :

1.       Match the following. What is a must?

(I)      as marriage gifts?                     - Cakes and Bolinas

(ii)     For a party or a feast?               - Sweet bread called bot

(iii)    For a daughter's engagement?   - Bread

(iv)    For Christmas?                        - Sandwiches

2.       What did the bakers wear: (I) in the Portuguese days? (ii) When the author was young?

3.       Who invites the comment -"he is dressed like a padre"? Why?

4.       Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded?

5.       What does a 'jackfruit -like appearance' mean?

Answer: 1:

 1.

(I)      as marriage gifts? (ii)     For a party or a feast? (iii)    For a daughter's engagement? (iv)    For Christmas?

-        sweet bread called boll -         bread -        sandwiches -        cakes and Bolinas

2.

 (I)     In the Portuguese days, the bakers had a peculiar dress known as the kabai. I t was a single-piece long frock reaching down to the knees.

(ii)     When the author was young, he saw the bakers wearing a shirt and trousers, which were shorter

Than full-length ones and longer than half pants.

3.       Anyone who wears a half-pant which reaches just below the knees invites the comment that "he is dressed like a padre”. This was so because the bakers were known as padre and they wore such half pants.

4.       The bakers usually collected the bills at the end of the month. The monthly accounts of the baker were recorded on some wall in pencil. It was profitable profession in the old days.

5.       The plump physique was referred as a 'jackfruit-like appearance'. This physique was linked to the bakers because they never starved. Baking was a profitable profession back then. The baker, his family, and his servants always looked happy and prosperous and had a 'jackfruit-like appearance'.

Thinking about the Text

Question: 1:

1.       Which of these statements are correct?

(I)      the padre was an important person in the village in old times.

(ii)     Padres still exist in Goan villages.

(iii)    The padres went away with the Portuguese.

(iv)    The pad ers continue to wear a single-piece long frock.

(v)     Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life in the old days.

(vi)    Traditional bread-baking is still a very profitable business.

(vii)   Paders and their families starve in the present times.

2.       Is bread an important part of Goan life? How do you know this?

3.       Tick the right Answer what is the tone of the author when he says the following?

(I)      the thud and the j ingle of the traditional baker's bamboo can still be heard in some places. (Nostalgic, hopeful, sad)

(ii)     Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession.  (Nostalgic,

Hopeful, sad)

(iii)    I still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. (Nostalgic, hopeful, naughty)

(iv)    The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all. (Naughty, angry, funny)

(v)     Cakes and Bolin has are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals. (Sad, hopeful, matter­

Of-fact)

(vi)    The baker and his family never starved. They always looked happy and prosperous. (Matter­ of-fact, hopeful, sad)

Answer: 1:

1.

(I)      Correct

(ii)     Correct

(iii)    Incorrect. As the padres still exist in Goan villages.

(iv)    Incorrect. As the paders wear shirts, and trousers that are shorter than full-length ones and longer than half pants.

(v)     Incorrect. As bread and cakes are still an integral part of Goan life.

(vi)    Correct

(vii)   Incorrect. As baking is still a very profitable business in Goa.

2. Bread is an integral part of Goan life. Marriage gifts are meaningless without the sweet bread known as the bol. It is difficult to say how important a baker can be for the village. For occasion of daughter's engagement the lady of the house prepares sandwiches. Cakes and Bolinas are a must for Christmas. The author says that everybody loves the fragrance of loaves. The elders were given loaves and the children were given bread-bangles, which they longed for. Bakery is a profitable profession shows that the love for bread is enormous in Goa.

3.

(I) the thud and the jingle of the traditional baker's bamboo can still be heard in some places.

(Nostalgic)

(ii)     Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession. (Hopeful)

(iii)    I still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. (Naughty)

(iv)    The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all. (Funny)

(v) Cakes and Bolinas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals. (Matter-of-fact)

(vi) The baker and his family never starved. They always looked happy and prosperous. (Matter-of­ fact)

Writing

 Question: I:

In this extract, the author talks about traditional bread-baking during his childhood days. Complete the following table with the help of the clues on the left. Then write a paragraph about the

Clues	author's childhood days
the way bread was baked the way the padre sold bread what the padre wore when the padre was paid how the padre looked	The bread was baked in the furnace. Visit to house many times. Special dress known as kabab. They were paid at the end of month. They looked somehow funny

Answer: I:

Author 'childhood days the bread was baked in the furnace. Visit to house many times.

Special dress known as kabai.

They were paid at the end of month. They looked somehow funny.

In author's childhood days, the bread was baked in the furnace. The bakers were called the paders. The baker used to be friend and visited the house many times as required . The jingling thud of his bamboo woke up the children from sleep. On hearing the noise, they ran to greet him. They liked bread bangles. Sometimes a special bread were made with some sweetness. When the baker put his basket, the children would climb on the parapet but they were pushed aside. Bread bangles were meant for the children. The bread seller wore a special dress known as kabai. Today they were half pant which creates fun. Their bills were paid at the end of the month.

Question: II:

1.       Compare the piece from the text (on the left below) with the other piece on Goan bakers (on the right). What makes the two texts so different? Are the facts the same? Do both writers give you a picture of the baker?

 Our elders are often heard reminiscing After Goa's liberation, people used  to  say nostalgically about those good old Portuguese  nostalgically   that   the   Portuguese   bread days, the Portuguese and their famous loaves of vanished with the paders. But the paders have bread. Those eaters of loaves might have managed to survive because they have vanished but the makers are still there. We still perfected the art of   door-to door   delivery have amongst us the mixers, the molders and service. The padres pick up the knowledge of those who bake the loaves. Those age-old, time- bread making from traditions in the family. The tested furnaces still exist. The fire in the leavened, oven-baked bread is a gift of the furnaces had not yet been extinguished. The   Portuguese to India.

Thud and the jingle of the traditional baker's [Adapted from Nanda Kumar

Bamboo, heralding his arrival in the morning, Kamet’s 'The Unsung Lives of Goon can still be heard in some places.      Padres']

May be the father is not alive but the son

Still carries on the family profession.  -

2.       Now find a travel brochure about a place you have visited. Look at the description in the broch urea.

Then write your own account, adding details from your own experience, to give the reader a picture of the place, rather than an impersonal, factual description.

 Answer: II:

1.       Both the pieces are different. The piece on the left gives a vivid and correct description of the baker but on the right, it is hazy and different. Their language and the text fail to serve the real purpose.

2.       I was studying in a school D.M.A - II, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Our teachers managed an educational tour of Delhi. We were five friends. First of all we reached the Qu tab Miner. It is the highest tower in India. Then we moved to Indira Gandhi Airport. The aero planes added to our knowledge. After the lunch time, our teachers decided to move towards the Buddha Jayant Park and the India Gate. We all were happy to see the 'Amar Juwan Jot', which reminds us of our brave soldiers. We have visited the Parliament House, Jantar Mantar, the Rashtrapati Bhawan, etc. which are the wonderful work of art. It filled our heart with delight. Having a glance at Zoo, we returned towards the Red Fort. It is the Moghul art of architecture. There was a large crowd to see the Diwan -e-aam, Diwan­ e-khas and the Rang Mahal. Our hearts were full of wonder and enjoyment.

Group Discussion

 Question::

1.       In groups, collect informa tion on how bakeries bake bread now and how the process has changed over time.

2.       There are a number of craft-based professions which are dying out. Pick one of the crafts below.

Make a group presentation to the class about the skills required, and the possible reasons for the decline of the craft. Can you think of ways to revive these crafts?

(i)      Pottery        (v) Carpentry

(ii)     Batik work  (vi) Bamboo weaving

(iii)    Dh urri (rug) weaving     (vii) Making ju te products

(iv)    Embroidery (viii) Handloom

Answer ::

1.       This is an activity, so do this under your teacher' s guidance.

2.       Due to modern innovations and techniques so many ancient craft based professions are declining. The ancient techniques are also very costly, time-consuming, laborious, troublesom e, complicated and tensed. People support and governm ent policies can revive these dying craft based professional.

Coorg

Thinking about the Text

Question: 1 :

1.       Where is Coorg?

2.       What is the story about the Kodavu people's descent?

3.       What are some of the things you now know about

(i)      the people of Coorg?

(ii)     the main crop of Coorg?

(iii)    the sports it offers to tourists?

(iv)    The animals you are likely to see in Coorg?

(v)     Its distance from Bangalore, and how to get there?

4.       Here are six sentences with some words in italics. Find phrases from the text that have the same meaning. (Look in the paragraphs indicated)

(I)      during monsoons it rains so heavily that tourists do not visit Coorg. (Para 2)

(ii)     Some people say that Alexander’s army moved south along the coast and settled there. (Para 3)

(iii)    The Coorg people are always ready to tell stories of their sons' and fathers' value r. (para 4)

(iv)    Even people who normally lead an easy and slow life get smitten by the high-energy adventure sports of Coorg. (para 6)

(v)     The theory of the Arab origin is supported by the long coat with embroidered waist-belt they

wear. (para 3)

(vi)    Macaq ues, Malabar squirrels observe you carefully from the tree can opy. (para 7)

Answer : 1 :

1.       Coorg is situated in the midway between  Mysore and the coastal town of Mangalore. It is the paradise on the Earth.

2.       There are many stories about the Kodavu people' s descent. One of the story tells that the fiercely independent people of Kodavu are of Greek or Arabic origin. It is said that, a part of Alexander's army men moved to south and settled there. Their costume, martial practices and marriage rituals also point to the fact that they are from Arabic origin.

3.

(i)      The people of Coorg are fiercely independent. They are of Greek or Arabic descent. Coorgi

homes have a tradition of hospitality. They are more than willing to recount numerous tales of valour related to their sons an d fathers. Kodavus are the only people in India permitted to carry firearms without a license.

(ii)     Coorg is a plantation house for Coffee. It is the main crop of Coorg. The coffee estates stand tucked under tree canopies in prime corners.

(iii)    The sports that Coorg offers to tourists are river rafting, canoeing, rappelling, rock climbing,

mountain biking, and trekking.

 (iv) The animals that one is likely to see in Coorg are birds, bees, butterflies, macaques, Malabar squirrels, langurs, loris, and wild elephants.

(v) The distance between Coorg and Bangalore is around 260 km. There are two routes to Coorg from Bangalore and both are of the same distance. The most frequented route is the one via Mysore. The other route is via Neela mangal, Kunigal, and Chanrayanapatna.

4.

(i)      keep many visitors away

(ii)     as one story goes

(iii)    are more than willing to recount

(iv)    the most laidback individuals become converts to

(v)     draws support from

(vi)    keep a watchful eye

Collocations

Thinking about Language

Question: 1 :

Certain words 'go together'. Such 'word friends' are called collocations. The collocation of a word is 'the company it keeps'.

For example, look at the paired sentences and phrases below. Which is a common collocation, and which one is odd? Strike out the odd sentence or phrase.

(a)     • 'How old are you?'

•        'How young are you?'

 (b)    • a pleasan t person

•        a pleasa nt pillow

1.       Here are some nouns from the text.

          culture        monks         surprise       experience             weather       tradition

Work with a partner and discuss which of the n ouns can collocate with which of the adjectives given below. The first one has been done for you.

          unique         terrible        unforgettable        senous        ancient        wide  sudden 

(i)      culture: unique culture, ancient culture

(ii)     monks:………………………

(iii)    surprise:………………………

(iv)    experience:…………………

(v)     weather:……………………

(vi)     tradition:……………………..

2. Complete the following phrases from the text. For each phrase, can you find at least one other

word that would fit into the blank?

(i) tales of    (ii) coastal   _

(iii) a piece of        _

(v)     plantations

(vii) wild     _

You may add your own examples to this list.

(iv) evergreen       _

(vi)    _        bridge

Answer : 1 :

1.

A	B
Culture Monks Surprise experience weather tradition	unique culture, ancient culture  serious monks unique surprise, terrible surprise, unforgettable surprise unique experience, terrible experience, unforgettable experience terrible weather unique tradition, ancient tradition

2.

(i)      tales of valour

(ii)     coastal town

(iii)    a piece of heaven

(iv)    evergreen rainforests

(v)     coffee plantations

(vi)    rope bridge

(vii)   wild elephants Some more examples: Good measure

Coffee estates Rolling hills

Martial traditions Religious rites.

Thinking about Language

Question: I:

Tea from Assam

1.       Look at th ese word s: up keep, downpour, undergo, dropout, walk-in. They are built up from a verb

(keep, pour, go, drop, walk) and an adverb or a particle ( up, down, under, out, in).

Use these words appropriately in the sentences below. You may consult a dictionary.

(i)      A heavy      has been forecast due to low pressure in the Bay of Bengal.

(ii)     Rakesh will major surgery tomorrow morning.

(iii)    My brother is responsible for the        of our family pro perty.

(iv)    The    rate for this accountancy course is very high.

(v)     She went to the Enterprise Company to attend an   interview.

2.       N ow fill in the blanks in the sentences given below by combining the verb given in brackets with one of the words from the box as appropriate.

I over by      throughout  up     down

(I)      the Army attempted unsuccessfully to the Government. (Throw)

(ii)     Scientists are on the brink of a major  in cancer research. (Break)

(iii)    The State Government plans to build a         for Bhubaneswar to speed up traffic on the main highway. (Pass)

(iv)    Gautama's   on life changed when he realized that the world is full of sorrow. (Look)

(v)     Rakesh seemed unusually         after the game. (Cast)

Answer: I:

1.

(I) a heavy downpour has been forecast due to low pressure in the Bay of Bengal.

(ii)     Rakesh will undergo major surgery tomorrow morning.

(iii)    My brother is responsible for the upkeep of our family property.

(iv)    The dropout rate for this accountancy course is very high.

(v)     She went to the Enterprise Company to attend a walk-in interview.

2.

(I) The Army attempted unsuccessful y to overthrow the Govern mint.

(ii)     Scientists are on the brink of a major outbreak k in cancer research.

(iii)    The State Government t plans to build a bypass for Bhubaneswar r to speed up traffic on the main highway.

(iv)    Gautama's outlooks on life changed when he realized that the world is full of sorrow.

(v)     Rakesh seemed unusually downcast after the game.

Question: II:

Notice how these -ing and -ed adjectives are used.

 (a)    Chess is an interesting game.

(b)     Going trekking in the Himalayas this summer is an exciting idea.

(c)      Are all your school books this boring?

I am very interested in chess.

We are very excited about the trek.

He was bored as he had no friend there.

The -ing adjectives show the qualities that chess, trekking, or these books have : they cause interest, excitement, or boredom in you. The -ed/ -en adjectives show your mental state, or your physical state: how you feel in respo nse to ideas, events or things.

1.       Think of suitable -ing or -ed adjectives to Answer : the following Question:s. You may also use words from those given above.

How would you describe

(i)      a good detective serial on television?  _

(ii)     a debate on your favourite topic 'Homework Should Be Ban ned'?       ___

(iii)    how you feel when you stay indoors due to incessant rain?        _

(iv)    how you feel when you open a present?       _

(v)     how you feel when you watch your favourite progra mme on television? _    _

(vi)    the look on your mother's face as you waited in a queue? _

(vii)   how you feel when tracking a tiger in a tiger reserve forest?      _

(viii)  the story you have recently read, or a film you have seen? _

2.       N ow use the adjectives in the exercise above, as appropriate, to write a paragraph about Coorg.

Answer : II:

1.

(i) a good detective serial on television? Interesting

(ii) a debate on your favourite topic 'Homework Should Be Ban ned'? Exciting

(iii)    how you feel when you stay indoors due to incessant rain? Boredom

(iv)    how you feel when you open a presen t? Excited

(v)     how you feel when you watch your favourite programme on television? Excited

(vi)    the look on your mother's face as you waited in a queue? Bori ng

(vii)   how you feel when tracking a tiger in a tiger reserve forest? Interesting

(viii)  the story you have recently read, or a film you have seen? Exciting

2.       A Passage on Coorg

A trip to the smallest district of Coorg is not only in teresting but also exciting. September to March are the best month s that will give you an invigorating effect on your health. The season of monsoon is boring. One can feel excited in the company of birds, beasts, langurs in the forests. The water games like rafting, canoeing and rappelling are worth -exciting and do not create boredom for the trekkers. Corgi people show much interest and excitement in the Army. The Coorgi Regiment is famous for its valour and courage. There is the largest Indian Tibetan colony. The monks wear interesti ng robes of yellow colour.

Speaking and Writing

Question:1:

1.       Read the following passage about tea.

India and tea are so intertwined together that life without the brew is unimagina ble. Tea entered our life only in the mid-nineteenth century when the British started plantations in Assam and Darjeeling! In the begin ning though, Indians shunned the drink as they thought it was a poison that led to umpteen diseases. Ironically, tea colonised Britain wh ere it became a part of thei r social diary and also led to the establishment of numerous tea houses.

Today, scientific research across the world has attempted to establish the beneficial qualities of tea -a fact the J apanese and the Chinese knew anyway from ancient times, attributing to it numerous medicinal properties.

{Source: 'History: Tea Anytime' by Ranjit Biswasfrom

Literary Review, The Hindu, 1 October 2006] Collect information about tea, e.g. its evolution as a drink, its beneficial qualities. You can consult an encyclopedia or visit Internet websites. Then form groups of five and play the following roles:

Imagine a meeting of a tea planter, a sales agent, a tea lover (consumer), a physician and a tea­ shop owner. Each person in the group has to put forward his/her views about tea. You may use the following words and phrases.

•        I feel ...                                     • It is important to know ...

•        I disagree with you ...                • I thin k that tea ...

•        I would like you to know ...      • I agree with ...

•        It is my feeling ...                     • I suggest ...

•        May I know why you ...            • I am afraid ...

2.       You are the sales executive of a famous tea company and you have been asked to draft an advertisement for the product. Draft the adverti sement using the information you collected for the role play. You can draw pictu res or add photographs and make your advertisement colourful.

Answer :1:

1.       Role of Tea in India

It is very important to know that tea has become very favourite with Indian people. None of the festival or any other festive party or different occasion will be graceful without the availability of tea. Assam is the tea home of India and it is exported to other countries. The scientific research has extracted medicinal qualities. It gives relief in exhaustion, tooth ache and blood pressure. It is a real panacea for cold, cough and flu. There are so many brands of tea in the market now a days. In order to have a good flavour one can add some additional things like cardamom, etc.

2. Power Tea Label Company of Assam has come out with its new brand 'Power Tea'. It removes tiredness and provides new energy to body. Pack of 250 g is available from all local stores throughout India. Every pack has a lottery award and can be received from the shopkeeper.

Power Tea   Power Tea   Power Tea

Thinking about the Poem

Question: 1:

(i)      Find, in the first stanza, three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest.

(ii)     What picture do these words create in your mind: "... sun bury its feet in shadow..."? What could the poet mean by the sun's 'feet'?

Answer : 1:

(i)      The three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest are the sitting of a bird on trees, the hiding of insects and the sun burying its feet in the shadow of the forest.

(ii)     The sun radiates heat and the given words create a picture of the hot, glowing sun which is cooling its feet in the cool shade of the forest. The sun's 'feet' refers to its rays that reach the earth.

Question: 2:

(i)      Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves, and their twigs do?

(ii)     What does the poet compare their branches to?

Answer : 2:

(i)      I n the poem, the trees are in the poet's house. Their roots work entire night to break up themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves make efforts to move towards th e glass, while the small twigs get firm with effort.

(ii)     The poet compares the 'long-cramped' branches that have been moving under the roof to

newly discharged patients who look half-dazed as they move towards the hospital door after a long period of illness and wants to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. The branches also have cramped under the roof and want to get out into the open to spread themselves in the fresh air.

Question: 3:

(i)      How does the poet describe the moon: (a) at the beginning of the third stanza, and (b) at its end? What causes this change?

(ii)     What happens to the house when the trees move out of it?

(iii)    Why do you thin k the poet does not mention "the departure of the forest from the house" in her letters? (Could it be that we are often silent about important happenings that are so unexpected that th ey embarrass us? Think about this again when you.

Answer : 3:

(i)      In the beginning of the third stanza, the poet says that the whole moon is shining in the open sky

in the fresh night. However, at the end of the stanza, she describes the moon as broken into many pieces such as a shattered mirror. This change is caused by the trees that have made their way from her home to outside. Their branches have risen into the sky, blocking the moon, which is why the moon seems to be broke n into many pieces. These pieces can be seen flashing at the top of the tallest oak tree.

(ii)     When the trees move out of the house, the glass gets broken and the smell of the leaves and lichens still reaches the rooms of the house.

Question: 4:

Now that you have read the poem in detail, we can begin to ask what the poem might mean. Here are two suggestions. Can you think of others?

(i)      Does the poem present a conflict between man and nature? Compare it with A Tiger in the Zoo. Is the poet suggesting that plants and trees, used for 'interior decoration' in cities while forests are cut down, are 'imprisoned', and need to 'break out'?

(ii)     On the other hand, Adrienne Rich has been kn own to use trees as a metaphor for human beings; this is a recurrent image in her poetry. What new meanings emerge from the poem if you take its trees to be symbolic of this particular meaning?

Answer : 4:

(i)      Yes, the poem presents a conflict between man and nature. While nature is m ore free and unbounded, man prefers to live in bounded spaces and also wants to curb nature. He uses plants for interior decoration of houses, cuts trees to make a house for himself, kills animals for food or other purposes and cages them in zoos. In all these ways, man curbs nature and denies plants and animals the freedom in which they should live.

The poem shows that trees and plants are rebelling against man as they strive to work their way out into the open. For instance, in the poem A Tiger in the Zoo, the poet presen ts the fact that animals feel bounded by cages. They can only take a few steps inside the cage, whereas they really want to run and leap into the open. This signifies the fact that plants and animals feel caged by humans and want to break out from the imprisonment at the hands of humans.

(ii)     If trees are symbolic of human beings, then it could be said that humans too want to brea k away from the shackles of the busy and selfish lives they lead. They also want to go out into the nature and be free. They work all day and sometimes all night to try and achieve something though they do not have the time to enjoy it. They keep striving hard in their routines as they feel cramped under the roofs of their homes and offices. Even they want to break free and go out into the peaceful nature.

Question: 5:

You may read the poem 'On Killing a Tree' by Gieve Patel ( Beehive - Textbook in English for Class IX,

NCERT). Compare and contrast it with the poem you have just read.

Answer : 5:

Do yourself under the subject teacher's guidance.

Chapter 7: Glimpses of India

The lesson begins with how the narrator's elders often remembered the time when Goa was under Portuguese. They talked about the importance of bakers which was still maintained in their villages even after the Portuguese have left. They told that they were known as 'Paders' in Goa. The mixers, moulders and their time-tested furnaces continued to serve the people of Goa with their well­ known bread loaves. There are chances that the unique ones did not exist, but their profession is being sustained by their sons. The knock of their bamboo stick could still be heard in some parts of the village. The same jingling knock used to wake up the narrator and his friends during their childhood days who would go run to him with out even brushing or washing their mouth properly. It was the maid-servant of the house who used to collect the loaves while children sorted the bread bangles for themselves. Bakery products had an important place in the culture and traditions of Goa. Boor sweet bread is a part of marriage gifts, cakes and Bolinhas or coconut cookies are eaten at the time of festivals and the lady of the house prepared sandwiches during her daughter's engagemen t. Earlier bakers used to wear an exclusive frock which was of knee-length and was known as 'kabai' but during the narrator's childhood, they wore a shirt and trousers which had a length somewhat shorter than the usual ones. They normally collected thei r bills at the end of every month. Bakery was  a money-making profession, managing to keep their families blissful and affluent.

Chapter 7: Poem: The Trees

"The Trees," is a voice with a body busy in activities and sensing intrusions that are not organic to the conventions of a nature poem. This is an (un) natural poem that narrates the fight of a population of trees to flee the confines of a greenhouse. The poem demonstrates the inappropria teness of language itself as a greenhouse or container of nature. The speaker is a spectator to the trees' migration, but keeps a distance from participating in the making of something out of the sight. Although the speaker addresses the audience, her own "head is full of whispers"­ she's herself an audience. The speaker reaches across the barricade between poem and audience. Adrienne Rich articulates her alertness of the many levels of inner and outer and the blurring of the boundaries between them.

The trees, "long-cramped ... under the roof ' are trying to get out while the speaker remains in the space the trees want to escape. An open door makes the "night" and the "whole moon" and the "sky" available to the speaker; at the same time. The speaker's "head" is another centre, completely entered by "whispers." The poetess is especially intrigued by her image of the trees "like newly discharged patien ts who are half-dazed".