Notes For All Chapters English First Flight Class 10 CBSE
Part I – A Baker from Goa
1. Importance of the Baker
- Bread-making is a Portuguese tradition still alive in Goa.
- Elders remember the old Portuguese days and their famous bread.
- Bakers are called pader.
- Baking furnaces and family traditions still continue, usually passed from father to son.
2. The Baker’s Visits
- Baker came twice a day – morning (to sell) and later (while returning).
- His arrival was announced by the “jhang, jhang” sound of his bamboo staff.
- Children ran to meet him because of bread-bangles (round breads), not loaves.
- Sweet breads of special types were also loved.
3. Role of Bread in Goan Life
- Marriage gifts – sweet bread (bol) was compulsory.
- Engagement ceremonies – sandwiches were a must.
- Christmas & festivals – cakes and bolinhas were essential.
- A village was incomplete without a baker’s furnace.
4. Baker’s Dress
- Portuguese days: wore a long frock-like dress (kabai), reaching knees.
- Later: shirt and trousers, shorter than full pants but longer than half-pants.
- Even today, if someone wears such half-pants, people say he looks like a pader.
5. Payment & Lifestyle
- Bills were collected monthly; accounts recorded on walls with pencils.
- Baking was profitable; bakers never starved.
- Bakers’ families were healthy, plump, and prosperous.
- A person with a fat body was compared to a baker (jackfruit-like appearance).
Part II – Coorg
1. Location & Nature
- Coorg (Kodagu) is the smallest district of Karnataka.
- Famous as “Coffee Country” – also rich in spices.
- Covered with evergreen rainforests (30%).
- Best season: September to March (after monsoon rains).
- Known for rolling hills, colonial bungalows, and coffee estates.
2. People & Culture
- Proud, brave, and independent people.
- Believed to be of Greek or Arab descent:
- Greek story: part of Alexander’s army settled there.
- Arab story: traditional dress (kuppia) resembles Arab clothing.
- Rich martial traditions, unique marriage and religious customs.
- Known for hospitality – tell tales of bravery.
3. Army & Valour
- Coorg Regiment – one of the most decorated in Indian Army.
- General Cariappa, first Army Chief of independent India, was a Coorgi.
- Kodavus (Coorgi people) are the only Indians allowed to carry firearms without a licence.
4. Nature & Wildlife
- River Kaveri flows through Coorg.
- Wildlife:
- Fish: mahaseer.
- Birds: kingfishers.
- Animals: squirrels, langurs, macaques, Malabar squirrels, slender loris, wild elephants.
- Beautiful panoramic views, misty hills, and trekking trails.
5. Tourism & Adventure
- Adventure sports: river rafting, canoeing, rappelling, rock climbing, trekking, mountain biking.
- Important tourist spots:
- Brahmagiri hills – offers wide panoramic views.
- Nisargadhama – a 64-acre island connected by rope bridge.
- Bylakuppe – largest Tibetan settlement in India (monks in red, ochre, yellow robes).
Part III – Tea from Assam
1. Characters
- Pranjol – boy from Assam, father is a tea-garden manager.
- Rajvir – his classmate from Delhi, very curious and knowledgeable about tea.
2. Journey & First Impressions
- On the train to Assam, both boys drink tea.
- Rajvir tells Pranjol that over 80 crore cups of tea are drunk daily worldwide.
- Assam is full of tea plantations – green scenery, tea bushes, shade trees, and tea-pluckers.
3. Legends about Tea
- Chinese legend: Tea discovered accidentally when leaves fell into boiling water of an emperor.
- Indian legend: Buddhist monk Bodhidharma cut off eyelids; from them grew tea plants that helped avoid sleep.
4. History of Tea
- First drunk in China (2700 B.C.).
- Words like chai and chini are from Chinese.
- Came to Europe in the 16th century – used first as medicine.
5. Tea in Assam
- Tea bushes are neatly pruned to the same height.
- Workers wear aprons, carry bamboo baskets, and pluck tender leaves.
- Best tea produced in second-flush season (May-July).
- Rajvir wanted to learn more during his stay at the tea estate.
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