Lucio Rodrigues was an essayist from Goa who wrote about local culture and traditions. In this essay, he depicts a traditional village baker from Goa who played an important role in the community. The bakers would visit houses twice a day to deliver fresh Portuguese loaves of bread, waking people with the sound of their bamboo poles. Villagers enjoyed sweet breads like "bol" and bread was a staple for gifts and sandwiches. Bakers wore a distinctive dress called a "kabai" and baking was a profitable profession in the past.

1. A Baker From Goa
By - Lucio Rodrigues

2. About the Author :
Lucio Rodrigues (1916-73) was a great Konkani
essayist. He wrote several articles in English and
Konkani to various periodicals and magazines. He
served as the visiting professor of Folklore at many
universities and also as a professor of English in
Mumbai and Goa. His essays were posthumously
published under the title ‘Of Soil and Soul’ and Konkani
Folk Tales’. Subtle humour and informal narration are
the essential features of his writings.

3. The author depicts a pen-portrait of a traditional
Goan village baker who still plays an important role
in the community. The famous Portuguese loaves of
bread are still remembered fondly by the elderly.
Even today, the new generation of bakers or paders
in Goa continues the family tradition.
About the Chapter :

4. The Chapter at a Glance :
Goa is very much influenced by the Portuguese. Their
traditional work can be still seen there. The Portuguese are
famous for preparing the loaves of bread. We can come across
the bakers of bread. The writer tells about his childhood days in
Goa when the baker used to visit their friend. He used to visit
the house twice a day. In the morning, his jingling sound of the
bamboo woke them from sleep. They all ran to meet him.

5. The loaves were purchased by the man-servant of the house. The
villagers were much fond of the sweet bread known as ‘bol’. The marriage
gifts were meaningless without it. So the bakers’ furnace in the village
was the most essential thing. The lady of the house prepared sandwiches
on the occasion of her daughter’s engagement. In those days the bread
sellers wore a particular dress known as ‘Kabai’. It was a single piece long
frock up to the knees. Even today, they can be seen wearing a half pant
that reaches just below the knees. People usually comment that he is
dressed like a ‘pader’. Baking was a profitable profession in the old days.
The baker and his family never starved and they looked happy and
prosperous.

6. • The bakers from Goa are known as ‘pader’ in Goa.
• In Goa, the sweet bread ‘bol’ was very famous
that marriage gifts were meaningless without
them.
• In Goa, Sandwiches, Cakes, and Bolinhas were
made of this bread.
• The bakers from Goa had a peculiar dress. It was
known as the ‘kabai’.
Fun Facts !

7. What is the ‘kabai’?
Kabai is a single-piece long frock of a
length reaching the knees, worn by the
bakers during the Portuguese period.

8. Some Illustrations of
‘Kabai’

9. Bolinhas De Coco (a
kind of bread)

10. A Baker from Goa
(pader) Making
Breads

11. THANK YOU
☺