UNIT 5

GLIMPSES OF INDIA

In the ‘Glimpses of India’ (First Flight, Class X textbook, NCERT) you have read about interesting people and places. India is a place of diversity in terms of culture, language, food, traditions, etc. There are many stories unknown to us about the way of life of people. Work in groups of four and find out about the following in any five Indian states.

• Their regional cuisine
  
• Dance form and music
  
• Art form
  
• Any other information
  

READING COMPREHENSION

TEXT I

The following is an excerpt about the Parsi community in India and their food. 

The following is an excerpt about the Parsi community in India and their food.  

“Aavoji, aavo, aavo! Welcome to Delhi! Let me show you my beautiful city.” The booming voice of Nowrosji Kapadia could be heard across the length and breadth of the platform. It was Nowrosji’s favourite pastime: a walk to the Old Delhi railway station to greet the Frontier Mail as it chugged into Delhi from Mumbai to Peshawar. With this refrain, an eager Nowrosji would cajole Parsi visitors off the train and take them home for a meal and often persuade some to stay overnight or for a few days . He would use this opportunity to tell them about the advantages of shifting to Delhi. Though his wife Jer Bai would occasionally object to unknown visitors, she was always overruled. This was the beginning of the community of Parsis in Delhi.... 

would use this opportunity to tell them about the advantages of shifting to Delhi. Though his wife Jer Bai would occasionally object to unknown visitors, she was always overruled. This was the beginning of the community of Parsis in Delhi....  
 

...Writing about Parsis in the Delhi of old is not easy. There are memories of my grandparents and parents—a collective memory of generations past and people long gone, yet here in spirit.... During festive gatherings, the women went to town with the food; outside catering was unheard of. The poorer members of the community never knew who had paid for what. This tradition continued in the northern cities of Lucknow, Kanpur, and Allahabad well into the ‘70s. Sadly, that kind of life has almost gone forever.  

Food preparations began two days in advance. Dar ni pori (rich pastry stuffed with sweetened lentils) and malido (halwa) were carried in big vatus (pots) and served with puris. Anyone who has made malido can vouch for the fact that you need strong biceps; it is an exhausting exercise. The first time I made it under my grandmother’s supervision was also the last. I could hardly move my arms for the next two days! Since then, I gained a healthy respect for my dainty grandmother.

The menu was extensive. Breakfast would start with either sev—brown vermicelli cooked in milk and served with fresh cream—or ravo, semolina pudding, Mithu dahi or sweetened curd made with full cream milk was an absolute must. This was followed by bafellaeeda, hard-boiled eggs, and kheemo kaleji, mutton mince with liver. For lunch, there was almost always smori dal chawal and macchi no patio—white boiled rice with yellow dal offset by a tart and tangy fish curry.  

Teatime was special at our home. My grandmother made it a point to dress for tea; I was made to do the same. Once we were ready, out came the treats: Parsi biscuits—batasa, nan khatai and flaky khari; patrel, rolled, steamed arbi leaves stuffed with besan masala; kumas, rich Parsi cake; and my favourite, bhakra, sweet deep fried doughnuts. That tradition has stayed with me. I certainly don’t dress up, but I still need a snack with at least three cups of tea!... 

(Source: ‘Down Memory Lane with the Parsis of New Delhi’ by Shernaz Italia, The Wire ) 

TEXT II

You have read about Coorg, its rainforests, and coffee and tea from Assam in ‘Glimpses of India’ (First Flight, Class X textbook, NCERT). The following extract is about the cultivation of coffee in Araku valley in Andhra Pradesh. The story of Araku Valley traverses an unusual trajectory through Adivasi empowerment, hot-air balloons and some of the best coffee in the world. 

Read the passage given below and answer the questions.  

Located at about 1,200m above sea level, the valley, tucked away in the north-eastern corner of Andhra Pradesh, shares a border with Odisha. For guests and participants at the Araku Balloon Festival (ABF), held between 18-20 January every year, this is sightseeing like nothing else.  

The drive to far-flung coffee estates takes us through the five northern mandals of Anantha giri, Dumbriguda, Hukumpeta, Munchingi Puttu and Araku valley. The name Araku for the coffee was chosen simply because it sounded poetic. The view from the ground level is as impressive as the one from above — the landscape changes from densely forested hills to sweeping valleys and terrace farms surrounding occasional village clusters. The journey of Araku Coffee from a livelihood initiative by the Naandi Foundation to a globally appreciated product has been in the making for over a decade. It is also intrinsically tied to the history of how coffee arrived in this valley. It was a British civil servant, N.S. Brodie, who introduced coffee to these hill tracts in 1898.  

GRAMMER

1.You have read about -ing and -ed adjectives in the textbook, the First Flight, page number 97. Read it agan to understand how these adjectives are used. These are also the present participles (-ing forms) and past participles (-ed forms) of verbs and are used as adjectives. Read the following sentences to know this.

• Rita gave me a welcoming cup of coffee..  
  
• Her performance in the test was pleasing.  
  
• She appeared delighted with the gift. 
• The bored students became restless.  
  

Now fill in the blanks of the sentences with past participle 

from one of the following words.

(infect, take, quote, use, watch, frighten, propose)

(a) People demonstrated against the changes______________

(b) The loud cheer went up from the students______________

(c) After the editor read the article, she checked all the 

examples______________.

(d) Rub the antiseptic cream in the______________area.

(e) My wallet was among the things______________.

(f) Cyclone Fani was a______________experience.

2. Rewrite in the past tense the following excerpt from the ‘Glimpses of India’ (First Flight, Class X textbook) and check your answers with a partner. 

   Birds, bees, and butterflies are there to give you company. Macaques, Malabar squirrels, langurs, and slender loris keep a watchful eye from the tree canopy. I do, however, prefer to step aside for wild elephants. The climb to the Brahmagiri hills brings you into a panoramic view of the entire misty landscape of Coorg. A walk across the rope bridge leads to the sixty-four acre island of Nisargadhama. Running into Buddhist monks from India’s largest Tibetan settlement, at nearby Bylakuppe, is a bonus. The monks, in red, ochre, and yellow robes are amongst the many surprises that wait to be discovered by visitors searching for the heart and soul of India, right here in Coorg.

EDITING

1. Some words have been wrongly spelt in the paragraph given below. Correct the words and read the paragraph aloud

The Valley of Flowers

The Valley of Flowers The journey to the Valley of Flowers begins about 16 km away from Joshimath, at Govindghat (1,770 m) on the Rishikesh Badrinath heightway. The Valley of Flowers is covered with a rich varity of magnifiscent plants. 

Over the past few years, thousand of visitors have ‘discovered’ this idyll amidst the mountain. However, they live like marks only by way of empty cans, waste-paper and cigarete butts. Trakking in the area has resulted in the trampling of these delikate plants by humans and ponies. As a result, the government of India was compeled to ban all mountainering, trekking, expeditions and livestock grasing in the area, with effect from February 20, 1983. This is to privent further damage to one of our nation’s unique repositories of natural beauty.  

LISTENING

SPEAKING

1. Excursions give opportunities to explore nature, places of historical interest, etc. Tourists are interested in meeting people, understanding their culture, and enjoying the variety in food. The Indian Railways have recently introduced glass Vistadome coach in train to provide a delightful travelling experience to the picturesque valley of Araku in Vishakhapatnam.

FUN FACTS

    

Refuse as verb and noun  

The dump was so full that the workers had to refuse more refuse. 

In groups of four, discuss and plan a budget trip to Araku valley. You may keep the following in mind while planning. Add more points to the following as per your requirement.

• Find out the location (look up the map) and accessibility to the places to be visited.

• Calculate the cost of the stay.

• Search for an economic and safe accommodation, perhaps a home stay.

• Find out the modes of transport and booking.

Now, prepare an itinerary of your excursion to Araku valley and share with the class. 

2.Try repeating some of these tongue twisters:

a) Pre shrunk shirts

(b) Six slim slick slender saplings

(c) The sixth sheikh’s sixth sheep’s sick 

(d) Tie twine to three twigs

(e) Double bubble gum bubbles double

WRITING

1. Infer the meaning of the following expressions in the passage on Parsi community. “Aavoji, aavo, aavo! Welcome to Delhi.”

length and breadth

chugged into

 vouch for

long gone

out came the treats 

Now, write an account of a travel by train using these expressions.  

Describe the journey by giving details of distance, booking of tickets, facilities available, and suggestions for improvement. You can add pictures of places, people, etc.  

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2. Write an advertisement for your favourite tea or coffee.  

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3. You have read about breads and bakers in Goa. (First Flight, Class X).

Traditional breads are famous in Kashmir as well. It is said that a Kashmiri’s day starts with a cup of piping hot nun chai (salty pink tea) and a crisp, freshly baked bread from the Kandur (the traditional baker). In Kashmir, the Kandur shop isn’t just a place where one goes to buy the morning and evening breads, it is a social hub. It is a place where you get to hear and participate in discussions that range from gossip to political discourses. The Kandur shop or Kandur waan as it is called in Kashmiri has variety of breads for different occasions that are baked in the Kandur’s oven. 

Read about some of the Kashmiri breads:

Tsot-Girda : is a medium sized round everyday bread that is a must on every breakfast table in Kashmir.

Lavasa : is a puffy level bread made from maida. Tsochwor or Tilvor : is a bagel shaped, slightly hard bread with a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top. The 

baker prepares ‘tsochwor’ at noon time to be enjoyed with the afternoon tea.

Kulcha : These are crispy palm-sized breads sprinkled with poppy seeds. These are—mith (sweet) and namkeen (savoury). The bread is taken with some traditional Dodh Kehva (milk Kehva).

Sheermal : is another type of bread from Kashmir. It is mildly sweet.

Roath : The sweet bread with a cake like texture is baked in traditional tandoor and is topped with dry fruits. However, this one bread is made for grand occasions like weddings, child birth or engagements and served with Kehva.

• Now, collect information about breads, parathas, rotis in different parts of the country. 

• You can talk to peers, teachers, parents, grandparents, community members and make use of internet.

•  Make an interesting collage using pictures and write a few sentences about each bread based on the information you have gathered.

 

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PROJECT

3. The Frontier mail, the train mentioned in the passage on the Parsi community was the prestigious and luxurious train which was flagged off in 1928 from Bombay to Peshawar. It was the fastest train known for its punctuality. It covered the distance of 2,335 kms in record time of seventy two hours.