[Document title]
THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY
Khushwant Singh
The Portrait of a Lady’ is part of an autobiography by Khushwant Singh. In this story, the author draws a pen portrait
of his grandmother. He beautifully unfolds their relationship and how it undergoes several changes. In other words,
the story is a loving tribute from a grandson to his grandmother. The story gives a picture of human relationships. It
is a realistic account of how the grandparents give all their time, attention and love to their grandchildren.
The Portrait of a Lady Summary
The writer recalls his Grandmother as short, healthy and slightly bent. Her hairs were silver in colour and were scattered
messily on her wrinkled face. She used to walk around the whole house in white clothes. She kept her one hand resting
on her waist and the other hand was telling the beads of her rosary.
The writer thinks of her as not very pretty but constantly beautiful all the time. He compares her calm face with the
winter landscape. During their lengthy stay in the village, Grandmother woke him up from the bed in the early morning,
plastered his wooden slate, organized his breakfast, and sent him to the school.
On their way back to the home she used to give the stale chapattis to the street dogs. A turning point in their beautiful
relationship arrived when they went to live in a city. Now, the writer used to go to the city school on a school bus and
studied subjects like English, Physics, mathematics and many more subjects those his grandmother could not understand
at all.
His grandmother could no longer go to school with him to send him. She felt upset that there was no teaching about God
and scriptures at the city school. Instead, he was given music lessons, but she said nothing. When the writer went to a
university, he got a separate room in his house. The common link of the relationship between the grandson and the
grandmother was broken now. Grandmother rarely talked to anyone in the house now. She spent plenty of her time
sitting beside her spinning wheel and reciting prayers of god. She started feeding the sparrow birds in the afternoon.
When the writer left for abroad for his further studies, his grandmother did not get disturbed at all. Rather, she saw him
off at the airport. Seeing her grandmother at this old age, the writer was thinking that it might be his last meeting with
his grandmother. But when he came back home after a duration of 5 years, his grandmother was there to welcome him
back and he saw her celebrate his return.
The next morning after the return of his grandson she got ill. Although the doctor told that it was a slight fever and
would go away very soon, still she could foresee that her time to leave this world was near. She did not want to waste
her time talking to someone. She went to her bed praying and telling the beads till her lips stopped moving and the rosary
fell down from her lifeless hand. To grieve her death, thousands of sparrows flew in and sat dispersed around her body.
All the sparrows flew away without making any noise when the dead body of the old lady was carried away for the last
rites.
Textual questions and answers:
1. The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before lie left else country to study abroad.
= The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad are:
- childhood – when he went to the village school and the grandmother helped him to get ready and went to school
with him.
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[Document title]
- boyhood – when he went to the city school in a bus. He shared a room with grandmother but she could no longer
help him in his studies.
- early youth – when he went to the university and was given a room of him own. The common link of friendship
was snapped.
2. Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when m started going to the city school.
= The three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school are:
- She hated western Science and learning.
- She was pained to know that there was no teaching of God and the scriptures there.
- She was allergic to music. She thought it was not meant for decent people and gentlefolk. It was the monopoly of
prostitutes and beggars.
3. Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.
= The three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up are:
- She lived alone in her room as she had accepted her loneliness quietly.
- She sat at her spinning wheel reciting prayers.
- In the afternoon, she would feed the sparrows for half an hour.
4. The odd ways in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.
= Just before her death, the author’s grandmother refused to talk to them. Since she
had omitted to pray the previous night while she was singing songs of homecoming and beating the drum, she was
not going to waste any more time. She ignored their protests. She lay peacefully in bed praying and telling beads.
5. The way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.
= Thousands of sparrows sat silently surrounding the dead body of the author’s grandmother. There was no
chirruping. The author’s mother threw some crumbs of bread to them. They took no notice of them. As soon as the
grandmother’s corpse was carried off, they flew away quietly. Thus the sparrows expressed their sorrow.
6. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?
= The author’s grandmother was a deeply religious lady. We come to know this through the different ways of her
behavior. She visited the temple every morning and read scriptures. At home she always mumbled inaudible prayer
and kept telling the beads of rosary. She would repeat prayers in a sing-song manner while getting the writer ready
for school. She hoped that he would learn it by heart. She didn’t like English school as there was no teaching of God
and scriptures.
Even while spinning at her spinning-wheel she would recite prayers. Perhaps it was only once that she forgot to say
her prayers. It was on the evening prior to her death when she felt over excited while celebrating the arrival of her
grandson with songs and beatings of drum. She continued praying and telling beads of her rosary till her last breath.
7. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other
change?
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= During his boyhood, the author was completely dependent on his grandmother. She was a part of his life. The
turning point in their friendship came when they went to city. She could no longer accompany him to school as he
went there by bus. They shared the same room but she could not help him in his studies. She would ask him what
the teachers had taught. She did not believe in the things that were taught at school. She was distressed that there
was no teaching about God and the scriptures. She felt offended that music was also being taught. She expressed her
disapproval silently. After this she rarely talked to him. When he went to university, he was given a room of his own.
The common link of friendship was snapped.
However their feelings for each other did not change. They still loved each other deeply. She went to see the author
off at the railway station when he was going abroad for higher studies. She showed no emotion but kissed his forehead
silently. The author valued this as perhaps the last sign of physical contact between them. When the author returned
after five years, she received him at the station. She clasped him in her arms. In the evening she celebrated his
homecoming by singing songs and beating an old drum.
8. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show
this.
= Yes, I agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character. She was a strong woman with strong
beliefs. Although she was not formally educated, she was serious about the author’s education. She could not adjust
herself to the western way of life, Science and English education. She hated music and disapproved of its teaching in
school.
She was a deeply religious lady. Her lips were always moving in a silent prayer. She was always telling the beads of
her rosary. She went to temple daily and read the scriptures. She was distressed to know that there was no teaching
about God and holy books at Khushwant’s new English school.
She was a kind lady. She used to feed dogs in the village. In the city she took to feeding sparrows. Although old in
years and weak in body she had strength of mind. Just before her death, she refused to talk to the members of the
family as she did not want to waste her time. She wanted to make up for the time last evening when she had not
prayed to God. She lay peacefully in bed saying prayers and telling the beads of her rosary till she breathed her last.
9. Have you known someone like the author’s grandmother? Do you feel the same sense of loss with regard to
someone whom you have loved and lost?
= Yes, I have known my grandfather, who loved me deeply and looked after me. He had served in the army before
he retired as a colonel 20 years ago. When I was a school going kid, he was still active and smart. He was fond of
walking, jogging and playing outdoor games. He inspired us to get up early in the morning. He believed that a healthy
mind lives in a healthy body. He used to give us good physical exercises followed by milk and nourishing food and
then asked us to study for a while before going to school. In the afternoon, he would enquire what we had been
taught at the school. He would help us in our home task and supervise our reading, writing and doing sums. He was
gentle but firm. He laid stress on good habits and character building. He passed away when I had gone abroad for
higher studies. I miss him a lot. A sense of loss fills me whenever I see his portrait on the wall. But his cheerful looks
remind me to take heart and fight the struggle of life.
Extra questions and answers:
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1. Give a pen-picture of the narrator’s grandfather as he appeared in the portrait. What could the narrator not believe
about his grandparents?
= The portrait of the narrator’s grandfather was hung in the drawing room. He wore a turban and loose-fitting
clothes. His long, white beard gave him the look of a 100 year old man who could have only grandchildren.
It was unbelievable that the author’s grandfather ever had a wife and children. He looked as if he could have
only lots of grandchildren. In case of the author’s grandmother, it was difficult to imagine or believe that she too,
once used to play as a child, that she was ever young and pretty or that she too had a husband.
2. Why did the narrator’s grandmother give the impression of ‘winter landscape in the mountains’?
= The author’s grandmother used to wear spotless white clothes. She had silvery hair. White all over, she looked
like the winter landscape in the mountains covered with snow. She recited her prayers all the time, so had a serene
expression on her face which was like the peaceful, white mountains.
3. The thought was almost revolting. What was that thought and why was it disgusting?
= The old grandmother often told the children of the games she used to play as a child. It seemed absurd or
unbelievable and even indecent on her part. The children treated those stories like fables. They found it hard to
believe that their grandmother could have ever been young and pretty. They had always seen her as an old lady; so
they liked to think of her only as their grandmother.
4. What was the grandmother’s attitude towards English education and music lessons at school?
= The old grandmother was old fashioned in her thinking and she herself was not much educated. She did not believe
in the things they taught in English schools. She was against English education as it imparted no religious teaching.
She was of the view that music was meant only for beggars and harlots.
5. At her age one could never tell. What one could never tell? How did the grandmother celebrate the author’s
homecoming?
= The author was going abroad for five years. He had a fear that the grandmother would be badly upset and would
not be able to bear the separation. But she showed no sentiments, no emotions only kissed his forehead. The author
even felt that at her age she could die any day, any moment. Nobody could tell how long she would stay alive.
She was still there to receive him at the end of five years. She seemed to be happy. In the evening, she celebrated
his homecoming by singing songs and beating the drum. She was so tired that she was taken ill and she passed away
the next day.
6. Describe the unique relationship of the grandmother with the dogs and the sparrows.
= The old grandmother had lived a secluded life in the village. She knew how to bring up and feed the children
lovingly. She had not formal education. Yet with long practice, she had learnt to read scriptures. She wished her
little grandson also to learn the morning prayers by heart.
The old lady had a unique relationship with the dogs in the village and the birds in the city. She carried stale
chapattis for the village dogs. They waited for her as she left the temple. In the city, she befriended the sparrows by
offering them the crumbs of bread in the afternoon. They became so friendly with her that they perched on her head
and shoulders. She never shooed them away. That was the reason why the birds gathered in thousands to mourn her
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death. They sat quietly in the courtyard, took no notice of the bread pieces thrown to them and flew away quietly
after her dead body was taken for cremation. She used to find solace in the company of animals and birds.
Grandmother loved feeding and playing with the sparrows and the feeling was reciprocated.
7. Describe the friendship ‘between Khushwant Singh and his grandmother.
= Khushwant Singh’s grandmother was closely involved in bringing him up when the author lived with her in the
village during his early life. She used to wake him up early in the morning. While bathing and dressing him, she sang
her prayers. She hoped that the young boy would learn it by heart. She then gave him breakfast—a stale chapatti
with butter and sugar. Then they would go together to the temple school. While the author learnt his lesson, the
grandmother would read holy books. They returned home together.
A turning point came in their friendship when his parents called them to city. Although they shared a room, she
could not help him much. She hated music, Science and Western education. The common link of their friendship
was gradually snapped.
8. What image of the grandmother emerges from ‘The Portrait of a Lady’?
= Khushwant Singh’s grandmother has been portrayed as a very old lady. She was short statured, fat and slightly
bent. Her face was wrinkled and she was always dressed in spotless white clothes. She was a deeply religious lady.
Her lips were always moving in a silent prayer. She was always telling the beads of her rosary. She went to the temple
and read the scriptures.
The grandmother was a kind lady. She used to feed dogs in the village. In the city she took to feeding the sparrows.
She had great affection for her grandson. She looked after him in the village. She could not adjust herself to the
Western way of life, Science and English education. She hated music and was distressed to know that there was no
teaching about God and holy books at Khushwant’s new English school. On the whole, she was a nice, kind-hearted
and religious lady.
9. Write a character sketch of the author’s grandmother by using following words: affectionate, caring, kind and
benevolent, religious, a strong woman.
= Khushwant Singh’s grandmother was a very old lady. She was short, fat and slightly bent. Her face was wrinkled.
She had white hair. She was very affectionate. She was closely involved in bringing up the author. The two lived in
the village. She was a caring grandmother. She would wake him early in the morning and get him ready for school.
She served him breakfast and took him to school. She waited for him in the temple. She prayed while he studied. She
returned with him.
She was kind and benevolent. She used to feed dogs in the village. In the city she took to feeding the sparrows. She
was a deeply religious lady. Her lips were always moving in a silent prayer. She was always telling the beads of her
rosary. She went to the temple and read the scriptures.
She was a strong woman with strong beliefs. Although she was not formally educated, she was serious about the
author’s education. She could not adjust herself to the western way of life, Science and English education. She hated
music. She was distressed to know that there was no teaching about God and holy books at Khushwant’s new English
school. On the whole, she was a nice, affectionate, kind hearted and religious lady.
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10. The grandmother herself was not formally educated but was serious about the author’s education. How does the
text support this?
= The grandmother was quite serious about the author’s education. She woke him up in the morning and got him
ready for school. She washed his wooden slate. She plastered it with yellow chalk. She tied his earthen ink-pot and
reed pen into a bundle. She took him to school. He studied in school. She waited for him in the temple reading
scriptures.
In the city, the author went to an English school in a motor bus. When he came back she would ask him what the
teacher had taught him. She could not help him with his lessons. She did not believe in the things taught at the
English school. She was distressed to learn that her grandson was being taught music. She considered it unfit for
gentle folk.
11. Gradually the author and the grandmother saw less of each other and their friendship was broken. Was the
distancing in the relationship deliberate or due to demand of the situation?
= During his boyhood, grandmother was a part of his life. He was completely dependent on her. The turning point
in their friendship came when they went to city. Now, he went to school by bus. She no longer accompanied him.
As the years rolled by they saw less of each other. For sometime, she continued to wake him up and got him ready
for school. When he came back she would ask him what the teachers had taught. She did not believe in the things
that were taught at school. She was
distressed that there was no teaching about God and the scriptures. She felt offended that music was also being taught.
She expressed her disapproval silently.
After this she rarely talked to him. When he went up to university, he was given a room of his own. The common
link of friendship was snapped. Now she spent most of her time at the spinning wheel. Thus we find that the
distancing in the relationship was due to demand of situation. The graph of life never follows a straight line.
12. Describe how the old lady died peacefully.
= Because of overstraining at such an old age, the grandmother was taken ill. She knew for certain that her end was
near. So she declined to talk to anybody. She wanted to spend the last moments of her life praying and telling the
beads of her rosary. Then slowly her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless fingers. Thus she died
peacefully.
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