The Portrait of a Lady

Understanding the Text

1.The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to
study abroad.
The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to
study abroad are:

1. childhood – when he went to the village school and the grandmother helped him to get
ready and went to school with him.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. She hated western Science and learning.

2. She was pained to know that there was no teaching of God and the scriptures there.
3. 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.
Answer:
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.
Answer:
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

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no notice of them. As soon as the grandmother’s corpse was carried off, they flew away quietly.
Thus the sparrows expressed their sorrow.

Talking About the Text

Talk to your partner about the following:
Question 1:
The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come
to know this?
Answer:
The author’s grandmother was a deeply religious lady. We come to know this through the
different ways of her behaviour. 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.

Question 2:
Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings
for each other change?
Answer:
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.

Question 3:
Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give
instances that show this.
Answer:

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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.

Question 4:
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?
Answer:
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.

Thinking About language

Talk to your partner about the following:
Question 1:
Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?
Answer:
The author’s grandmother was not much educated. So, I think the author and his grandmother
used to talk in their mother tongue—in this case Panjabi.

Question 2:
Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family?
Answer:
My elderly relatives are well versed in English and Hindi. I feel at home greeting
them in English but like to converse with them freely in Hindi.

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Question 3:
What is the expression used in your language for a ‘dilapidated drum’?
Answer:
The expression used in our language for a ‘dilapidated drum’ is ‘phata-purana dhol.’

Question 4:
Can you think of a song or poem in your language that talks of homecoming?
Answer:
There are many folk songs and poems singing of the exploits of brave warriors. All these talk of
their homecoming after winning a battle.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1:How long had the narrator known his grandmother—old and wrinkled? What did
people say? How did the narrator react?
Answer:
The narrator had known his grandmother—old and wrinkled for the last twenty years. She was
terribly old. Perhaps she could not have looked older. People said that she had once been young
and pretty. They said that she even had a husband. The narrator found it hard to believe.

Question 2:How did the narrator’s grandfather appear in the portrait?

Answer:
His grandfather looked very old. He had a long white beard. His clothes were loose fitting. He
wore a big turban. He looked too old to have a wife or children. He looked at least a hundred
years old. He could have only lots and lots of grandchildren.

Question 3:Which thought about the grandmother was often revolting and for whom?
Answer:
The narrator’s grandmother was very old and wrinkled. She had stayed at this stage for the last
twenty years. People said that once she was young and pretty. The narrator couldn’t even
imagine her being young. So the thought was revolting to him.

Question 4:Explain: “As for my grandmother being young and pretty, the thought was almost
revolting”.
Answer:
The narrator’s grandmother was terribly old. She could not appear young and beautiful. Her face
was a criss-cross of wrinkles. She was short, fat and slightly bent. The very idea of her being
young and pretty did not appeal to the mind.

Question 5:The narrator’s grandmother ‘could never have been pretty, but she was always
beautiful’. Explain the importance of the statement.
Answer:
She was terribly old to appear pretty. Her face was a criss-cross of wrinkles. She was short, fat

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and slightly bent. She didn’t create any physical appeal or attraction. However, in her spotless
white dress and grey hair she was a picture of serenity, peace, sobriety and beauty.

Question 6:Why was it hard for the author to believe that his grandmother was once young and
pretty?
Answer:
She was quite an old lady. She had been old and wrinkled for more than two decades. It is said
that once she had been young and pretty. But it is hard to believe so.

Question 7:The narrator’s grandmother looked like the ‘winter landscape in the mountains’.
Comment.
Answer:
The grandmother was always dressed in spotless white. She had silvery hair. Her white locks
spread untidily over her pale and wrinkled face. She looked like an expanse of pure white
serenity. The stretch of snow over the mountains looks equally white and peaceful. So her silvery
locks and white dress made her look like the winter landscape in the mountains.

Question 8:How did the narrator and his grandmother become good friends?
Answer:
During his childhood, the narrator stayed with his grandmother in the village. She was his
constant companion. She looked after him. She used to wake him up. She got him ready for
school in the morning. She would give him breakfast. She went to school with him.

Question 9:Why could the grandmother not walk straight? How would she move about the
house?
Answer:
The grandmother was short and fat. She was also slightly bent. She put one hand on her waist to
support the stoop. She could not walk straight. She walked like a lame person. She limped or
hobbled about while moving.

Question 10:Describe how the grandmother spent her time while the narrator sat inside the
village school.
Answer:
The grandmother went to the school with the narrator. The school was attached to the temple.
The narrator would learn alphabet and morning prayer at school. The grandmother would sit
inside the temple. There she would read holy books. Thus she spent her time before they came
back together.

Question 11:Grandmother has been portrayed as a very religious lady. What details in the story
create this impression?
Answer:
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

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manner while getting the narrator ready for school. All these details create the impression that
she was a religious lady.

Question 12:The grandmother had a divine beauty. How does the author bring this out?
Answer:
The grandmother’s silvery locks scattered untidily over her pale and wrinkled face. This made
her look like an expanse of pure white serenity. She had a divine beauty. She looked like the
winter landscape in the mountains.

Question 13:What proofs do you find of the friendship between grandmother and grandson in
this story?
Answer:
The grandmother was closely attached to the narrator in his childhood. She woke him, got him
ready and took him to school. She prepared his wooden slate. She waited in the temple while he
studied in school. They returned home together.

Question 14:The grandmother was a kind-hearted woman. Give examples in support of your
answer.
Answer:
Grandmother had a very kind heart. She loved her grandson. She loved even birds and animals.
In the village, she fed the street dogs. In the city, she would feed the sparrows.

Question 15:“That was a turning point in our friendship.” What was the turning point?
Answer:
The turning point in their friendship came when they shifted to the city. Now the narrator went to
an English school in a bus. Grandmother could no longer accompany him to school. Although
they shared the same room, they saw less of each other.

Question 16:Draw a comparison between village school education and city school education.
Answer:
Elementary education was given in village school. The pupils were taught alphabet and
multiplication tables. It was quite simple—confined to the three R’s—reading, writing and
arithmetic. In the city school, English, Science and Music were taught. Unlike village school
there was no teaching about God and scriptures.

Question 17:How did grandmother react to the narrator’s receiving education in English school?
Answer:
She did not believe in the things they taught at the English school. She hated
Western Science and learning. She was pained to know that there was no teaching of God and
the scriptures there.

Question 18:What led to the gradual distancing of the narrator from his grandmother in the city?
Give three reasons.
Answer:

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As the years rolled by, the narrator grew older. His dependence on grandmother became lesser.
He started going to an English school in a motor bus. She could not go with him. Moreover she
couldn’t help him in teaching English and Science. She hated English school. There was no
teaching about God and scriptures there. All these things distanced the narrator from his
grandmother.

Question 19:Why was the narrator’s grandmother so much allergic to music? Why was the
grandmother disturbed when she came to know that music lessons were being given at school?
Answer:
She considered that music had lewd associations. It was not meant for decent people and
gentlefolk. It was actually the monopoly of prostitutes and beggars.

Question 20:When was the common link of friendship between the narrator and his grandmother
finally snapped?
Answer:
The narrator went to the university. Now he was given a room of his own. This separated the
narrator from his grandmother. The common link of their friendship was thus finally broken.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1:Describe the friendship ‘between Khushwant Singh and his grandmother.
Answer:
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.

Question 2:What image of the grandmother emerges from ‘The Portrait of a Lady’?
Answer:
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.

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Question 3:Write a character sketch of the author’s grandmother by using following words:
affectionate, caring, kind and benevolent, religious, a strong woman.
Answer:
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.

Question 4:The grandmother herself was not formally educated but was serious about the
author’s education. How does the text support this?
Answer:
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.

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