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The Portrait of a Lady

by Khushwant Singh

About the Author

Khushwant Singh (born Khushal Singh, 2 February 1915 – 20 March 2014) was an Indian author, lawyer, diplomat, journalist, and politician. His experience in the 1947 Partition of India inspired him to write Train to Pakistan in 1956 (made into film in 1998), which became his most well-known novel.

He is founder-editor of Yojana, The National Herald and Hindustan Times. Khushwant Singh was born in the year 1915 in Hadali, Pakistan. He died on 20th March 2014. He is most famous for his historical novel 'Train to Pakistan' published in 1956.
In addition to a writer, he was also an historian, columnist, up-front political commentator and social critic.

Introduction to Chapter

Interesting to see a grandson writing about grandmother. An emotional story, you will remember/reminded of your grandparents while studying. this is power of writing. One should write in the style such that reader feels connected.
In this lesson writer Khushwant Singh recounts and gives an interesting pen-picture of his grandmother. His parents had gone to the city. For a few years, in early childhood Khushwant Singh lived in the village with his grandmother. In the village, she daily had prayer and fed the street dogs with bread. When they shifted to the city,

Khushwant Singh joined an English school and then went to the university. His grandmother passed most of her time in prayer and feeding the sparrows. Then the author went abroad for five years. When he came back, the grandmother became very happy. But next morning she fell ill and died. Even the sparrows whom she used to feed were sad at her death.

Summary in English and Hindi

My Grandmother: Physical Description:

The lesson "The Portrait of a Lady” written by Khushwant Singh draws an interesting portrait of his old grandmother who was very loving, tender, caring and religious lady. His grandmother, like everybody's grandmother, was an old woman. She had been old and wrinkled for the twenty years that he had known her. People said that she had once been young and pretty. Grandfather's portrait hung above the mantelpiece in the drawing room. He used to wear big turban and loose-fitting clothes. He looked at least a hundred years old. As for his grandmother being young and pretty, the thought was almost revolting. She often told writer of the games she used to play as a child. She had always been short and fat and slightly bent. Her face was a criss-cross of wrinkles running from everywhere to everywhere. She hobbled about the house in spotless white with one hand resting on her waist to balance her stoop and the other telling the beads of her rosary. Her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer. Yes, she was beautiful. She was like the winter landscape in the mountains.

“The Portrait of A Lady” खुशवन्त सिंह द्वारा लिखा गया है जिसमें वह अपनी दादी का रोचक चित्रण करता है, जो बहुत प्यारी, कोमल व धार्मिक महिला थी। उसकी दादी हर किसी की दादी की तरह एक बूढ़ी महिला थी। वह बीस वर्षों से जब से उस को उसे जानता था बूढी व झुर्रियों से भरी हुई थी। लोग कहते थे कि वह कभी युवा व सुन्दर थी। लेखक के दादा जी का चित्र ड्राइंग रूम में अंगीठी के ऊपर लटका हुआ था। उन्होंने एक बड़ी पगड़ी और ढीले वस्त्र पहने हुए थे। वह लगभग एक सौ वर्षों के दिखाई देते थे। जहां तक उसकी दादी के युवा व सुन्दर होने की बात है, यह विचार लगभग विरुद्ध प्रतिक्रिया करने वाला था। वह अक्सर लेखक को उन खेलों के विषय में बताती थी जो वह बचपन में खेला करती थी। वह हमेशा से छोटी और मोटी व थोड़ी-सी झुकी हुई थी। उसके चेहरे पर हर जगह झुर्रियां थी। वह दागरहित सफेद वस्त्र पहनकर घर में घूमती और अपनी झुकी हुई कमर को संतुलित करने के लिए एक हाथ उस पर रखती व दूसरे हाथ से माला के मनकों को घूमाती रहती थी। उसके होंठ लगातार सुनाई न देनी वाली प्रार्थना के साथ हिलते रहते थे। हां, वह सुन्दर थी। वह पर्वतों में सर्दी के दृश्य की तरह थी।

Strong Bonding between the two: Phase I

The writer remembers that his grandmother and he were good friends. When his parents left him with her, when they went to live in the city, and they were constantly together. She used to wake him up in the morning and get him ready for school. She said her morning prayer in a monotonous singsong while she bathed and dressed him in the hope that he would listen and get to know it by heart. He listened because he loved her voice but never bothered to learn it. Then she would fetch his wooden slate, a tiny earthen inkpot and a red pen, tie them all in a bundle and hand it to him. After a breakfast of a thick, stale chapatti with a little butter and sugar spread on, they went to school together. She carried several stale chapattis with her for the village dogs. Grandmother always went to school with him because the school was attached to the temple. The priest taught them the alphabet and the morning prayer. His grandmother sat inside reading the scriptures. They would walk back together. This time the village dogs would meet them at the temple door. They followed them to their home growling and fighting with each other for the chapatti they threw to them.

लेखक और उसकी दादी अच्छे मित्र थे। उसके माता-पिता लेखक को उनके पास छोड़ गए जब वे शहर गए और लेखक और दादी लगातार इक्टूठे रहे। वह लेखक को सुबह जगाती और स्कूल के लिए तैयार करती। वह सुबह लेखक को नहलाते हुए और तैयार करते हुए अपनी प्रार्थना नीरस आवाज में इस उम्मीद से गाती रहती कि लेखक उसे सुन लेगा व दिल से याद कर लूंगा; लेखक सुनता था क्योंकि लेखक को उसकी आवाज पसन्द थी परन्तु कभी उसे याद करने का कष्ट नहीं किया। फिर वह उसके लिए लकड़ी की तख्ती ले आती, एक छोटी-सी मिट्टी की स्याही की दवात और एक लाल कलम, उन्हें एक बंडल में बांध कर मुझे दे देती। फिर एक पतली, बासी रोटी पर थोड़ा-सा मक्खन व चीनी लगाकर लेखक और दादी नाश्ता करते और स्कूल चले जाते। वह अपने साथ बहुत सारी बासी रोटियां गांव के कुत्तों के लिए ले जाती। दादी हमेशा लेखक के साथ स्कूल जाती। यह अपने साथ बहुत सारी बासी रोटियां गांव के कुत्तों के लिए ले जाती। दादी हमेशा लेखक के साथ स्कूल जाती थी क्योंकि स्कूल मन्दिर के साथ सटा हुआ था। पुजारी लेखक को वर्णमाला और सुबह की प्रार्थना सिखाता था। दादी अन्दर बैठकर धर्मग्रन्यों का पाठ किया करती थी। लेखक और दादी वापिस साथ-साथ जाते थे। इस समय गांव के कुत्ते मन्दिर के दरवाजे पर मिलते थे। गुर्राते हुए और एक-दूसरे से लड़ते हुए उन रोटियों के लिए जो हम फेंकते थे, के लिए लेखक के घर तक उनका पीछा करते थे।

Phase II: Shifted to City

When his parents were comfortably settled in the city, they sent for both of them. That was a turning-point in their friendship. Although they shared the same room, but grandmother no longer came to school with him. Now writer used to go in an English school in a motor bus.

There were no dogs in the streets, and she took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of their city house. As the years rolled by, they saw less of each other. She could not help him with his lessons. She did not believe in the things they taught at the English school and was distressed that there was no teaching about God and the scriptures. One day writer announced that they were being given music lessons. She was very disturbed. She said nothing but her silence meant disapproval. When writer went up to University, he was given a room of his own. From sunrise to sunset, she sat by her wheel

spinning and reciting prayers. Only in the afternoon she relaxed for a while to feed the sparrows. Some came and perched on her legs, others on her shoulders. Some even sat on her head. She smiled but never shooed them away. It used to be the happiest half an hour of the day for her.

जब लेखक के माता-पिता शहर में आराम से बस गये, उन्होंने लेखक और दादी बुला लिया। यह उनकी मित्रता में एक मोड़ बिन्दु था। यद्यपि लेखक और दादी एक ही कमरे में रहते थे, उसकी दादी अब उसके साथ स्कूल नहीं आती थी। लेखक एक अंग्रेजी स्कूल में बस द्वारा जाता था। यहां गली में कुत्ते नहीं थे और उन्होंने हमारे शहर वाले घर के आंगन में चिड़ियों को खिलाना आरम्भ कर दिया। जैसे-जैसे वर्ष बीतते गए लेखक और दादी एक-दूसरे से कम मिलने लगे। वह पाठों में उसकी सहायता नहीं कर सकती थी। वह अंग्रेजी स्कूल में पढ़ाई जाने वाली बातों पर विश्वास नहीं करती थी और वह इस बात से निराश थी कि यहां ईश्वर और धर्मग्रन्थों के बारे में कोई शिक्षा नहीं दी जाती थी। एक दिन लेखक ने बताया कि उस को संगीत सिखाया जा रहा है। वह बहुत परेशान हो गई। उन्होंने कुछ नहीं कहा परन्तु उनकी चुप्पी का अर्थ असहमति थी। जब लेखक विश्वविद्यालय गया, लेखक को स्वयं का एक कमरा दिया गया। सूर्योदय से सूर्य अस्त होने तक वह अपने चरखे पर बैठी रहती और प्रार्थना का उच्चारण करती रहती व दोपहर के समय यह थोड़ा आराम करने के लिए चिड़ियों को दाना डालती। कुछ आकर उसकी टांगों पर बैठ जाती और अन्य उनके कन्धों पर कुछ उनके सिर पर भी बैठ जाती। वह मुस्कुराती परन्तु उन्हें कभी भी भगाती नहीं थी। यह दिन का आधा घण्टा उनके लिए सबसे प्रसन्नतादायक समय होता था।

Going Abroad: Phase III

When writer decided to go abroad for further studies. He was sure his grandmother would be upset. He would be away for five years, and at her age, one could never tell, he feared. He remembers she came to leave him at the railway station but did not talk or show any emotion. After five years when writer came back home and was met by her at the station. She still had no time for words, and while she clasped him in her arms, he could hear her reciting her prayers.

जब लेखक ने आगे की पढ़ाई के लिए विदेश जाने का निर्णय लिया, उसे निश्चित था कि उसकी दादी परेशान हो जाएंगी। जब पांच वर्षों के लिए जाऊंगा और उनकी उम्र में कोई कुछ नहीं कह सकता था। यह उसे रेलवे स्टेशन पर छोड़ने आई परन्तु उन्होंने कुछ नहीं कहा और न ही कोई भावना व्यक्त की। पांच वर्ष बाद लेखक वापिस आया और उनसे स्टेशन पर मिला उनके पास अब भी शब्द नहीं थे और उन्होंने उस को बाहों में कस लिया लेखक उनकी प्रार्थनाओं को दोहराने की आवाज को सुन सकता था।

Home Coming & and Her Death:

In the evening a change came over her. She did not pray. She collected the women of the neighbourhood,

got an old drum and started to sing. That was the first time since he had known her that she did not pray. The next morning, she was taken ill. It was a mild fever and the doctor sold us that it would go. But grandmother thought differently. She told them that her end was near. She lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads. Even before they could suspect, her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless fingers. A peaceful pallor spread on her face and all knew that she was dead. They lifted her off the bed and, as is customary, laid her on the ground and covered her with a red shroud. After a few hours of mourning, they left her alone to make arrangements for her funeral. All over the veranda and in her room right up to where she lay dead and stiff wrapped in the red shroud, thousands of sparrows sat scattered on the floor. There was no chirruping.

Writer’s mother fetched some bread for them. She broke it into little crumbs, the way his grandmother used to, and threw it to them. The sparrows took no notice of the bread. When they carried grandmother's corpse off, they flew away quietly. Next morning the sweeper swept the breadcrumbs into the dustbin.

शाम को उनमें एक बदलाव आया। उन्होंने प्रार्थना नहीं की। उन्होंने पड़ोस की महिलाओं को एकत्रित किया, एक पुराना ढोल लिया और गाना आरम्भ कर दिया। वह पहला अवसर था जब लेखक ने जाना कि उन्होंने प्रार्थना नहीं की थी। अगली सुबह वह बीमार हो गई। यह हल्का बुखार था और डॉक्टर ने बताया कि यह उतर जायेगा। परन्तु दादी ने अलग ही सोचा। उन्होंने लेखक को बताया कि उनका अन्त समीप था। वह शान्तिपूर्वक बिस्तर पर लेटकर प्रार्थना करती रही और माला फेरती रही। इससे पहले कि वे सन्देह करते, उनके होंठ हिलने बन्द हो गये और माला उनकी निर्जीव उंगलियों में से नीचे गिर गई। एक शान्त पीलापन उनके चेहरे पर फैल गया और वे समझ गये कि वह मर गयी है। रिवाज के अनुसार लेखक ने उन्हें बिस्तर पर से नीचे उतार दिया और एक लाल कफन से ढक दिया। कुछ घण्टों के शोक के बाद लेखक उन्हें अकेला छोड़कर उनका अन्तिम संस्कार करने का प्रबन्ध करने के लिए चले गये। सारे बरामदे में और उसके कमरे में जहां वह मृत लाल कफन में लेटी थी, सैकड़ों चिड़ियां फर्श पर बैठी हुई थी। वहां कोई चहचाहट नहीं थी। लेखक की मां उनके लिए कुछ रोटियां ले आई। उन्होंने इसके छोटे-छोटे टुकड़े कर दिये और जिस प्रकार लेखक की दादी फेंकती थी, उन्हें फेंक दिया। चिड़ियों ने रोटी की ओर कोई ध्यान नहीं दिया। जब लेखक दादी के शव को लेकर चले, वे भी चुपचाप उड़ गई। अगले दिन सफाई वाले ने रोटी के टुकड़े कूड़ेदान में फेंक दिये।

See Video for Explanation and Summary of the Chapter

Full Explanation with Word Meanings

My grandmother, like everybody’s grandmother, was an old woman. She had been old and wrinkled (having lines or folds) for the twenty years that I had known her. People said that she had once been young and pretty and had even had a husband but that was hard to believe. My grandfather’s portrait (painting or picture) hung above the mantelpiece (a structure of wood, marble, or stone above and around a fireplace.) in the drawing-room. He wore big turban and loose-fitting clothes. His long, white beard covered the best part of his chest and he looked at least a hundred years old. He did not look the sort of person who would have a wife or children. He looked as if he could only have lots and lots of grandchildren. As for my grandmother being young and pretty, the thought was almost revolting (The thought that the author’s grandmother was once young and pretty raises a doubt in the mind of the author. He finds it too hard to believe.). She often told us of the games she used to play as a child. That seemed quite absurd (Illogical) and undignified (disrespectful) on her part and we treated it like the fables (fictitious stories with a moral teaching) of the Prophets (saints) she used to tell us.

She had always been short and fat and slightly bent. Her face was a criss-cross (a pattern of intersecting straight lines) of wrinkles running from everywhere to everywhere. No, we were certain she had always been as we had known her. Old, so terribly old that she could not have grown older and had stayed at the same age for twenty years. She could never have been pretty; but she was always beautiful. She hobbled (to walk with difficulty, awkward way) about the house in spotless white (she wore clean, white coloured dresses) with one hand resting on her waist to balance her stoop (bend one’s body forward ) and the other telling the beads of her rosary ( a string of beads for keeping count of number of chants made of a religious prayer). Her silver locks (hair) were scattered (disorganized) untidily (not clean) over her pale, puckered (a face contract into wrinkles) face, and her lips constantly moved in inaudible (unable to be heard) prayer. Yes, she was beautiful. She was like the winter landscape in the mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity (It refers to the calm, peaceful and serene character and conduct of the author’s grandmother. She is compared to the peaceful winter landscape in the mountains.) breathing peace and contentment (the state of being peaceful and calm).

She had always been short and fat and slightly bent. Her face was a criss-cross of wrinkles running from everywhere to everywhere. She hobbled about the house in spotless white with one hand resting on her waist to balance her stoop and the other telling the beads of her rosary. Her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer. Yes, she was beautiful. She was like the winter landscape in the mountains.

My grandmother and I were good friends. My parents left me with her when they went to live in the city and we were constantly together. She used to wake me up in the morning and get me ready for school. She said her morning prayer in a monotonous (dull and boring) singsong while she bathed and dressed me in the hope that I would listen and get to know it by heart; I listened because I loved her voice but never bothered (to be concerned) to learn it. Then she would fetch (go for and then bring back something for someone) my wooden slate (a flat plate of slate formerly used for writing on in schools) which she had already washed and plastered (covered with a layer of plaster) with yellow chalk, a tiny earthen (made of baked or fired clay) ink-pot and a red pen, tie them all in a bundle and hand it to me. After a breakfast of a thick, stale (no longer fresh and pleasant to eat; hard, musty, or dry) chapatti with a little butter and sugar spread on it, we went to school. She carried several stale chapattis with her for the village dogs.

My grandmother always went to school with me because the school was attached to the temple. The priest taught us the alphabet and morning prayer. While the children sat in rows on either side of the veranda singing the alphabet or the prayer in a chorus, my grandmother sat inside reading the scriptures (the sacred writings of a religion). When we had both finished, we would walk back together. This time the village dogs would meet us at the temple door. They followed us to our home growling (making a low guttural sound in the throat) and fighting with each other for the chapattis we threw to them.

Grandmother always went to school with him because the school was attached to the temple. The priest taught them the alphabet and the morning prayer. His grandmother sat inside reading the scriptures. They would walk back together. This time the village dogs would meet them at the temple door. They followed them to their home growling and fighting with each other for the chapatti they threw to them.

When my parents were comfortably settled in the city, they sent for us. That was a turning-point (It refers to the point where the author’s relationship with his grandmother changes drastically after they move to the city-house.) in our friendship. Although we shared the same room, my grandmother no longer came to school with me. I used to go to an English school in a motor bus. There were no dogs in the streets, and she took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard (veranda) of our city house.

As the years rolled by (time passed) we saw less of each other. For some time, she continued to wake me up and get me ready for school. When I came back, she would ask me what the teacher had taught me. I would tell her English words and little things of western science and learning, the law of gravity, Archimedes’ Principle, the world being round, etc. This made her unhappy. She could not help me with my lessons. She did not believe in the things they taught at the English school and was distressed (suffer from extremely sorrow, anxiety or pain) that there was no teaching about God and the scriptures. One day I announced that we were being given music lessons. She was very disturbed. To her music had lewd associations. (Indecent or Obscene) It was the monopoly of harlots Prostitutes and beggars and not meant for gentlefolk (People of noble birth) She said nothing but her silence meant disapproval. She rarely talked to me after that.

As the years rolled by, they saw less of each other. She could not help him with his lessons. She did not believe in the things they taught at the English school and was distressed that there was so teaching about God and the scriptures. One day writer announced that they were being given music lessons. She was very disturbed. She said nothing but her silence meant disapproval.

When I went up to University, I was given a room of my own. The common link of friendship was snapped. (break suddenly and completely) My grandmother accepted her seclusion (the state of being private and away from the people) with resignation. (This shows the author’s grandmother’s passive submission to her secluded life after she gradually loses touch with her grandson.) She rarely left her spinning-wheel (a household machine with a wheel attached to it for spinning yarn) to talk to anyone. From sunrise to sunset, she sat by her wheel spinning and reciting prayers. Only in the afternoon she relaxed for a while to feed the sparrows. While she sat in the veranda breaking the bread into little bits, hundreds of little birds collected round her creating a veritable (use to describe something which is very interesting or unusual) bedlam (confusion) of chirrupings. (It refers to the noise, confusion and chaos caused by the chirruping of the sparrows that scattered and perched around the author’s grandmother.) Some came and perched (rest on something) on her legs, others on her shoulders. Some even sat on her head. She smiled but never shooed (make a person or animal go away by shouting or saying ‘shoo’) them away. It used to be the happiest half-hour of the day for her.

When writer went up to University, he was given a room of his own. From sunrise to sunset, she sat by her wheel spinning and reciting prayers. Only in the afternoon she relaxed for a while to feed the sparrows. Some came and perched on her legs, others on her shoulders. Some even sat on her head. She smiled but never shooed them away. It used to be the happiest half an hour of the day for her.

When I decided to go abroad for further studies, I was sure my grandmother would be upset. I would be away for five years, and at her age one could never tell. But my grandmother could. She was not even sentimental. (a feeling of nostalgia, sadness or tenderness; an emotional feeling) She came to leave me at the railway station but did not talk or show any emotion. Her lips moved in prayer; her mind was lost in prayer. Her fingers were busy telling the beads (a small piece of glass or stone threaded with others to make a rosary or necklace) of her rosary. Silently she kissed my forehead, and when I left, I cherished (hold something dear) the moist (wet) imprint (impression or stamp) as perhaps the last sign of physical contact between us.

But that was not so. After five years I came back home and was met by her at the station. She did not look a day older. She still had no time for words, and while she clasped (hold tightly) me in her arms, I could hear her reciting her prayers. Even on the first day of my arrival, her happiest moments were with her sparrows whom she fed longer and with frivolous (not having any serious purpose, light-hearted) rebukes (disapproval of something or someone). (It refers to the casual and light-hearted rebukes of the grandmother to the sparrows.)

After five years when writer came back home and was met by her at the station. She still had no time for words, and while she clasped him in her arms, he could hear her reciting her prayers.

In the evening a change came over her. She did not pray. She collected the women of the neighbourhood, got an old drum and started to sing. For several hours she thumped (hit) the sagging (sinking downwards) skins of the dilapidated (in a state of despair or ruin) drum (It points to the shabby and deteriorated condition of the drum.) and sang of the home-coming of warriors. We had to persuade (- to talk someone into doing something, request) her to stop to avoid overstraining. (overdoing something) That was the first time since I had known her that she did not pray.

The next morning, she was taken ill. It was a mild fever and the doctor told us that it would go. But my grandmother thought differently. She told us that her end was near. She said that, since only a few hours before the close of the last chapter of her life she had omitted (leave out or exclude something) to pray, she was not going to waste any more time talking to us.
We protested. (express an objection against something or someone) But she ignored our protests. She lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads. Even before we could suspect, her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless fingers. A peaceful pallor (an unhealthy pale appearance) spread on her face and we knew that she was dead.

The next morning, she was taken ill. It was a mild fever and the doctor sold us that it would go. But grandmother thought differently. She told them that her end was near. She lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads. Even before they could suspect, her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless fingers. A peaceful pallor spread on her face and all knew that she was dead.

We lifted her off the bed and, as is customary (traditional,) laid her on the ground and covered her with a red shroud. After a few hours of mourning, we left her alone to make arrangements for her funeral. In the evening we went to her room with a crude (in a natural state, roughly made) stretcher to take her to be cremated. (dispose of or burn a body after it is dead) The sun was setting and had lit her room and veranda with a blaze (a very large burning fire) of golden light. We stopped half-way in the courtyard. All over the veranda and in her room right up to where she lay dead and stiff wrapped in the red shroud, (a piece of cloth used to wrap a dead person) thousands of sparrows sat scattered on the floor. There was no chirruping. We felt sorry for the birds and my mother fetched some bread for them. She broke it into little crumbs, the way my grandmother used to, and threw it to them. The sparrows took no notice of the bread. When we carried my grandmother’s corpse (dead body) off, they flew away quietly. Next morning the sweeper swept the breadcrumbs into the dustbin.

They lifted her off the bed and, as is customary, laid her on the ground and covered her with a red shroud. After a few hours of mourning, they left her alone to make arrangements for her funeral. All over the veranda and in her room right up to where she lay dead and stiff wrapped in the red shroud, thousands of sparrows sat scattered on the floor. There was no chirruping.

Enjoy Full Explanation on Youtube

Exercises

Working with words

I. Notice the following uses of the word ‘tell’ in the text:

1. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
Answer: count while reciting,
2. I would tell her English words and little, things of Western science and learning.
Answer: make something known to someone in spoken or written words,
3. At her age one could never tell.
Answer: be sure.
4. She told us that her end was near.
Answer: give information to somebody.

II. Notice the different senses of the word ‘take’

1. to take to something: to begin to do something as a habit.
2. to take ill: to suddenly become ill.

Q. Locate these phrases in the text and notice the way they are used.

1. She took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of our city house.
(Here it is used for taking to feeding sparrows as a habit.) 2. The next morning she was taken ill.
(Here it means she became suddenly ill)

III. The word ‘hobble’ means to walk with difficulty because the legs and feet are in had condition.

Q. Tick the words in the box below that also refer to a manner of walking.

Shuffle : (to walk or move with a dragging motion)
Stride : (to walk with long steps)
Waddle : (to walk with short steps, swing from side to side like a duck; to walk with slow rocking gait, rock
from one side to other)
Paddle : (to walk unsteadily with short steps)
Swagger : (to walk like a superior.)
Trudge : (to walk or move along laboriously)
Slog : (to walk or move steadily, with great effort or difficulty, in the specified direction, especially on foot.)

Comprehension Passage:

Passage 1:

My grandmother, like everybody’s grandmother, was an old woman. She had been old and wrinkled for the twenty years that I had known her. People said that she had once been young and pretty and had even had a husband but that was hard to believe. My grandfather’s portrait hung above the mantelpiece in the drawing-room. He wore big turban and loose-fitting clothes. His long, white beard covered the best part of his chest and he looked at least a hundred years old. He did not look the sort of person who would have a wife or children. He looked as if he could only have lots and lots of grandchildren. As for my grandmother being young and pretty, the thought was almost revolting She often told us of the games she used to play as a child. That seemed quite absurd and undignified on her part and we treated it like the fables of the Prophets she used to tell us.

Questions

Q1. Name the chapter
(A) Landscape of The Soul
(B) Silk Road
(C) The Adventure
(D) The Portrait of Lady
Ans: D

Q2. Name the author of this chapter.
(A) Khushwant Singh
(B) Nani Palkhiwala
(C) A. R. Williams
(D) None of these
Ans: A

Q3. What was hard to believe about the grandmother?
(A) That she had ever been young and pretty
(B) That she was a kind lady
(C) That she was a religious lady
(D) All of these
Ans: A

Q4. Where was the mantelpiece?
(A) In the house
(B) In the kitchen
(C) In the drawing room
(D) In the room
Ans: C

Q5. What has the grandfather worn?
(A) Turban
(B) Fitting Clothes
(C) Both (A) and (B)
(D) None of these
Ans: A

Q6. How did the grandfather look in the picture?
(A) Handsome
(B) Old and Sick
(C) As if he could have lots of grandchildren
(D) None of these
Ans: C

Q7. Where was the grandfather's portrait hanging?
(A) Above the chair
(B) Above the sofa
(C) Above mantelpiece
(D) Above the desk
Ans: C

Question and Answers

Q:1. Grandmother has been portrayed as a very religious lady. What details in the story create this impression?
Ans. The grandmother was a religious lady. Her lips always moved in prayer. When she bathed the author and prepared him for school, even then she was praying silently. She was always telling the beads of the rosary. While her grandson was at school, she sat inside the temple and read scriptures.

Q:2. Character Sketch of Grandmother.
or
Write a character sketch of the author’s grandmother using the following words: affectionate, caring, kind and benevolent, religious, a strong woman.
Ans. In this lesson, the writer gives a pen-portrait of his grandmother. She was a very old lady. She was not pretty but she looked graceful. She was fat and short. She had a little stoop in her back. She walked with one hand on her waist. In the other hand she held a rosary. Her face was full of wrinkles. It was difficult to believe that she was once young and pretty. She was always dressed in white. Her hair was also as white as snow. She was a deeply religious lady. Her lips always moved in silent prayer. She died praying and telling the beads of her rosary. She had a great love for her grandson. When he returned from abroad, she became very happy. She kept beating a drum and singing for a long time. The next day, she died. She was a kind lady. She fed dogs in the village and sparrows in the city.

Q:3. Why was it hard for the author to believe that his grandmother was once young and pretty?
Ans. The grandmother looked very old. Her face was full of wrinkles. The author has seen her in this condition very since he was a child. So, it was difficult for him to believe that the grandmother was once young and pretty.

Q:4. Mention the three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.
Ans: The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad are as follows:
1. First Phase: The period of his early childhood where he used to live with her in the village. His grandmother used to wake him up and get him ready for school. They both would walk to school together and come back home together. They had a good friendship with each other.
2. Second Phase: In this phase, the author and his grandmother shifted to the city as the author’s parents settled well in the city. Although they shared the same room, this was the turning point of their friendship. Now, they saw less of each other.
3. Third Phase: When the author went to the university, he was given a room of his own. This made their friendship bond weaker as the common link between them ‘the same room’ snapped. She became quieter and private and kept the spinning wheel all day long. She would feed the sparrows once a day and this was the only thing that made her happy now.

Q:5. Mention three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.
Ans: When the author used to live in the village with her, they both had a good friendship. She used to wake him up, got him ready and would also accompany him to school. All this changed when they moved to the city. The grandmother was disturbed for the following reason: 1. She no longer could help him in his lessons. As he started going to the English medium school, this became a barrier for her.
2. There were no teachings about God and the scriptures.
3. She didn’t like him taking the music lessons. According to her, music was only for beggars and harlots.

Q:6. Mention three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.
Ans: His grandmother changed a lot since he grew up. She would spend her day at the spinning wheel, chanting prayers and feeding sparrows.

Q:7. Mention the odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.
Ans: She didn’t pray the evening before dying. She collected the women from the neighbourhood and started singing homecoming of the warriors with the help of the drum. The next morning when she fell ill, she said her end was near. She started praying peacefully while laying on her bed. She refused to talk to anyone during her last hours.

Q:8. Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.
Ans: The grandmother used to feed the sparrows in her veranda each day. She developed a special relationship with them. When she died, thousands of sparrows expressed their sorrow by sitting in a scattered way around her in the veranda. They didn’t chirrup and there was complete silence. The author’s mother tried to feed them by breaking the bread and throwing it in front of them. But they didn’t eat anything. When the family carried grandmother’s corpse, they all flew away quietly.

Q:9. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?
Ans: When she lived in the village with the author, she used to sing prayers in a monotonous sound while getting him ready each morning. She used to walk the author to his school and then visit the temple attached to the school every day. She would sit and read scriptures. Later when they moved to the city, she would carry the beads of the rosary with her all the time. She would continuously chant her prayers and her hand remained busy in telling the beads. When the author went to study at the university, she went into seclusion and spent her whole day in chanting prayers.

Q:10. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?
Ans: In the early days, they both shared a good bond. She would get him ready for school, accompany him and would come back with him later in the day. She would help him with his studies and would teach him prayers by singing in a monotonous tone every morning. When they moved to the city, their relationship was strained. He started going to an English medium school. She would no longer accompany him to the school or could not help him with the lessons. She didn’t like his new school as they never taught him about God or scriptures. Later, when he started taking music lessons, she disapproved of it as she thought that music was only for beggars or harlots. She stopped talking to him afterwards and would spend her day alone while chanting prayers. When the author went to university and then abroad, their bond weakened. She would spin the wheel the whole day and chant her prayers. She accepted the seclusion. No, their feelings for each other didn’t change but during the time, a distance developed between them.

Q:11. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.
Ans: Yes, the grandmother was a strong person in character. The instances to show this are as follows: 1. She didn’t like music as according to her, music was for low-level people.
2. When the author went to the university, in seclusion, she would spin the wheel, chant prayers, tell beads and feed breadcrumbs to the sparrows.
3. She had her own thoughts about schools and their teachings. She considered learning scriptures a better thing than studying science or English.
4. When she sang the homecoming of the warriors for hours and didn’t stop even when her family tried a million times.
5. During her last time, she didn’t want to waste any time talking to anyone, so she lay silently on her bed and chanted her prayers till she died.

Q:12. Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?
Ans: The author and his grandmother used to talk to each other in their mother tongue. As the author belongs to Punjab state, they would talk in Punjabi language.

Q:13. Describe the last moments of the grandmother.
Ans. She started praying and telling her beads. Even before the author and others could suspect, her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her fingers. She was dead.

See Video for Explanation of the Exercises

Multiple Choice Questions:

Q:1. Name the writer of the lesson “The Portrait of a Lady”?
(A) William Saroyan
(B) Khushwant Singh
(C) Satwant Singh
(D) Kulwant Singh
Ans. (B) Khushwant Singh

Q:2. The writer’s grandmother was:
(A) short and fat
(B) tall and slim
(C) dark and ugly
(D) none of these
Ans. (A) short and fat

Q:3. The grandmother’s one hand was on her waist. What was in her other hand?
(A) a rod
(B) a pen
(C) a book
(D) a rosary
Ans. (D) a rosary

Q:4. What did the grandmother do when she bathed and dressed the writer:
(A) she rebuked him
(B) she said her morning prayer
(C) she sang film songs
(D) she taught him to sing
Ans. (B) she said her morning prayer

Q:5. The clothes which the writer’s grandmother wore, were:
(A) black
(B) red
(C) white
(D) blue
Ans. (C) white

Q:6. This chapter is about the writer’s:
(A) mother
(B) grandmother
(C) aunt
(D) sister
Ans. (B) grandmother

Q:7. In the beginning of the story the writer and his grandmother lived in:
(A) a city
(B) a hotel
(C) a village
(D) a gurudwara
Ans. (C) a village

Q:8. When the writer was at school, what did his grandmother do?
(A) she saw a movie
(B) she played cricket
(C) she sat in the temple and read scriptures
(D) she gossiped with the neighbours
Ans. (C) she sat in the temple and read scriptures

Q:9. The writer’s grandmother carried several stale chapattis with her for:
A) the writer
(B) the priest of the temple
(C) the monkeys
(D) the village dogs
Ans. (D) the village dogs

Q:10. In the village the writer’s school was attached to a:
(A) temple
(B) church
(C) cinema hall
(D) library
Ans. (A) temple

Q:11. The writer went to the English school in a:
(A) bullock cart
(B) motor bus
(C) taxi
(D) private car
Ans. (B) motor bus

Q:12. What made the grandmother unhappy?
(A) she could not sleep properly
(B) she could not help the writer with his homework
(C) she could not say her prayers
(D) she could not tell the breads of her rosary
Ans. (B) she could not help the writer with his homework

Q:13. The grandmother was disturbed when she came to know that the writer was given music lessons in school.Why?
(A) she did not know music
(B) she was a good singer
(C) her voice was not sweet
(D) she associated music with harlots and beggars
Ans. (D) she associated music with harlots and beggars

Q:14. The writer was given a separate room when he:
(A) went up to the university
(B) went to the college
(C) went to live in the city
(D) opened a shop
Ans. (A) went up to the university

Q:15. In the afternoon, the grandmother fed:
(A) sparrows
(B) crows
(C) dogs
(D) cats
Ans. (A) sparrows

Q:16. What was the happiest half hour of grandmother’s day?
(A) when she said her prayer
(B) when she took bath
(C) when she fed the sparrows
(D) when she sang songs
Ans. (C) when she fed the sparrows

Q:17. What was the turning point in the relationship between the writer and his grandmother?
(A) when they went to the city
(B) when she died
(C) when the writer became mature
(D) when the writer was given a separate room
Ans. (A) when they went to the city

Q:18. When the writer decided to go abroad, he would be away for:
(A) two months
(B) four weeks
(C) ten years
(D) five years
Ans. (D) five years

Q:19. When the grandmother came to see off the writer at the station, her mind was:
(A) thinking about the writer
(B) worried about the departure of the train
(C) lost in prayer
(D) thinking about a film
Ans. (C) lost in prayer

Q:20. When the writer came back after his studies, the grandmother met him:
(A) at the station
(B) in the street
(C) on the roof
(D) in his house
Ans. (A) at the station

Q:21. The day the writer came back was the first time when the grandmother:
(A) sang songs
(B) did not pray
(C) did not talk to him
(D) did not feed the sparrows
Ans. (B) did not pray

Q:22. How did the writer knew that her grandmother was dead:
(A) she herself told him so
(B) the doctor said so
(C) his father told him so
(D) the rosary fell from her hand and her face became pale
Ans. (D) the rosary fell from her hand and her face became pale

Q:23. Who were scattered on the floor of the room where the grandmother lay dead?
(A) beads of her rosary
(B) the relatives
(C) sparrows
(D) cats
Ans. (C) sparrows

Q:24. When the writer’s mother saw the sparrows, she:
(A) gave them fruit to eat
(B) game them groundnuts
(C) shooed them away
(D) threw them crumbs of bread
Ans. (D) threw them crumbs of bread

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