The Portrait of A Lady: - Khushwant Singh

THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY
- KHUSHWANT SINGH
About Khushwant Singh

• Khushwant Singh was an Indian author, lawyer, diplomat, journalist and politician.
• Born in Punjab, he was educated in Modern School, Delhi, St. Stephen's College, and
graduated from Govt. College, Lahore.
• He studied at King's College London and was awarded LL.B. from University of London.
• Upon his return to India in 1939, he worked as a lawyer in Lahore High Court for eight
years.
• He left Lahore in 1947 in the face of partition riots. His novel, ‘A Train to Pakistan,’ is
based on turmoil and trauma of the partition.
• He joined the Indian Foreign Service upon the Independence of India from British
Empire in 1947.
• Later, he was appointed journalist in the All-India Radio in 1951, and then moved to the
Dept. of Mass Communications of UNESCO, Paris, in 1956.
• These last two careers encouraged him to pursue a literary career. As a writer, he was
best known for his trenchant secularism, humour, sarcasm and an abiding love of
poetry.
• A was a sensitive artist keen to explore the realities of life; Had a deep understanding of
the problems of contemporary Indian society.
• Some of his popular works include, Train to Pakistan, Delhi: A Novel, and his
autobiography Truth, Love and a Little Malice. His 1953 book, A History of the Sikhs, is
considered to be the most authoritative work on that subject.
• Singh died of natural causes on 20 March 2014 at his Delhi residence, at the age of 99.
About the lesson
The Portrait of a Lady is autobiographical in nature as it describes the author’s association
with his grandmother and the changes that come about in their relationship. It is a loving
tribute from a grandson to his grandmother where he reminisces about the emotional
bond that he shared with her.
Appearance of the grandmother

The author recalls his grandmother as a very old lady with a wrinkled face. She appeared so
old that it was hard for him to believe that she had once been “young and pretty”. She was
short, fat and a little stooped in appearance. The author remembers her moving about the
house in “spotless white”, counting the beads of her rosary while her lips moved constantly in
silent prayers. She was not “pretty” in the traditional sense, yet her serenity made her
“beautiful”.
Initial years of togetherness: Life in the village

In the initial years of his life, the author lived with his grandmother in the village, sharing a
good friendship. His grandmother used to wake him up in the morning and get him ready for
the school. She would hand over to him the things he required in the school. After having
thick, stale chapattis with butter and sugar for breakfast, they used to leave for school. The
author's grandmother always accompanied him to school as it was attached to the temple. It
was her habit to carry several stale chapattis for the village dogs, which they used to feed
while returning from the school. The grandmother used to sit inside the temple reading holy
books while the narrator learnt alphabets and prayers in the school.
Turning point of their friendship: Life in the city

The ‘turning-point’ of their friendship came when they moved to the city to stay with the
author’s parents. Though they shared the same room, his grandmother no longer
accompanied him to the school since the author started going in a bus. As years rolled by,
they “saw less of each other”.
Meanwhile, as there were no dogs in the streets, she took to feeding the sparrows. Unlike the
village school, the author was not taught about God and the scriptures which troubled his
grandmother. She did not believe in what was being taught at his school and was unhappy as
she could not help him with his lessons. Moreover, she was disturbed at the idea of music
lessons being given at school as she considered music to be unsuitable for gentlefolk. Her
disapproval was conspicuous in her silence. The grandmother combated her loneliness by
feeding the sparrows When the author started going to the university, he was given a room of
his own. It resulted in a further gap between them. She accepted her loneliness and rarely
spoke to anyone. All day long, she sat spinning the wheel and reciting her prayers. She relaxed
for a short time, only in the afternoon, to feed the sparrows who came in large numbers. The
bond and level of comfort they shared with her is evident in the fact that they perched even
on her legs and head. She used to be at her happiest-self while feeding the sparrows.
Author leaves for higher studies

The author decided to go abroad for further studies. He was sure that his grandmother would
be upset at his departure. On the contrary, she came to the railway station to see him off but
did not show any emotion. She was absorbed in her prayers, telling the beads of her rosary.
She silently kissed the author's forehead, which the author feared to be the last sign of their
physical contact.
Author’s homecoming
On his return after five years, the author did not find any change in his grandmother. She was
as old as ever and remained absorbed in her prayers. Even that day, the happiest moment for
her was feeding the sparrows. In the evening, for the first time ever, she did not pray. She
collected several ladies of the neighbourhood and sang songs related to the home coming of
the warriors. She had to be persuaded to stop singing in order to avoid overstraining. However,
the next day she was taken ill.
Grandmother's death
Though diagnosed with a mild fever by the doctor, grandmother knew that her end was near.
She decided to spend the last few hours of her life reciting prayers and telling her beads. Soon,
her lips stopped moving and she died.
A silent tribute by the sparrows

The family went to make arrangements for the grandmother’s funeral. As they came with a
stretcher, they stopped mid-way to find thousands of sparrows scattered around her dead
body. The sparrows mourned the death of the grandmother in utter silence. They ignored the
breadcrumbs thrown at them by the author’s mother and flew away silently after the body was
carried away for cremation. The breadcrumbs were swept away by the sweeper next morning.
_____
A. On the basis of your understanding of the story, answer these questions by choosing the
most appropriate options:
1. “As for my grandmother being young and pretty, the thought was almost revolting.” The
author says so because
a. she did not look attractive in her photograph of her youth.
b. she was short and fat since her childhood.
c. she had never seen her young.
d. she walked with a bend after an accident.
2. What did the grandmother do in her final hours?

a. She fed the sparrows with breadcrumbs.
b. She talked to everyone in the house.
c. She lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads.
d. She was writhing in pain because she felt unwell.
3. How did the sparrows express their sorrow at the death of the grandmother?
a. They never came back to the author’s house after she died.
b. They silently ate the breadcrumbs offered to them by the author’s mother.
c. They came in thousands but flew away without eating the breadcrumbs.
d. They made a noisy chirruping expressing their sorrow.
4. Which one of the following words mean hanging down loosely or unevenly?
a. Dilapidated
b. Frivolous
c. Sagging
d. Wrinkled
5. “That was a turning-point in our friendship.” The turning-point here refers to the
time/moment when
a. the grandmother and the author shifted to the city.
b. the author was given a room of his own.
c. the author went abroad for higher education.
d. the author came back to India.
6. ‘She was like the winter landscape in the mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity.’
Identify the figure of speech used here.
a. Metaphor
b. Allegory
c. metonymy
d. Simile
B. Short Answer Questions:

1. “It was hard to believe.” What was hard to believe about the grandmother and why?
Ans: The fact that the author’s grandmother was once young and pretty was hard to
believe for him. She was very old, her face was covered with wrinkles, her hair was white
and her back was bent. He had always seen her as an old woman. Thus, it was difficult for
him to imagine her as a young woman.
2. Why does the author compare his grandmother to “the winter landscape in the
mountains”?
3. How can you say that the grandmother and the author were “good friends”?
4. How does the grandmother feel and react when she learned about the things the author
was being taught at his new school in the city?
5. Describe the grandmother’s association with the sparrows.
C. Long Answer Questions:

1. The grandmother behaved in quite an odd way when the author came back from abroad
and the next day she died. Why do you think she might have behaved so queerly?
2. Write a character sketch of the grandmother.
~~~~~

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THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY

About Khushwant Singh

Appearance of the grandmother

Initial years of togetherness: Life in the village

Turning point of their friendship: Life in the city

Author leaves for higher studies

A silent tribute by the sparrows

2. What did the grandmother do in her final hours?

B. Short Answer Questions:

C. Long Answer Questions:

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