The Portrait of a Lady
Summary In Hindi
‘एक महिला का चित्र’ में खुशवन्त सिंह ने अपनी दादी का वर्णन किया है। वह उसका सजीव चित्र प्रस्तुत करता है। वह अत्यन्त वृद्धा थी। उसके चेहरे पर झुर्रियाँ थीं। उसके बाल श्वेत थे। यह विश्वास करना काफी कठिन था कि कभी वह युवा एवं आकर्षक थीं। उसके दादा का चित्र बैठक में चिमनी की कोर्निस के ऊपर टंगा हुआ था। उसने एक बड़ी पगड़ी पहनी हुई थी। उसके वस्त्र ढीले थे। वह कम से कम एक सौ वर्ष का लगता था। यह विश्वास करना कठिन था कि कभी उसकी एक पत्नी अथवा बच्चे भी थे।
खुशवन्त सिंह की दादी छोटे कद की महिला थी। वह मोटी तथा थोड़ी सी झुकी हुई थी। वह सीधी नहीं चल सकती थी। वह घर में इधर-उधर लंगड़ाती सी घूमती-फिरती थी। उसे अपना एक हाथ कमर पर रखना पड़ता था। वह उसे अपने झुके हुए शरीर को सन्तलित करने के लिए था। दसरे (हाथ) में वह एक माला पकडे रहती थी। वह सदा माला के मनके फेरती रहती थी। उसके होंठ लगातार प्रार्थना में हिलते रहते थे। वह सफेद वस्त्र पहनती थी। उसके चांदी जैसे बाल उसके चेरहे पर बिखरे पड़े रहते थे। वह सर्दी के (सफेद) पर्वतों जैसी लगती थी। वह शान्ति एवं संतुष्टि का चित्र प्रतीत होती थी। वह अत्यन्त वृद्धा थी। शायद वह इससे अधिक वृद्धा नहीं दिखाई पड़ सकती थी। पिछले बीस वर्षों से वह वैसी ही दिखाई देती थी।
खुशवन्त सिंह तथा उसकी दादी अच्छे मित्र थे। उसके माता-पिता नगर में चले गये थे। वे उसे गाँव में दादी के पास छोड़ गये। वह उसकी अच्छी देखभाल करती थी। वह उसे सवेरे जगाया करती थी। वह उसे स्कूल के लिए तैयार करती थी। वह अपनी प्रार्थना एक रटे-रटाये गाने के रूप में करती थी। वह आशा करती थी कि वह उसे मौखिक रूप से याद कर लेगा। वह दादी की आवाज पसंद करता था किंतु उसने इसे सीखने की कभी भी परवाह नही की। फिर वह उसकी लकड़ी की तख्ती लाती। इसे उसने पहले ही धोकर पीली चाक-मिट्टी से पोता हुआ था। वह एक मिट्टी की दवात तथा सरकंडे का कलम लेती। वह उन्हें एक बंडल में बांध ती तथा उसे दे देती। वह उसे एक मोटी बासी रोटी के ऊपर थोड़ा-सा मक्खन तथा चीनी बिखेरकर देती। यह उसका नाश्ता था। वह गाँव के कुत्तों के लिए काफी बासी चपातियाँ अपने साथ ले जाती थी। उसकी दादी सदा उसके साथ पाठशाला भी जाती थी। पाठशाला मंदिर से जुड़ी हुई थी। पुजारी बच्चों को वर्णमाला तथा प्रात:कालीन प्रार्थना सिखाता था। बच्चे बरामदे में दो कतारों में बैठते थे। वे एक सामूहिक गान के रूप में ही वर्णमाला अथवा प्रार्थना गाते थे। दादी मंदिर में भीतर बैठती थी। वह धार्मिक पुस्तकें पढ़ा करती थी। फिर वे दोनों एक साथ घर आते थे। गाँव के कुत्ते मंदिर के द्वार पर एकत्रित हो जाते। वे उनको चपातियाँ फेंकते। कुत्ते एक दूसरे पर गुर्राते तथा झगड़ते थे।
वर्णनकर्ता के पिता ने उन्हें नगर में बुला लिया। वह उनकी मित्रता में मोड़ (घुमाव) का एक बिंदु था। वे एक ही कमरे में रहते थे। किंतु दादी अब उसके साथ विद्यालय नहीं जाती थी। वर्णनकर्ता एक मोटर बस में सवार होकर एक अंग्रेजी विद्यालय में पढ़ने जाया करता था। वहाँ (नगर में) गलियों में कुत्ते नहीं थे। अत: दादी ने चिड़ियों को भोजन खिलाना आरंभ कर दिया।
वर्ष बीतते गये। वे एक दूसरे से कम मिलते थे। कभी-कभी वह उससे पूछ लेती थी कि उसके अध्यापक ने उसे क्या पढ़ाया है। वह उन चीजों में विश्वास नहीं करती थी जो वे अंग्रेजी विद्यालय में पढ़ाते थे। वह दु:खी थी। वह अंग्रेजी अथवा विज्ञान को पसंद नहीं करती थी। वह यह सोचकर उदास हो जाती थी कि विद्यालय में ईश्वर तथा धार्मिक ग्रन्थों के विषय में शिक्षा नहीं दी जाती थी। वर्णनकर्ता ने एक दिन उसे बताया था कि संगीत में पाठ दिए जा रहे हैं। वह परेशान हो गयी। वह संगीत को अशोभनीय समझती थी। उसके अनुसार यह केवल वेश्याओं तथा भिखारियों के लिए ही था। वह भद्र पुरुषों के उपयुक्त नहीं था।
वर्णनकर्ता विश्वविद्यालय में गया। उसे अपना निजी कमरा दिया गया। मित्रता का आपसी संबंध टूट गया। दादी ने अपने एकाकीपन को चुपचाप स्वीकार कर लिया। वह सदा चरखा चलाने तथा प्रार्थना गाने में व्यस्त रहती। वह बहुत कम बातें करती थीं। अपराह्न (दोपहर-बाद) में वह थोड़ा सा सुस्ताती थी। तब वह चिड़ियों को भोजन कराती थी। वह बरामदे में बैठती थी। एक रोटी के छोटे-छोटे टुकड़े तोड़ती। फिर वह इन्हें चिड़ियों को फेंक देती। सैंकड़ों चिड़ियाँ वहाँ आ जाती थीं। वे बहुत सा शोर करती थी। कुछ आजी तथा उसकी टांगों पर बैठ जाती। अन्य उसके कन्धों पर बैठ जाती। कुछ तो उसके सिर पर भी बैठ जाती। वह मुस्कुराती किंतु कभी भी उन्हें डराकर नहीं भगाती थी। चिड़ियों को भोजन खिलाना उसके लिए दिन का सबसे प्रसन्नता भरा आधा घण्टा था।
वर्णनकर्ता ने उच्चतर शिक्षा के लिए विदेश जाने का निर्णय किया। उसे पाँच वर्ष तक बाहर रहना था। दादी अत्यन्त वृद्धा थी। वह किसी भी क्षण मर सकती थी। वर्णनकर्ता चितिंत था। किंतु दादी विचलित नहीं हुई। उसने कोई भावुकता नहीं दिखायी। उसे विदा करने वह रेलवे स्टेशन आई। उसके होंठ प्रार्थना में हिलते थे। उनका मन प्रार्थना में लगा हुआ था। उसकी उंगलियाँ माला के मनके फेरने में व्यस्त थी। उसने चुपके से उसके माथे को चूमा। वर्णनकर्ता ने सोचा कि उन दोनों के बीच शारीरिक संबंध के रूप में यह अंतिम चिन्ह था।
वर्णनकर्ता पाँच वर्ष के उपरांत घर लौट आया। उसकी दादी स्टेशन पर उससे मिली। वह एक दिन भी अधिक बूढ़ी नहीं दिखाई देती थी। वह कुछ नहीं बोली। उसने उसे बाहों में भर लिया। वह अपनी प्रार्थनाएँ गाती रही। दोपहर बाद सदा की तरह उसने चिड़ियों को भोजन खिलाया। संध्या समय उसमें एक परिवर्तन आ गया। उसने प्रार्थना नहीं की। उसने पड़ोस की सारी स्त्रियों को एकत्रित किया। वह एक पुराना ढोल ले आई। वह कई घंटों तक इस पुराने ढोल को पीटती रही। उसने गाना आरंभ किया। वह योद्धाओं की वापसी के गीत गाती रही। उन्हें उसे रोकने के लिए मनाना पड़ा। हो सकता है कि वह स्वयं पर अधिक तनाव डाल ले। यह पहला समय था जब वह प्रार्थना करना भूल गयी थी।
अगली प्रात: वह बीमार पड़ गयी। उसे हल्का सा ज्वर आ गया। उसने उन्हें बताया कि उसका अन्त समीप है। उसने अनुभव किया कि वह प्रार्थना करना भूल गयी थी। वह बातें नहीं करना चाहती थी। यह तो समय को व्यर्थ करना होगा। उसने उनकी प्रार्थना अनसुनी कर दी। वह चुपचाप बिस्तर में लेटी रहीं। वह प्रार्थना करती रही तथा मनके फेरती रही। फिर उसके होंठ हिलने बन्द हो गये उसकी निर्जीव उंगलियों से माला गिर गयी थी। उसका चेहरा पीला किन्तु शान्त दिखाई पड़ा। वह मर गयी थी। उसे भूमि पर लिटा दिया गया। उसे लाले कफ़न से ढक दिया गया। उसके दाह संस्कार के प्रबंध किये जाने लगे।
संध्या का समय था। सूर्य अस्त हो रहा था। वे एक लकड़ी की अर्थी ले आये। वे आँगन के बीच में रुक गये। हजारों चिड़ियाँ उसके मृत शरीर के समीप बैठी थीं। उन्होंने चहचहाहट नहीं की। प्रत्येक को चिड़ियों के लिए खेद था। वर्णनकर्ता की माँ कुछ रोटी ले आई। उसने इसे छोटे-छोटे टुकड़ों में तोड़ा। उसने ये टुकड़े चिड़ियों को फेंके। पक्षियों ने इनकी ओर कोई ध्यान नहीं दिया। फिर वे उसके शव को बाहर ले गये। चिड़ियाँ चुपचाप उड़ गईं। रोटी के टुकड़े अब भी आँगन में वहीं पड़े रहे। स्पष्टतया चिड़ियाँ दादी की मृत्यु पर शोक मनाने आई थीं।
The Portrait of a Lady Lesson Explanation
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 a 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.
Wrinkled-
having lines or folds
Portrait- painting or picture
Mantelpiece- a structure of wood, marble, or stone above and around a
fireplace.
the thought was almost revolting- it was very hard for the author to believe
Revolting – unpleasant
Absurd - Illogical
Undignified- disrespectful
Fables- fictitious stories with a moral teaching
Prophets- saints
The author talks about his grandmother. He had known her for the
past twenty years and she had always been old and wrinkled. He was told that
she was once young and pretty and had a husband. His grandfather’s portrait
hung on the wall, in which he wore loose fitted clothes, a turban and had a
long, white- coloured beard that reached his chest.
He also appeared very old and the author thought that he was
someone who could have many grandchildren but not a wife or children. The
author could never imagine that once his grandmother was young and pretty. He
could not connect to this idea.
She used to tell him and his cousins about her childhood memories
like the games she used to play as a child. They found these stories illogical
and disrespectful because it was beyond their imagination to think that
grandmother was once a child and played such games.
They thought that her life’s stories were like the other moral
stories which she used to tell them.
She had always been short and fat and slightly bent. Her face was
a criss-cross 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
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 silver locks were
scattered untidily over her pale, puckered face, and her lips constantly moved
in inaudible prayer. Yes, she was beautiful. She was like the winter landscape
in the mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace and
contentment.
Criss-
cross - a pattern of intersecting straight lines
Hobbled – walked in an awkward way
spotless white - she wore clean, white coloured dresses
Stoop – bend one’s body forward
Rosary- a string of beads for keeping count of number of chants made of a
religious prayer
Locks- hair
Scattered – disorganized
Untidily - not neat
Puckered – a face contract into wrinkles
Inaudible- unable to be heard
Serenity – the state of being peaceful and calm
an expanse of pure white serenity - refers to the calm, relaxed and peaceful
character of the author’s grandmother
Contentment – a state of happiness and satisfaction
His grandmother was short, fat, slightly bent in posture and her
face had lots of wrinkles. She seemed so old and she had been the same for the
past twenty years. According to the author, she was beautiful but not pretty.
She walked around the house in an awkward way, wearing spotless
white clothes with beads of the rosary hanging from one hand and the other hand
rested on her back for support. She had silver-colored hair which was not
neatly combed and was disorganized. She was constantly chanting prayers. He
compares her to the winter landscape in the mountains which has a peaceful and
calm feel. She was a live example of a pure, white, peace - emitting entity.
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 sing-song 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 learn it. Then she would fetch my wooden
slate which she had already washed and plastered with yellow chalk, a tiny
earthen ink-pot and a red pen, tie them all in a bundle and hand it to me.
After a breakfast of a thick, stale 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.
Monotonous
– dull and boring
Bothered- to be concerned
Fetch – go for and then bring back something for someone
Slate- a flat plate of slate formerly used for writing on in schools
Plastered- covered with a layer of plaster
Earthen- made of baked or fired clay
Stale- no longer fresh and pleasant to eat; hard, musty, or dry.
The author lived with her in the village. They were good friends.
His parents left him with her to settle in the city. The author’s grandmother
used to wake him up every morning and get him ready for school. She would
recite her morning prayers while she bathed and dressed him up and he loved her
voice but would not try to memorize a word of what she spoke. She would make
his things ready like a wooden slate, a tiny earthen inkpot, and a red pen. He
would eat a thick stale chapatti with butter and sugar spread on it. They both
used to walk to school and his grandmother carried stale chapattis with her to
feed 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 verandah singing
the alphabet or the prayer in a chorus, my grandmother sat inside reading the
scriptures. 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 and fighting with each other for the chapattis we threw to them. When
my parents were comfortably settled in the city, they sent for us.
That was a turning-point 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 of our city house.
Scriptures
- the sacred writings of a religion
Growling - making a low guttural sound in the throat
Courtyard- verandah
His grandmother would accompany him to the school as the temple
was attached to the school and she used to visit the temple daily. On one side,
he would sit on the verandah with other children, would sing the alphabet and
prayers in the chorus. On the other hand, she would sit in the temple to read
the scriptures. After finishing, they would walk back home together.
The village dogs met them at the village door. They would follow
them to their home, growling and fighting with each other for the stale
chapatis that she fed them. When his parents got settled in the city, they
called them. That was the turning point of his friendship with his grandmother.
They shared the same room but she no longer would give him company to his
school. He started going to an English medium school and a motor bus would come
to pick and drop him. There were no dogs in the streets whom she could feed as
she did in the village. So, she started feeding sparrows in the verandah of
their house.
As the years rolled by 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 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. It was the monopoly of
harlots and beggars and not meant for gentlefolk. She said nothing but her
silence meant disapproval.
She rarely talked to me after that.
Years
rolled by- time passed
Distressed - suffer from extremely sorrow, anxiety or pain
Lewd Association – Indecent or Obscene
Harlots – Prostitutes
Gentlefolk - People of noble birth
As the years passed in the city, their interaction reduced. For
some time, she continued to wake him up and would get him ready for school. She
would ask him what he had learned in school that day. The scientific
terminology and English words made her unhappy. As she didn’t know the
language, she could not help him with the lessons. As his new school never
taught him about God and religious scriptures, this made her sad. She did not
approve of such an education. When she came to know that he was getting music
lessons, it disturbed her. According to her, music was indecent and it was an
art for the beggars and prostitutes, and not for those belonging to decent
families. She didn’t like that he learned music, so, she stopped talking to
him.
When I went up to University, I was given a room of my own. The
common link of friendship was snapped. My grandmother accepted her seclusion
with resignation. She rarely left her spinning-wheel 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 verandah breaking the bread into little bits, hundreds of little birds
collected round her creating a veritable bedlam of chirrupings. 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-hour of the
day for her.
Snapped-
break suddenly and completely
Seclusion – the state of being private and away from the people
accepted her seclusion with resignation- the grandmother accepted a lonely life
as she accepted the separation from her grandson without objection
Spinning-wheel - a household machine with a wheel attached to it for
spinning yarn
A veritable bedlam of chirrupings - refers to the noise and confusion caused by
the chirrupings of the sparrows
Veritable
- use to describe something which is very interesting or unusual
Bedlam – confusion
Chirrupings – the noise of a small bird
Perched - alight or rest on something
Shooed - make a person or animal go away by shouting or saying ‘shoo’
As the author went to university, he had a room of his own. The
common link of his friendship with his grandmother that they had when they
shared the same room, was changed now and thus, his friendship with her ended.
She became more private and spent her whole day spinning wheel. From sunrise to
sunset, she would sit and silently recite her prayers. In the afternoon, she used
to feed sparrows in the verandah. Breaking the bread into small pieces, she
would feed hundreds of birds. The birds would gather around her, some sat near
her, some on her legs, some on her shoulders and few on her head. She never
shooed them, but always smiled. She was the happiest in that half an hour
during the whole day.
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. 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 of her rosary. Silently she kissed my forehead, and when I
left I cherished the moist imprint 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 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 rebukes.
Sentimental
- a feeling of nostaglia, sadness or tenderness; an emotional feeling
Beads - a small piece of glass or stone threaded with others to make a rosary
or necklace
Cherished - hold something dear
Moist- wet
Imprint - impression or stamp
Clasped – hold tightly
Frivolous – not having any serious purpose, light-hearted
Rebuke - disapproval of something or someone
frivolous rebukes - light hearted scoldings
When the author decided to go abroad for further studies, he
believed it would be the last time he would see her as he would be gone for
five long years. As they all reached the station, she held him tightly and
kissed his forehead. He thought it was the last physical contact with her. The
wet impression of her hand was dear to him. She was not sentimental at all.
When he came back after five years, she came to meet him at the station. She
looked just the way she did five years ago, not a day older. She held him again
in her arms and was still reciting her prayers.
He noticed on the first day of his arrival that only sparrows
would make her happy.
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 the sagging skins of the dilapidated drum and
sang of the home-coming of warriors. We had to persuade her to stop to avoid
overstraining. 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 to pray, she was not going to
waste any more time talking to us.
Thumped-
hit
Sagging – sinking downwards
Dilapidated – in a state of despair or ruin
the sagging skins of the dilapidated drum- The loose surface of the worn out
drum
Persuade - to talk someone into doing something, requeste
Overstraining- overdoing something
Omitted - leave out or exclude something
An evening, she didn’t follow her regular routine of praying. She
collected a few women from the neighbourhood, got a drum and started singing
with them. She thumped the ruined part of the drum and sang along. The whole
family persuaded her to stop as she might get ill due to exhaustation. The next
morning, she fell ill. It was a mild fever. The doctors told them that it would
go away but she took it differently. According to her, she would die soon as
her end was near. She started chanting prayers as she didn’t want to waste her
last hours in talking to anyone.
We protested. 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
spread on her face and we knew that she was dead.
Protested
- express an objection against something or someone
Pallor – an unhealthy pale appearance
The family protested, tried to stop her but she lay peacefully on
her bed, chanting prayers and doing her beads. Suddenly, she stopped and the
rosary fell from her lifeless fingers. A calm, pale appearance spread on her
face and she was dead.
We 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 we left
her alone to make arrangements for her funeral. In the evening we went to her
room with a crude stretcher to take her to be cremated. The sun was setting and
had lit her room and verandah with a blaze of golden light. We stopped half-way
in the courtyard.
All over the verandah 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. 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 off, they flew away quietly.
Next morning the sweeper swept the bread crumbs into the dustbin.
Customary
- traditional
Crude – in a natural state, roughly made
Cremated - dispose of or burn a body after it is dead
Blaze - a very large burning fire
Shroud – a piece of cloth used to wrap a dead person
Corpse- dead body
The Portrait of a Lady
Question Answers
1. 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.
2. 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.
4. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 verandah
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 verandah. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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 had her own thoughts about schools and their
teachings. She considered learning scriptures a better thing than studying
science or English.
2. She didn’t like music as according to her, music was for
low-level people.
3. When the author went to the university, in seclusion, she
would spin the wheel, chant prayers, tell beads and feed bread crumbs to the
sparrows.
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.
9. 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.
The Portrait of a Lady
Grammar exercises
I. Notice the following
uses of the word “tell” in the text.
1. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
2. I would tell her English words and little things of Western
science and learning.
3. At her age one could never tell.
4. She told us that her end was near.
Given below are four
different senses of the word ‘tell’. Match the meanings to the uses listed
above.
1. Make something known to someone in spoken or written words
2. Count while reciting
3. Be sure
4. Give information to somebody
Ans:
1. I would tell her English words and little things of
Western science and learning.
2. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
3. At her age one could never tell.
4. She told us that her end was near.
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
Locate these phrases in
the text and notice the way they are used.
Ans: These
phrases have been used in the story as follows:
1. “… she took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of our city
house”
She would feed sparrows daily in the verandah. She made this her
habit when they moved to the city.
2. “The next morning she was taken ill”
This phrase refers to the fact that the author’s grandmother was
suddenly ill.
III. The word ‘hobble’
means to walk with difficulty because the legs and feet are in bad condition.
Tick the words in the box below that also refer to a manner of walking.
|
haggle |
shuffle |
stride |
ride |
waddle |
|
wriggle |
paddle |
swagger |
trudge |
slog |
The
Portrait of a Lady Things to do
Talk with your family members about elderly people who you
have been intimately connected with and are not there with you now. Write a
short description of someone you liked a great deal.
Answer:
My Grandmother
I
lost my grandmother when I was twelve, but I still recollect her. She loved me
affectionately and I liked her a great deal. She was quite old then, but she
could move about with ease. I was her constant companion during her visits to
temple, market, garden or to the houses of friends and relatives. Other members
of the family would taunt me as granny’s watch dog. She was my shield. I ran to
her arms when my father or mother would get angry or thrash me. I miss the
bedtime stories she used to tell me. Those highly fanciful stories were full of
deeds of bravery or adventure and end on a note a success. They inspired me to
do noble deeds in fife. She was equally careful about my health and studies.
She would make me drink milk and eat fruit to maintain a sound physique. She
was good at drawing and helped me in writing alphabets. She also gave
ready-made solutions to all my problems. She would bless me whenever I got
success in any field—studies, sports, song, poetic recitation, poster making or
fancy dress competition. Sometimes I miss her a lot.
The Portrait of a Lady More Questions Solved
The Portrait of a Lady 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 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 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:
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.
Question 21:
How
did the grandmother spend her time when the narrator went up to university?
Answer:
She now lived alone in her room. She accepted her loneliness quietly. She was
now always busy with her spinning wheel. She sat at her spinning-wheel reciting
prayers. She hardly talked to anyone. In the afternoon, she would feed the
sparrows. This was her only pastime.
Question 22:
Why
did the grandmother take to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of their city
house?
Answer:
In the village, she used to throw ‘chapattis’ to the street dogs. But there
were no dogs in the streets of the city. So, she took to feeding the sparrows
in the courtyard of their city house.
Question 23:
Describe
in brief how grandmother spent half-an-hour with the sparrows. How did she feel
then?
Answer:
The grandmother usually fed the sparrows in the afternoon. She sat in the
verandah. She broke bread into little bits. Hundreds of sparrows would gather
there. They would chirrup noisily. Some perched on her legs and shoulders. Some
sat even on her head. She enjoyed feeding them. She never pushed them away. It
was her happiest half an hour.
Question 24:
What
was the happiest moment of the day for the grandmother?
Answer:
The happiest half-hour of her day used to be the time when grandmother fed the
sparrows. She would sit in the verandah breaking the bread into little bits.
The sparrows would collect around her. They chirped noisily. Some perched on
her legs and shoulders. Some even sat on her head. She relished this game. She
never shooed them away.
Question 25:
How
did the grandmother see the narrator off at the railway station?
Answer:
She was not at all sentimental. She kept silent and didn’t show her emotions.
Her lips moved in prayer and her fingers were busy telling the beads of her
rosary. She only kissed the narrator’s forehead. He cherished the moist imprint
as perhaps the last sign-of physical contact between them.
Question 26:
What
was the “last sign” of physical contact between the author and the grandmother?
Why did the author think that to be the last physical contact?
Answer:
The grandmother, kissed Khushwant Singh on his forehead. The author thought
that this was perhaps the last sign of physical contact between them. He was
going away for five years. She was extremely old and at her age one could never
tell whether she would be alive for long.
Question 27:
Why
didn’t the grandmother pray in the evening on the day narrator came back home?
Answer:
There was a strange change in her behaviour. She was over-excited. She
celebrated the arrival of her grandson. She collected all the women of the
neighburhood. For hours she continued singing and beating the drum. She had to
be persuaded to stop to avoid overstraining. Perhaps it was the first time that
she didn’t pray.
Question 28:
How
did the grandmother die?
Answer:
The grandmother realised that her end was near. She continued praying. Her
fingers were busy in telling the beads of her rosary. She lay peacefully in
bed. She did not talk to anyone. After sometime, her lips stopped moving. The
rosary fell down from her fingers. She died peacefully.
Question 29:
How
did the sparrows show that they had not come for the bread?
OR
How did the sparrows
pay their last homage to the grandmother?
Answer:
The grandmother lay dead. Thousands of sparrows came there. They did not
chirrup. They paid their last homage to the old lady silently. She used to feed
them regularly. The narrator’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.
Question 30:
Everybody
including the sparrows mourned grandmother’s death. Elaborate.
Answer:
The old grandmother died peacefully. The members of the author’s family mourned
her death. Thousands of sparrows came and sat silently in the courtyard and the
verandah where grandmother lay dead and wrapped in a red shroud. They took no
notice of the bread crumbs thrown to them. They flew away quietly the moment
grandmother’s corpse was carried off.
The
Portrait of a Lady 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.
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.
Question 5:
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?
Answer:
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.
Question 6:
The
word ‘portrait’ generally means a painting, a drawing or a photograph but here
it implies a representation or impression of someone in language. Write a pen
picture of your grandparents describing the qualities you admire and appreciate
most.
Answer:
I am lucky that my grandparents are still alive. They live in our native
village. My grandfather is about 70. My grandmother is about 65. My grandfather
served in the army before he retired as a colonel 20 years ago. He is still
active and smart. He has strong will power and manliness in the way he carries
himself. He is fond of walking and jogging. He looks after the family farm and
briefs the workers every morning. In the evening he asks each of them to report
the progress and work done. He believes in trusting people. Even then he has
some surprise checks. My grandmother is a bit fat and small. She is slow
moving. She is deeply religious. She visits the temple every morning. She
supervises the household work and activities. She helps the poor and the needy.
She is kind, generous and hospitable. My grandparents visit us in the city on
important days such as birthdays or marriage anniversaries etc. We spend a part
of our holidays with them. Their company is a blessing.
Imagine that you are Khushwant Singh. Record the changes that came in your relationship with your grandmother as you grew up from kid to university student.
Answer:
During my boyhood days I lived with my grandmother in the village. She used to wake me up in the morning and prepared me for school. She accompanied me to school. A turning point came in our friendship when my parents sent for us in the city. Now I went to an English school in the motor bus. I was taught English, Science and music. She could not help me in my studies. She hated Science, music and Western education. We still shared the same room, but talked less and less. When I joined the university, I was given a separate room and our common link of closeness was finally snapped.
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