Page 128 - DENG103_English - I

Unit 9: Khushwant Singh’s The Portrait of a Lady

Self Assessment Notes

State whether the following statements are true or false :

1. Khushwant Singh educated at the government college, Lahore.
2. He was editor of the Hindustan times from 1980 to 1983.
3. He was conferred the ‘Honest man of the year Award’ in 2002.

9.3 Summary

• Khushwant Singh, one of the best -known Indian writers of all times, was born in 1915
in Hadali (now in Pakistan). He was educated at the Government College, Lahore and
at King’s College, Cambridge University, and the Inner Temple in London.
• A Khushwant Singh short story is not flamboyant but modest, restrained, well-crafted
Perhaps his greatest gift as a writer is a wonderful particularity of description London
Magazine Khushwant Singh first established his reputation as a writer through the short
story.

9.4 Keywords

Portrait : An artistic representation of a person

Poignant : Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret
Eratic : Relating to or tending to arouse sexual desire or excitement
Seclusion : The state of being private and away from other people
Pastime : An activity that one does regularly for enjoyment.

9.5 Review Questions

1. Write the summary of ‘The Portrait of a Lady’.

2. ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ is written in which person and mode.
3. Write the role of Khushwant Singh’s grandmother in ‘The Portrait of a Lady’.

Answers: Self Assessment

1. True 2. True

3. False.

9.6 Further Readings

Books Portrait of a Lady, Collected Stories, Penguin Books India, 2009

Online links http://www.preservearticles.com/201101052610/summary-of-the-portrait-of-a-lady.html

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/khushwantsingh/women.html

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 121