Page 129 - DENG103_English - I

English-I Gowher Ahmad Naik, Lovely Professional University

Notes
Unit 10: “Portrait of a Lady”

Discussion on All Spheres of the Text and Questions

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
10.1 Grandmother Character in Singh’s Own Words
10.2 Question and Answer
10.3 Summary
10.4 Keywords

10.5 Review Questions
10.6 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:

• Know the character of Khushwant Singh’s grandmother
• Explain the summary of ‘The Portrait of a Lady’.

Introduction

The writer speaks of his own grandmother. By the time, he wrote the story, she was quite old
and all her hairs had been white. Her wrinkled face and body gave him a kind of surprise.
Since twenty years, the writer is with his grandmother. People said that once the old lady was
as beautiful as a fairy. Her husband—writer’s grandfather was also very handsome. His photo
was being hung in the drawing room of the writer.
Grandmother had always been short and fat, and her back was slightly bent. Wrinkles were
across on her face. When the writer came to know her, she had been such condition. She was
wearing a spotless white saree. Her silver locks were scattered untidily over her pale puckered
face, and her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer. She was like the winter landscape in
the mountains.
Both the writer and his grandmother were good friends. His parents had left him with his
grandmother at village. His parents were in city. Every day, she used to wake up the writer
to be ready to go to school. She was uttering the monotonous song while she was bathing. The
writer liked her very much. His grandmother was going to school with him because there was
the temple nearer the school. She would sit among the children and listen to the priest’s
prayer.
When writer’s parents were settled in the city, they sent for them. That was a turning point
in their friendship. Both the writer and his grandmother started spending days separately and
the writer became separated from the close relation with his grandmother. When he reported
her about the music lesson he was being taught his grandma felt sorrow, because she knew
that music had been associated with hariots. She said nothing but her silence meant disapproval.

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