The Portrait of a Lady - Khushwant Singh

• Introduction

  • Genre: Autobiographical Sketch
  • Theme: Intergenerational bond, Changing relationships, Old age
  • Tone: Nostalgic, affectionate, respectful

• Character of the Grandmother

  • Physical Appearance
    • Short, fat, and slightly bent
    • Face a criss-cross of wrinkles
    • Silver hair scattered untidily over puckered face
    • Always dressed in spotless white
    • One hand resting on her waist, other telling beads of a rosary
  • Inner Qualities
    • Not pretty, but beautiful like a winter landscape
    • Deeply religious and constantly praying
    • Compassionate nature (fed village dogs and sparrows)

• Three Phases of Friendship (Chronological Evolution)

  • Phase 1: Village Life (Childhood)
    • Author lived with grandmother in the village
    • Grandmother woke him, dressed him, plastered his wooden slate
    • Walked him to school together
    • Fed stale chapattis to village dogs
  • Phase 2: City Life (Turning Point)
    • Shifted to the city to live with parents
    • Friendship strained due to lack of shared routine
    • Author went to an English school in a motor bus
    • Grandmother could no longer help with Western education (science, English)
    • Distressed to learn there was no teaching about God and scriptures
    • Fed sparrows in the courtyard instead of dogs
  • Phase 3: University Life (Ultimate Drift)
    • Author went to university and got a separate room
    • The common link of friendship snapped
    • Grandmother accepted her seclusion quietly
    • Spent whole day at her spinning wheel and reciting prayers
    • Relieved stress in the afternoon by feeding hundreds of little sparrows

• The Turning Point & Climax

  • Author's journey abroad for higher studies (5 years)
  • Grandmother came to the railway station to see him off
    • No emotion shown; chanting prayers, fingers busy with rosary
    • Kissed author's forehead (imprinted last sign of physical contact)
  • Return after Five Years
    • Grandmother looked no a day older
    • Collected the women of the neighborhood, beat an old drum, and sang songs of homecoming
    • Overstrained herself; fell mildly ill the next day

• The Grandmother’s Passing & Conclusion

  • Realization of End
    • Declared her end was near
    • Stopped talking to everyone, ignored protests, and focused solely on prayer and telling beads
    • Died peacefully with prayer on her lips and rosary falling from limp fingers
  • Mourning by Sparrows
    • Thousands of sparrows sat scattered in the room and courtyard in complete silence
    • No chirping; refused crumbs offered by author's mother
    • Flew away quietly after the grandmother's dead body was carried off (silent tribute)
    • Sweeper swept the bread crumbs into the dustbin the next morning