🖼️ The Portrait of a Lady
Class XI · Hornbill (Prose) · by Khushwant Singh · Summary & Solutions
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📖 Summary
"The Portrait of a Lady" is a nostalgic account of the author's relationship with his grandmother. The story traces three phases of their bond:
- Phase 1 (Village): Deep intimacy—she wakes him, prepares him for school, and accompanies him to the temple-school.
- Phase 2 (City): Growing distance—she can't help with his English education and is disturbed by the lack of religious teaching.
- Phase 3 (University): Physical separation—he gets a separate room; she retreats to her spinning wheel, prayers, and sparrows.
Despite the growing distance, her love never wavers. In the end, she passes away peacefully, surrounded by family, leaving behind a legacy of strength and spirituality. The sparrows' silent mourning is a poignant tribute to her gentle soul.
Understanding the Text
Answer:
- Phase 1 (Village): Intimate bond. She woke him, bathed him, and accompanied him to the temple-school.
- Phase 2 (City): Distance grew. She couldn't help with his studies and disliked the lack of religious education.
- Phase 3 (University): Complete separation. He got his own room; she focused on spinning, prayers, and feeding sparrows.
Answer:
- She could no longer help him with his lessons.
- There was no teaching about God or the scriptures.
- Music lessons upset her, as she believed music had "lewd" associations.
Answer:
- She spent most of her time by the spinning wheel.
- She continuously recited prayers and told the beads of her rosary.
- She loved feeding and spending time with the sparrows.
Answer: She stopped praying, collected the neighbourhood women, and began singing and beating an old drum—behaviour completely out of character for her.
Answer: Thousands of sparrows sat silently around her dead body without chirping. They flew away quietly without eating the breadcrumbs offered by the author's mother.
Talking About the Text
Answer: Her religiosity is evident through her constant rosary-telling, morning prayers while getting the author ready, and her deep distress when the city school lacked religious education. Even on her deathbed, she continued to pray, proving her unwavering faith.
Answer: Their relationship evolved from intimate childhood companionship to a distant, formal bond as the author grew up. However, their feelings never changed. Despite the physical and intellectual distance, their mutual love, respect, and care remained constant until her death.
Answer: Yes. She showed immense strength by quietly accepting her loneliness when the author moved out. She never complained, instead immersing herself in her daily routines of spinning and praying. Her dignified resilience in old age and her self-control when bidding him goodbye reveal her strong character.
Answer: Yes, my grandmother shared similar traits—she was deeply religious, resilient, and silently loving. The sense of loss is indeed profound, much like the author's. However, the memories of her unconditional love, her gentle wisdom, and her quiet strength remain a comforting presence, reminding me that love transcends physical absence.
Thinking About the Language
Answer: Most likely Punjabi or Hindi, as the story is set in a Punjabi family in India, and these were their native languages.
Answer: This varies by region. Typically, we use our native or regional language (e.g., Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi) as elderly relatives are most comfortable and connected in their mother tongue.
Answer: In Hindi, it is "टूटा-फूटा ढोल" (Toota-Foota Dhol). The exact translation depends on your native language.
Answer: In Hindi, a famous song is "घर आया मेरा परदेसी" (Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi), which beautifully captures the joy and emotion of a loved one returning home.
Working with Words
- "Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary." → Here, 'telling' means counting or moving the beads one by one during prayer.
- "I would tell her English words..." → Here, 'tell' means to inform or share information.
- "At her age one could never tell." → Here, 'tell' means to know or predict with certainty.
- "She told us that her end was near." → Here, 'told' means to communicate or convey a message.
Interactive Quiz
🧠 Check Your Comprehension
Answer these 15 factual and inferential questions. Click "Submit" to see your score!
Teacher's Insight: The Silent Bridge
What makes this story timeless? Khushwant Singh doesn't just write about his grandmother; he writes about the quiet, unspoken language of love that exists across generations. Notice how the grandmother never complains about the growing distance. Instead, she finds her purpose in the spinning wheel and the sparrows.
This story is a gentle reminder that relationships evolve, but they don't necessarily weaken. The grandmother represents a vanishing world—one rooted in faith, oral traditions, and simple routines. In today's fast-paced world, she challenges us to ask: Are we making space for the elderly in our lives, not just physically, but emotionally?
As you write your answers, remember that the grandmother's strength isn't in loud actions, but in her quiet acceptance and unwavering faith. That is the true portrait Khushwant Singh paints for us.
Keep these key themes in mind: love, loss, generational gaps, and resilience. They are the heart of every great literature question. Happy revising!
