Literature Companion 11 3

bsod crgoiloib HORNBILL nowbollisw

1. The Portrait of a Lady mvom eg
(Khushwant Singh)o 1orflus1olhrb
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T9

ABOUT THE AUTHOR treroe beboxo

Khushwant Singh - a famous Indian writer of English was born in

1915 and received his education in Lahore, Delhi and London. He is

often referred to as a versatile raconteur, humorist, commentator,
editor, shortstory writerand a novelist. He has an easy narrative style.
His syndicated columns - "With Malice towards One and All" and

"This Above All" are extremely popular. Amonghis famous books are
the two volume History of the Sikhs i r t ar
His novel 'A Train to Pakistan' - based on turmoil and trauma of the
partition of India and Pakistan has been made into a full length
feature film. ebraii boog 9m82sd riod- 1orbormtaET
ABOUT THE LESSON 9nitorisC
Khushwant Singh primarily writes about his perceptions and
interactions with places and people he has come in contact with. "The
Portrait of Lady" is
a
autobiographical in nature as it describes the
author's association with his
grandmother and changes that come
about in their
relationship. It is a loving tribute from a grandson to his
grandmother where he reminisces about the emotional bond he
shared with her. On
reading it the readers are forced to evaluate their
own
relationships with their grandparents and to reflect on the
reasons for the
growing isolation of elders in families.
Smor asd haliwaltod
NOTES
Author's Reminiscence of his
Grandparents noicsoio'lgobog
Grandmother o t or betie ortodbnag be TOfii
old, wrinkled, short, fat, slightly bent eegtostue
 Literature Companion11
Literature Companion 11

walked with one hand on waist, other hand telling

rosary bead both shared a roo-
lips moving in inaudible prayer
author admit
difficult for author to believe she was ever young
school ina mo
spotless white clothes, silver hair grandmother
and Music
exuded serenity, peace and contentment
a n expanse of purity and peace as in snow covered winter grandmother
city school
landscape with mountains O89559 2tn boviepen bre 8rot
omud uupiooet oltiserev s as of b9T19191 refo grandmother s
.Grandfather
ilsyons bree1eir otehoie goibs no street dogs
portrait hanging above mantelpiece 2tmio beisoibveail Common link of frie
looked hundred years old with white flowing beard, wore big
.authorgivensepa
turban and loose fitting clothes ort io yo1etoriovo of grandmother qui
Early bonding with grandmother in villageeTof nistl'A bvonal spinning the whe=
Author's parents moved to city - left him behind in the villagewith happiest half hou
both became good friends of sparrows every
grandmother -

author goes abro=

.Daily routine:
this with quiet sto
grandmother woke up author in the morning, bathed, dresseu
grandmother sees=
and got him ready for school and plastered his slate. Also sang
his forehead, auth
morning prayers all the while to make author imbibethem
the two
fed him breakfast of stale chapatties with butter and sugar
author returns aft
ple
accompanied author to the village school attached to thetem at the station
where priest taught the children 9d anordw 1oriombi
next day grandmc
-grandmother read holy scriptures in the temple while au songs beating an o
studied alphabet and
morning prayer in the school. taken ill the next a

both walked back home vg.91 o the

her folly ofgiving
together feeding stale chapatties
village dog8s -dies with prayere

Turning Point in friendship gbneidbo soosainola30

with setting sun, g

author and their last respect

grandmother shifted to city from village to De
with

author's parents
dvldgile Jst rode ollriw bie
Literature Companion 11

both shared a room but grandmother got isolated because:

author admitted to an English medium school, travelled to

schoolin a motorbus e nde rotuytovn

grandmother unhappy at author being taught English, Science
and Music

grandmother distressed at lack of religion-based education in

city school

grandmother showed displeasure by ceasing to talk to the author

no street dogs to be fed in the city

Common link of friendship snapped

.author given separate room onjoining University
aoigilo
grandmother quietly accepts her seclusion - devotes herself to

spinning the wheel, reciting prayers from morning till evening

.happiest halfhour of the day -when she fed bread crumbs to scores
of sparrows every afternoon
b s siernoitoslts sftienoges
.author goes abroad for higher education - grandmother accepts

this with quiet stoicism

kisses
grandmother sees off the author at the railway station and
his forehead, author cherishes it as last physical contact between
the two esh
.author returns after five years - grandmother there to receive him
Td no fe oiw ebsid srii vsWs booorie myon
at the station
.next day grandmother gathers neighbourhood women and sings
songs beating an old drum-first timeskips prayersao
taken ill the next day a w a r e of her approaching end - regretted

ner folly of giving up prayer the previousday- insisted on prayin

-dies with prayer on lips and rosary in hands alogpe

friends the birdsarrive to pay
With setting sun, grandmother's city
their last respect
 6

-
sit silently without
Literature Companion11
chirruping
nd rmoous
refuse bread crumbs offered
fly away quietly when
by author's mother sbeede
b9Terda o
1orue
grandmother's body is carried aw
ooipe deilamd 3rgus gru away
CHARACTERS u torlornbno
Grandmother
a
picture of beauty, peace and contentment D 19rfombg
oieuMba
old, wrinkled, slightly bent, short and fat tooe6
assiqaib bewonle teoriombns
White hair, always clad in white
a picture of winter
landscape in the mountains (in the winter of
her life) bsqgane gidebret to lnil nommob
Religious oiUSnintor ro moorsis penovig10rfhus
Kcloth
her lips constantlymoved in inaudible prayer and one hand
always telling the beads of a rosaryo7lsodw ont gninniqe
visited the temple and read holy
scriptures daily esiqqal
Responsible, affectionate and caring orriottsvrevs ewOTISqelo
looked after the author in the village in his parent's absence
Kind and generous eiDio1spriie aitr
or
fed dogs in the village with stale chapatties and sparrows inthe
s99v
city with bread crumbs
apeies wilhburterand
.Benevolentand gentle
never shooed
away the birds who sat on her head and shoulc
Concerned and caringdlotonozarlisg
odilgiongonliognoitonmbobg b laot
nonltO
personally accompanied the author to school in villagesnoe
boi took interest in what was taught at s c h o o l o a l l t o

Conservative and
traditionalorit rovg qu ge school
disappointed at the author's receiving music in the eity
distressed at lack of teaching about God and scriptures incity
school h 9 g e r l e l s t
Literature Companion 11

Reserved and non-interrerng

nola blo eolds o
kept her thoughts to herself and spent
spare time in the city on
her spinning wheel

.Practical, stoic and realist eoslidy belup,

Tgeaomwoidh
accepted grandson's decision to go abroad for boolises
higher studies
.Control over emotions and sentiments
calm and controlled; did not break down as
expected at thee
station while seeing off her grandson
.Patient and blessed with strong
will-power 200orome
accompanied family members to see-off grandson and after five
years was there at the station to receive him
.Intuitive loino 879vteuipxeto slo02 LOqonofm
3rtoab
knew when her end was near and eaolhen
acceptedit
eased her passage to the other world
by praying continuously
on death bed tonol TOdslo
sldstivant srb lo spnsigopos
rtojeio9
ostnlor
TITLE
(oT9rl) modsraies1
The title of the
chapter, "The Portrait of a Lady" is apt and Polds
Besides being a pen sketch of his appropriate
Khushwant Singh's loving tribute to
grandmother, the passage is
her, his relationship with her
and the emotional bond he
shared with her. He
the person and graphically describes
personality of the grandmother who had all thee
attributes of
lady.rle oro riiw vildgit qeay
a

boqeslb
o b grigludenigmu GLOSSARY09
80886e
wrinkled shrivelled, full of creases uhos g
portrait a
painted or photographed picture of someone.
dbav A written
description of someone's personality
mantelpiece a shelf above a
fire place buole
revolting disgusting; hard to accept
absurd
Ccompletely illogical or ridiculous
 Literature Companion ji
Liter

ini-aom Dit boviae

old stories with morals
fables
religious teacher, spiritual leader, seer
prophet
Q1
silverlocks
curled white or grey hair
- thrown or spread randomly
scattered
tot loose hair) s1g D9irg9706
ibuperodgif (Here undone or
lotino)
wrinkled because of age
contracted,
puckered slloimoo Ds fmlo
which can't be heard
inaudible
19 o9 oltiwnotsle
tone
monotonous level/ tone of voice; unchanging
eriiw bee Is3n9t61
- vulgar; lascivious
.lewdture
b r i s oebmeg 10-
droer viig eimsgm0005
in a low voice
-

say something i asw er69Y

growling
or control
-
sole or exclusive right avhiuil
monopoly
and dancing
.harlots
-

(archaic) prostitutes; singing

character
yetelfeg women of indecent anl bsere
leugurrop
seclusion
isolation;loneliness bod risolb ro
reluctant acceptance
of the inevitable
resignation (here)
abeenc
pares
.veritable - real; true
9lgoberd loohi 9
and confusion
bedlam noisy uproar or
fomb affectionate sColaing
non-serious or
frivolous rebukes
TOUS
(grandmother often
indulged in)
criticism
viisoiicga8
cherished - keep in one's mindanorsg bs fo
.clasped with one's hand od
grasp tightly
downwar
loose && hanging; bulging
sagging8 acbecoming
e o curving in middle 5arw
dilapidated in disrepair; worn out
pallorglnori- palenesS nalinv y is
Shroudpod- coffin cloth: cloth in which a deaa

ebWrapped
Crude
 9
Literature Companion 11

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

about 40 words each)

(to be answered in
why the author's grandmother was

Q1. Mention three reasons

to the city school. (Textua)

disturbed when he started going o
Or
distressed at the teachings imparted to
Why was the grandmother
school1?
the author in the English

The author told his grandmother the English words and little
the law of gravity, the
things of western science and learning e,g.
world being round, which he learnt at school. She did not
believe in all this and was distressed. She was worried that there
was no teaching about God and the scriptures in the city school.
Moreover, she was also disturbed when she came to know that
her grandson was also being given lessons in music.

Q2. Mention the three ways in which the author's grandmother spent
her days after he grew up. (Textual)
Or
Grandmother became a lonely figure in the city. How did she
adjust and adapt to this loneliness?
votiotd ao bed
The grandmother always remained busy with the spinning
wheel. From sunrise to sunset she sat by her wheel spinning and
reciting prayers. It was only in the afternoon that she relaxed for
a while to feed the
sparrows. Besides these, she was always busy
in praying and telling the beads of a rosary
03. Mention the odd way in which the author's grandmother
behaved just before she died. w eloctaolenoi(lextual)

Or
What could have been the cause of grandmother's falling ill?

When the author returned from abroad, the grandmother

collected the women of the neighbourhood to celebrate his
home-coming. She took a drum and started thumping it and
10 Literature Companion 11
singing. Her family persuaded her to stop to avoid
avoid over
straining, That was the first time that she did not pray. And
following day she fell ill and died.nobsor 99 otrolM
04. Mention the way in which sparrows expressed their3dutei
sorrow wha.
when
the author's grandmother died.
olbsfrsgui egntibsel silt
(Textual)
ba5itomberg ontl esw yili
Or
What was the sparrows' reaction on the grandmother's death
What was this indicative of? e g etn blol 1orbus srT
Hundreds of sparrows paid a silent tribute to the grandmother
on on her death. They collected and sat quietly
around her dead
body. They did not chirrup as usual. They also did not accept the
bread crumbs thrown to themby the author's mother. Whenthe
grandmother's body was carried off they flew away quietly.
otepm
The sparrows' reaction shows that a deep bond of affection had
developed between them and the grandmother. r noci9
Q5. Why was it hard for the author to ts aysb 19r
believe that his grandmother
was once
young and pretty?
vlsnol s 90639 dl 79rhombsste
Or jgsbe brus3enibs
"It was hard to believe." What
was hard to believe about tne
grandmother
ige
and why? BKWi 79r0mbnG8120
It was hard for the author Jgac ol oaismuBGO3les
20 to believe that his
grandmother w
once
young and pretty ,9001 w
because she was very old, her tace
covered with wOTT w
wrinkles, her hair was white and
EW
her back w
bent. It
19r3og
was difficult for the author 8Oliot brs
to imagine her as
woman as he had a young
condition for the last always seen her in the same physicd
le01ed fautbovsilad physi
Q6. The
twenty years.
grandmother had a divine
bring this out? beauty. How does the au
thor
Or
The author
said that
grandmother had oUas br her
always been
EXplain the above
statement. beautiful.
b goot sre
nimop-9mor
 Literature Companion 11
11

Bring out the significance of the phrase 'winter landscape' in the

COntext of author's grandmother. s

bib enist lo sqvi ierlW
Author's grandmother was always attired in spotless white
clothes. She had silver hair and her lips constantly moved in an
snllo inaudible prayer, She presented a picture of pure white serenity
blobreathing peace and contentment. Her inner beauty radiated on
s o h e r face, making her an epitome ot peace and contentment. Age

sdo wise also, she was in the'winter of herlife.u blire

Q7. "That was a turning-point in our friendship." What was the

turning-point? hns19ritorm Org srddi n i ysa nov nes wofH O1O

What changes occurred between the author's and his

9rtograndmother's relationship when they shifted to the city?

Shifting of the grandmother and the author to the city became a

The author joined an English
o 15turning point in their friendship.
shared the same
dtiwmedium school in the city. Although they
rOom, his longer
grandmother accompanied him to school.
no
brs
unable to help him in lessons that
were

s o Moreover, she was

occurred in the
taught at school. Thus, a sort of distancing
bollt
o1 ro relationshiPopo viasleno2.9194 yerdl ebaon J
school education and city
Q8. Draw a comparison between village

orisuSchooleducation.os naleyadg2o "ngiesesl sdl"

anw isW
education
different from the
Jesl o The city school education was quite
the students were
school. In the village,
imparted in the village the
texts. But in the city
prayer and religious
zid taught alphabet, language, Western Science
and

Students taught English

were and
eil bo not given any
lessons on religion
Music. The children were
as the
lo doubled up
temple priest
SCriptures, In the village, the teachers to
teach
9rl br w e r e specialist
while in the city there
6leoteacher
different subjects.
12
Literature Companion

did the author treat as 'Fabl

Q9. What stories of the grandmother
Or52ipiesohloopnh8
othe Prophets? Why?g
tell the children ahou.ss
the grandmother the
What type of tales did
abgAT8eodA
childhood?borse wywiGW
olk stories about her childhon
The author treated grandmother's
and the games she
used to play to be as old as the 'Fables of th
always seen his grandmother
as an ol
o b Prophets. He had
woman and could not imagine her as a youn-
wrinkled, stooped
her stories about her childhood to b
child. Thus, he considered
esdsidgo
ses erafantasy anda myth. uoilitoganii
and the author were go00
Q10. How can you say that the grandmother

friends?unlodt neolted Orsbgsbieg2sis

3
between grandmothe-
proof do you find of the friendship
What

s ammand grandson in the story?19diobtprgsi t0 gnin

Grandmother took over the role of surrogate mother
wit
Khushwant Singh when his parents left him in the village
him ane
her and moved to the city. She used to wake him, bathe
him to th-
get him ready for school. She also accompanied
village school and brought him back home safely. She fulfilee
te
all his needs. They were constantly together and a support
do each other. Thus, they became good friends also. s
Q11. What was "the last sign" of physical contact between the autn

otand the grandmother? Why did the author think that to be the las
ophysicalcontact? dleotlbsgsitivsd bii
When the author was to go abroad for further studiesy hi
grandmother came to the station to see him off. She kissed hi
9 forehead and he cherished this as the last
imprint sig
physical contact with her because she was extremely old andI
feared that she may not survive for
the five years he was
away.eahoves oojdelnoretih
 Literature Companion 11
13

012. How did the grandmother prepare the author for

going to school
when they were staying in the
village?n to rmuion
Or
Write about grandmother's daily routine in the
village.
The grandmother bathed and dressed the author and
got him
ready for school. Thereafter she tied a wooden slate, an
earthen
ink-pot and a pen, in a bundle and handed it to him. She then
gave him breakfast consisting of stale chapattis with a little
butter and sugar spread on it. Then the two would set out for the
temple-the author for studies and she for prayers and reading
sCriptures.
werts tOY10togg
Q13. Describe the grandmother's association with the sparrows.
Or
1olgopgt
With whom did grandmother develop a deep bond of friendship
inthe city? How did they satisfy theirmutual needs?
6 When the author's grandmother was in the city she took to
feeding sparrows. In the afternoon 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 always smiled and never shooed
them away. Grandmother fed the
de her sparrows and sparroWS gave
company in her loneliness.
Q14. The author's grandmother celebrates his homecoming after tive
years and dies the next day? What is it indicative of?

buThe author had spent his formative years under the care and
nois tutelage of his grandmother. Though circumstances had created
blo a distance in their relationship, yet they were indescribably

o s
bound to each other. Despite extreme old age, sheer will-power
blgos makes the grandmother await the return of her grandson from
abroad. Her sudden death the next day is an outcome of her
 14 Literature Commpanion11

o e i overstraining herself by singing and dancing to celebrat. the

as it she was waiting for his

of her grandson. It is return
w,

return

before she could die.

stop talking before her death?
Q15. Why did the grandmother
intuitive. She knew # .
grandmother was deeply
The author's
not praying on the day her
her end was near. She regretted
abroad. She wanted to make amends for
grandson arrived from
rest of the time in praying to God
53her omission and devote the
order to pray just before her death
0 20 Thus, she stopped talking in 1orbus 9rd slqmsi
.To woman. Give examples in
was a kind-hearted
Q16. The grandmother 2971U7q
support of your answer. sotherand the or
The author's grandmother was really a very kind woman. She
the creatures of God.
had a noble soul with great affection for all

During her
stay in the village, she fed stale chapattis to the stray
b wo
to live in the city, she took to feeding
dogs. When she came

bread
of
sparrows as there were no dogs in streets. She broke the
into little bits and fed it to hundreds of little birds who collected
and others on her
rOund her. Some perched on her legs
shoulders, but she never shooed them away.
9l1o
Q17. What was grandmother's concept of proper education of children
OS9R T5ri fro 1se rovo srmtod
390one 19Vs
9V58
SVOSOr
Why did the grandmother disapprove of music being taugnt a
school.
ovit 12The author's grandmother was of the firm view that a child
and
should be taught the basics of his religion besides countinga
alphabet. He/She should be given knowledge of God andma
to read scriptures. According to her, music had lewd association
hould
and was the
monopoly of beggars and harlots and so there of
be no teaching of music. She did not understand anything
English and Western science. She was upset because she could
not help the author in his studies, bbue 1olh bsoto
Literature Companiom 11
15

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

uoy
d l t o be aiSwered in about 120 -150 words each)
brol ovslt SO
01. Would you agree that the author's
grandmother was a
person
in
strong character? If yes, give instances that show this.
(Textual)
bom srlhni r
Khushwant Singh's grandmother was aYabol
sA
elroeabrs
person of strong values.
Discuss.
Endowed with several positive values like kindness,
benevolence,
generosity and compassion, Khushwant Singh's grandmother
emerges as a strong character in this biographical sketch.
Though
lsimple, uneducated and rustic lady, she has an indomitable spirit
and charismatic character. When the author's
parents
move to
the city, she single-handedly
takes over the responsibility of
raising and educating the little child. She raises him with a lot of

tbelove, affection, care and spirituality and lays a strong foundation

of his character by instilling these qualities in him.

When Khushwant joins his parents in the city, a change comes

epi sotes
over her relationship with him but the values governing it
remain constant. She is distressed at the emphasis on science and
English and lack of teachings about God in his new school. But
being reserved and non-interfering, she keeps her thoughts to
herself and remains occupied with her prayers and her pastimes
of running the spinning wheel and feeding sparrows. She does
OTC D O
not allow her feelings to stifle her grandson's aspirations and
bluovquietly resigns herself to her separation from him due to his

studies abroad. Thus, the values of strong will-power, patience,

resilience, love, spirituality and compassion for animals and
birds form the core of her character and make her calm,
then that
controlled and stoic in all situations. Little wonder
white serenity
Khushwant describes her as 'an expanse of pure
breathing peace and contentment'
16
Literature Companion 11

who conducted his/her life with

Q2. Have you known someone
the
values that form the core of Khushwant Singh's grandmother!s

character? Do you feel the same sense of loss With regard t

someone whom you have loved and lost? (Textual, Modified)
in the modern worlds
Grandparents today are the first casualty
nuclear family system. But I was lucky enough to be broughtup
in a family where I was blessed with both a grandfather and
a grandmother. Out of the two, I was more attached to my

grandmother who has left an indelible mark of her personality,

views and values on my life. Like Khushwant Singh's grandmother,
with an indomitable
my grandmother too was a petite
woman

0spirit and a strong will power. io otsmertsrs brus

she
Being very kind-hearted, sympathetic and compassionate,
endeared herself not only to her grandchildren but everyone else
who came in contact with her. Looking back, I give her sole credit
for infusing in me an open minded attitude and a quest for Truth.
Being educated and erudite, my grandmother was a great
advocate of education, especially that of women and ensured
that all her grandchildren received good education. She was an
epitome of sincere, silent hard work sans a desire for any
appreciation or reward. t-ton br bowgoes1 auiod
If I can emulate even a fraction of her philosophy and values, I
would prove to be a very good human being. Her loss was a
terrible blow to me. The void created by her departure would
never be filled in my life. oroloeto
Q3. Imagine you are Khushwant Singh's grandmother. Write a
letter to a friend of yours back in the
village describing your
disappointment with your
grandson's English
school teaching
where education
only provides information but does not instill
any values.
ordrelrosbr9089 gursord
Literature Companion 11
17

DH.No.142
usy oldon brs
Green Park o iolg
uoe 916oeegroo
New Delhi

6th July 20xx

Jote bost o boftt
Dear Shanti votd d oeb
Ever since I arrived here, I have been
missing you and all other
friends very much. It will take quite some time for me to adjust to
thecity life.
b 7 b91 DLs eid alhlon
Khushwant has joined an English school here. I no longer
accompany him to school as he goes by a motor bus. I don't mind
that but I am very much perturbed that no religious teaching is
imparted to him in the school. Education here is all about
providing information about Western Science and English and
there is nothing about God and scriptures. That's very disturbing,
isn't it? These are the formative years of the child and the values
ndhe imbibes at this stage are going to shape his character and
quality of life, but nobody seems to be bothered about it.

Did you know that children here are taught music rather than

scriptures? I find that utterly disgusting and don't approve of it

n but choose to I don't interfere even in such vital
keep quiet.
matters as it would be a futile exercise and would spoil the peace

of the family. What do you say? ruwaniaqaee

It is time for me to feed the sparrows, my new companions here
gastaeew o t loogbero
aoeluen
Bye for now.
Yours
raolste bo9) bluo oub srlhbsd vaw is rn ee
XYZ
piety extended even to birds and
Grandmother's kindness and

lanimals. Discuss. of
led a very simple life full
hushwant Singh's grandmother
18
Literature Companion n
1 Lit
piety and noble values. She was
really a
very kind
Compassionate soul with great affection for all the and
God. creatures of
During her stay in the village, she remained busy
lookin
stale chapattis after
her grandson but she never failed to feed
a

to
straydogs. When she came to live in the the s

city, her habit.of

showing kindness to animals and birds
persisted. She now tol
ook
to feeding sparrows as there were no
dogs in the
streets. She
broke the bread into little bits and fedit to
hundreds of little bird
9g who collected round her. Some perched on her
legs and others on
bni her shoulders, but she never shooed them
away. So deep was
their mutual love for each other that these
creatures were
uo absolutely sorrow-stricken when she died. They
thronged her
bris room and paid their tribute to her by observing silence and flew
ni away only after the old lady's corpse was carried
away for
escrenmation.irs srtoa69 ovismolerli susisesnit
Q5. The author's grandmother was a
very religious woman. What
instances of this noble value do
you find in the story?ilsupre
r9r oth8Textual, Modifiei)
11o The author's grandmother was a very pious lady. Her ps
sir constantly moved in an inaudible prayer. She was always teln
935 the beads of her
rosary with one hand. Even while bathing a nd
dressing up Khushwant Singh for the school, she recited praye r s
9190 the hope that he would also get to learn them. She
in
nied

her
accompat
grandson to school, for it was attached to the here

she would read

temple wi
scriptures every day while he received his daily
lessons. On their way back, the duo would feed stale chapa ttis to
the street
dogs.ith op dd
When she went to live with her family in the city, she was uite
perturbed to
learn that her ght
grandson was not being tao
anything about God and
scriptures. Her habit of reciting sCp tures
 Literature Companion 11
19

and saying prayer continued unabated in the city, too. She would

brsit by her wheel spinning and reciting prayers. Even when she
nowelcomed the author back from abroad, she was busy saying
vior prayers. She died with a prayer on her lips and a rosary in her

no hand.oebreTor e uruep o l breaottcoube to

These instances clearly show how pious and spiritually awakened

eKhushwant Singh's grandmother was.mi tos osese

Q6. Describe the three phases of the author's relationship with his
grandmother before he left the country to study abroad. (Textual)

The first phase of the relationship between Khushwant Singh

and his grandmother took place in the village where both stayed
together as constant companions and best friends. Grandmother
would wake up the author and get him ready for school. She even
went to his school with him. While he received his lessons, she sat
oiin the adjoining temple to read scriptures e brrs ogergna

The second phase started when both were sent for by the author's
parents to live with them in the city. Though she and Khushwant
Singh shared a room, the distance between them grew more and
more as years passed by. She was upset that she could not help
him with his studies as he started going to an English medium
B school where he studied things that were all Greek to her. She

strongly disapproved of the subjects taught in the city school and

bemoaned the lack of teaching about God and scriptures.
bols The third phase started when the author joined University and
Was given a separate room. This broke the last common link

between them and left the grandmother totally secluded and

isolated.
2The grandmother herself was not formally educated but was
does the text support
serious about the author's education. How

this?
 20 Literature Companionm
Liters

coDespite being unlettered and conservative, the author's

grand
emother had a progressive outlook. She understood the demand
nds
of the changing times and wished the best for her grandson
Son
Although she herself was uneducated, she believed in the sanctit
of education and took keen interest in her grandson's education,
We
bnKhushwant Singh spent his formative years with her in the
sug
village. She got him admitted to the village school where he was
nar
aidtaught the alphabet and prayers. Everyday she washed and
enj
plastered his wooden slate with yellow chalk and readied his ren
earthen ink-pot and red pen. She escorted him to and from schoolso
everyday and was haPpy with the education being imparted in en

thevillageschool.b s s0oiis ogirhanooes 0 Tov

30
nav On shifting to the city, Khushwant Singh joined an English bad
e medium school and was introduced to the world of English stil
language and sciences. She still showed keen interest in education tog
and enquired everyday about what he was taught in the city kee
school. She did not understand much about Science and English Com

and was distressed at the lack of religious teaching in city school. of s

bris
She did not like the idea of her grandson receiving music lessons,
for in her view music had lewd assOCiations
l iw eid ip
orle Since she realized the value of education and its role in making a
brs child a
quietly and gracefully accepted the
successful man, she
author's decision to go to University and later abroad for higher
studies. This clearly shows that though formally uneducated
ett herself, she was serious about the author's education. e

eirsvay bnck the cuo would fed etleg