PEN PORTRAIT OF GRANDMOTHER

Was like everybody’s grandmother

Quite an old woman
Hard to believe that once she was young
Revolting thought: Disgusting
Grandfather’s picture hung above the mantle piece and looked hundred years old
THEME OF THE LESSON
Innocence,Kindness,Selflessness,respect
Old world Vs New world
Grandson’s perception of his grandmother and how their bond undergoes a change
Need of companionship felt by our elders
Love and emotions experienced not only by humans but by animals also
LOOKED TERRIBLY OLD
Short, fat and sligtly bent lady
Wrinkled face ,looked very old
Hobbled about the house in spotless white clothes
Hobbled: :Walked like a lame person
One hand on her waist, in another she had a rosary
Always telling the beads of her rosary
Rosary::String of beads
Always prayed to herself
Was a picture of peace and contentment
AS CLOSE FRIENDS
Parents of the narrator left him with his grandmother in the village
Always together
Used to wake him and ready him for school
Would feed him thick stale chappati with butter and sugar
Morning prayer chanting by herin an unchanging sing song
Take an earthen inkpotand ared pen
WENT TO SCHOOL WITH THE NARRATOR
School attached to the temple
Priest taught Alphabet and morning prayer
Sang alphabet and prayer in chorus
Spent her time reading books in the temple
Village dogs were fed stale chappatis by her
They would howl and growl and fight for the chappatis
TURNING POINT IN THE RELATIONSHIP
Narrator’s parent sent for them in the city
Shared the same room
Grandmother no longer went to school
They saw less of each othetr as years rolled by
She hated English, Science and music taught in school
Sad about no teaching of god and scriptures
Music had lewd associations, good only for prostitutes and dancers
Lewd associations; :Indecent connections
BOND OF FRIENDSHIP BROKEN
Narrator went to univerity
Common link broken
Accepted her lonliness quietly
Busied herself with spinning wheel
Relaxed in the afternoon by feeding sparrows
Hundreds of sparrows collected around her and made hell of a noise
Happiest half hour of the day
Never drove them away
NARRATOR GOES ABROAD
Go abroad for higher studies
Grandmother not upset
Dropped him at the railway station
Kissed his forehead slightly
That was the last sight of physical contact
HOME COMING OF HER GRANDSON
Returned after five years
Didn’t look a day older
In the evening a change
She didn’t pray
Collected all the women of neighbourhood
Thumped the old drum and sang
Had to be persuaded to stop
GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH
She fell ill the next morning
Declared that her end was near
Lay peacefully in bed
Continued praying and telling her beads
Lips stopped moving
Rosary fell from her lifeless fingers
Dead body covered with red shroud
MOURNING BY SPARROWS
Evening time, sun was setting
Thosands of sparrows sat near her dead body
Didn’t chirrup or eat the bread crumbs fed to them
Flew quietly when the dead body was carried out