CHAPTER 1: THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY

%%Written by : Khushwant Singh%%

Table of contents:

• Summary
• Meaning to some phrases and glossary
• Textbook Question and answers

Summary:

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• The author has painted a pen portrait of his grandmother.
• He presents her as a tender, loving and deeply religious old lady. Her face was wrinkled and get hair was white as snow.
• She had a little stopp in her back and recited her prayers with the help of rosary all the time.
• His grandfather's portrait hung on the wall. He appeared too old.
• When author's parents went to live in the city, for a few years he lived with his grandmother in the village.
• She would get him ready for school, feed him with chapatis and even took some on the way to feed stray dogs.
• His school was attached to temple. While author studied, grandmother was reading holy scriptures in mean time.
• When Khushwant Singh's parents called them to the city they had to adopt a new life. It was the turning point in their relationship.
• Though they lived in the same room she was unable to help him.
• She did not like that he was learning music in school. She believed that music was not meant for gentlefolks.
• When author went to the University, the relationship between him and his grandmother snapped completely.
• While he was abroad she spent her day by spinning the wheel. During afternoon she fed breadcrumbs to sparrows.
• When author came back from abroad he was welcomed by her at the Railway Station. That evening her behavior was quite changed.
• Later she gathered women of neighbourhood and sang. From next day her health deteriorated.
• She continued praying while telling her rosary. It was then that her rosary fell from her hands and she died.
• The sparrows had gathered in the courtyard. They did not chirp.
• Author’s mother gave them crumbs of bread but they did not eat them. When grandmother's body was taken for cremation, the sparrows flew away.
• Next morning the crumbs of bread were swept away by the servant.

Meaning of phrases and glossary :

1. the thought was almost revolting: it was disgusting to think so
2. An expanse of pure white serenity: widespread clear and calm witness
3. A turning point: the time when an important change takes place
4. Accepted her seclusion with resignation: calmly submitted to her loneliness
5. A veritable bedlam of chirrupings: real confusing noise caused by chirpings
6. Frivolous rebukes : light rebukes
7. The sagging skin of dilapidated drum: the loose skin of an old drum
8. Mantelpiece : shelf above a fire place
9. Hobbled: walked with difficulty
   10. Stoop: forward bend of back and shoulders
   11. Rosary: string of beads used for counting prayers
   12. Puckered: having wrinkles
   13. Expanse: wide open land
   14. Serenity: calm, quiet , peaceful
   15. Distressed: showing extreme unhappines
   16. Lewd: (here,) dirty , filthy
   17. Bedlam: a very noisy or confused state or scene
   18. Cremate: to burn the dead body

Textbook Questions and Answers:

^^1) The three phases of the author's relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad?^^

Answer: The relationship of author with his grandmother can be categorised in three phases.

Namely, in the village, in the city and while he underwent music lessons.

• [ ] In the village.

• In the village, since he was young, she to care of all his requirements, beginning with waking him up early morning she got him ready for school.

• After providing him breakfast she escorted him to the school which was attached to the village temple.

• While the author studied she sat in the temple reading her scriptures.

• After school she brought him back home but on the way she fed the village dog with leftover stale chapatis.

• [ ] In the city

• The second phase deals with their relationship in the city where the author is joined an English school.

• She has now this discontinued to escort him to the school as he goes to the school in a motor bus.

• She is unable to help him in his studies also.

• [ ] While he underwent music lessons

• Learning music at school forms to be the third phase of their relationship.

• The knowledge of his learning music shocks her. According to her music is meant for people belonging to the lower category such as beggers and harlots.

• Time has now come where she rarely spoke to the author.

^^2) Three reasons why the authors grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school?^^

Answer:

• Going to the city affected her routine of being of some help to the author .
• His going to the school in a motor bus and she not being able to accompany him disturb her.
• As time passed they saw less of each other. On returning from the school one day she learned from the author that he was taught laws based on science.
• This made her unhappy as she could not help him with his lesson.
• The fact that nothing about god was taught in the school disturbed her more.
• The most shocking aspect was the teaching of music in the school.
• According to her music was meant for people belonging to the lower categories such as beggars and harlot and not the gentlefolk.
• Though she said nothing her silence clearly displayed the disapproval.
• After this incident occured she rarely spoke to the author.

^^3) Three ways in which the authors grandmother spent her days after he grew up?^^

Answer:

• The author’s parents were comfortably settled in the city and they sent for him.
• This was the turning point in the relationship between him and his grandmother.
• In the village she used to feed the dogs. But now since there were no dogs in the city she took to feeding the sparrows in the Courtyard with crumbs bread.
• When the author went to the university he was given a room for himself. Their friendship was snapped.
• But she accepted being alone without any questions. She rarely left her spinning wheel and reciting of prayers.
• Feedings of sparrows was the happiest half an hour of our day. Hundreds of little birds collected her around her creating a lot of noise.
• Some of them perched on her legs the others on her shoulders. Some even sat on her head.
• But she never chased them away. When she was alone her fingers were always busy with her rosary and lips moved in prayers.

^^4) The odd way in which the author's grandmother behaved just before she died.^^

Answer:

• In the evening of the first day of his arrival grandmother began to behave in a very strange way.
• She gathered the women of her neighbourhood, got hold of an old drum and playing on it she began to sing, inspite of people telling her not to overstrain.
• For the first time the author noticed that she did not pray.
• Next morning she was taken ill. Though the doctor announced that it was a mild fever, she told that her end was near.
• She did not waste her time talking to anyone, she lay peacefully in her bed praying and telling her beads.
• Even before they could say something her lips stopped moving and rosary fell from her lifeless fingers.
• A peaceful paleness spread over her face. They knew that she was dead.

^^5) The way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died^^.

Answer:

• In the city, grandmother had taken to feed the sparrows.
• Hundreds of little birds collected around her. Some perched on her legs while others on her shoulders.
• Some even sat on her head. This is to be the happiest half an hour of the day for her.
• When the grandmother died and was taken to the crematory thousands of sparrow sat scattered on the floor.
• There was no chirpings.
• The author and the others felt sorry for the birds.
• His mother fetched some bread for them. Breaking it into little crumbs she threw them to the sparrows.
• But the sparrows took no notice of the bread.
• When grandmother's dead body was carried away, the sparrows flew away quietly.
• In this way the sparrows expressed their sorrow.

^^6)The author grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we know this ?^^

Answer:

• The authors grandmother was a pious lady in the real sense of the word.
• Her lips always moved in prayers which were in audible and one of her hands was always found telling the beads of her rosary.
• She never ceased reading the scriptures. She always advocated that children should be taught scriptures and about the existence of god.
• She was distressed when she came to know that no such education was imported in the author's English school.
• Another sign of being religious is also witness when she feeds the dogs and the sparrows.
• Prediction about her own end being near also denotes her pious nature. She refuses to talk to anyone and busies herself in constant meditation.
• The obvious fact was that she did not stop praying and telling her beads till the end of her life.

^^7) Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?^^

Answer:

• The relationship between the author and his grandmother never underwent any changes in spite of the changes in circumstances.
• During their stay in the village she proved to be his best companion. She woke him up in the morning.
• After giving him bath she got him ready for school. She never left him while he was at school.
• She sat there till the school got over and then took him back home. When his parents had settled in the city they (author's parents) called them over.
• The author now joined the English school. Being to s concerned she asked him about the studies.
• When she knew that there was no teaching of scriptures. she was distressed.
• The distance between them grew up but their love for each other continued to remain the same.
• The author's going abroad for further studies also had not reduced their love for each other.
• She hardly talked to him, but this also did not affect their affection for each other. When he came back after five years she took him into her arms.
• Though physically they were away, at heart they were very close.

^^8) Would you agree that the author's grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes give instances that show this.^^

Answer:

• The author's grandmother possessed a very firm nature. She was a woman of determination.
• She possessed set beliefs. She did not deter from her faith.
• She practiced certain religious values without caring for the views or criticism of others.
• One could always see her lips moving in prayers. She was always telling the beads of her rosary.
• She never deterred from practicing a set routine whether it was in the village or the city.
• In the village she fed the dogs and in the city she fed the sparrows.
• When the author went abroad for the studies she was in complete control of emotions.
• Even at the time of departure she was saying her prayers and telling the beads of the rosary.

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^^POEM 1^^ : A PHOTOGRAPH

@@By: Shirley Toulson@@

Table of contents:

• Summary
• Glossary
• Questions and Answers

Summary:

• The poem is divided into three stages. The first stage the poet's mother is standing at the beach enjoying her holiday with her two girl cousins.
• She was 12 years old. In the second stage, and about 20-30 years later the poet describes her mother laughing at her two cousins dressed up for a beach holiday.
• In the third stage that poet remembers her mother with a heavy heart. Here the nostalgic feelings of the poet are revieved.
• In the first stage the poet is looking at her mother's photograph. The poet and her two girl cousins are seen standing on the beach.
• The two cousins are holding her hands. At this time the poet is just 12 years old. All the three girls were smiling.
• Their hair had fallen on their face as the breeze has blown them over. They were smiling at their uncle who was clicking their photo.
• The sea was washing their transient feet.
• But now as the poet recalls the past she realises that the sea has changed a little and those whose feet were being washed have undergone on a great change.
• Things have now changed. The poet remembers the laughter of her mother. Her mother is no more.
• But her laughter lingers on.
• Though the sea holiday belongs to the past what belongs to the present time are the sweet memories of her mother's laughter.
• She longs for the joy of her mother's company.
• Nevertheless she has now learnt to adjust with the loss of the joys of her mother's company.
• In the third stage the poet misses her mother now that she is no more.
• She is surrounded with nothing but emptiness. The silence of the situation has silenced her.

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Glossary:

1. Paddle : to move hands or feet in shallow water
2. Transient: (here) not staying at the same place for long time.
3. Wry: (here) Face twisted in an expression showing dissapointment
4. Still : without any movement

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Questions and Answers:

^^1) What does the word ‘cardboard’ denote in the poem? Why has this word been used?^^

Answer:

• The word cardboard denotes the photograph pasted on a hard thick paper.
• This word has been used to refer to a practice in the past when photographs were pasted on cardboard and framed with glass front to preserve them.

^^2) What has the camera captured?^^

• The camera has captured the three girls - the poet's mother and her two cousins, Betty and Dolly, in their swimming dresses with the poet's mother in the middle and two cousins on either side holding her hands and walking give feet in sea water

^^3) What has not changed over the years? Does this suggest something to you?^^

Answer:

• The the sea has not changed over the years.
• It's waves are as fresh, shining and tireless as the years ago.
• The changelessness of sea reminds of the changes in human face with advancing age.

^^4) The poetes’s mother laughed at the snapshot? What did this laugh indicate?^^

Answer:

• The laugh indicated her Joy at remembering an incident connected with her past life, when she was quite young and free from the tensions and worries of the life.

^^5) What is the meaning of the line “ Both wry with the laboured ease of loss”?^^

Answer:

• The sea holiday and the laughter of the poet's mother are incidents of the past.
• There is the sense of loss associated with them.
• Both are amusing yet disappointing as the state of feeling comfortable or relaxed is unnatural or forced.
• This sense of loss is quite painful to bear.

^^6) What does ‘this circumstance' refer to?^^

Answer:

• This circumstance refers to the death of the poet's mother.

^^7) The three stanzes depic three different phases. Name them.^^

Answer:

1. The girlhood of poet’s mother – the period before the birth of the poet.
2. Her middle age – the period during the childhood of the poet.
3. Period after the death of the poet's mother.

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