Class 11.Eng. A Portrait Of a Lay Ch-1 Hornbill NCERT CBSE

A Portrait of a Lady by Khushwant Singh

                         Ch-1 

Khushwant Singh is one of the eminent Indian writers .The Portrait of a Lady describes a special bond between grandmother and grandson. Khushwant Singh narrates how the relationship develops over the years, and changes as the grandson grows up and the grandmother grows older.

She is a saintly woman, quite religious and kind. This characteristics can be observed throughout the lesson, where the grandmother spends all her time in chanting prayers. She is very kind-hearted which is clearly seen from the instances where she feeds stale chapatis to dogs and crumbled bread to the sparrows.          She was not physically attractive. She was old, fat and short with a stoop and hobbled about the house with her hand supporting waist, reciting her prayers and keeps on telling her beads of her rosary.

  During their long stay in village, the grandmother used to wake up the narrator in the morning and accompanied him to school. She took care of all small things and continued her regular prayers and reading of scriptures. On the way back home she fed stray dogs with stale chapatis. Shifting to city home was a turning point as it increased distances in their relationship. Now, the author was going to a city school and studying all modern day subjects. The grandmother was not able to help the author in his studies and she felt disturbed as there was no teaching of God and scriptures.

The grandmother devoted her time in praying, spinning and feeding sparrows. She did not get disturbed when the author was leaving for abroad and saw him off maintaining her peace and calm. Seeing her old age, the narrator thought that it could be his last meeting with his loving grandmother. But, contrary to his thinking after a span of five years the grandmother was there to receive him. She celebrated her grandson's home coming in an usual way by beating a drum and singing. She had a peaceful end and everyone including sparrows got aggrieved at the demise of a bold, religious, practical, responsible and loving person.At last we can say that Grandmother is a very loving, religious and caring lady.

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The Portrait Of A Lady by Khushwant Singh

INTRODUCTION.

The Portrait of a Lady describes a special bond between grandmother and grandson. Khushwant Singh narrates how the relationship develops over the years, and changes as the grandson grows up and the grandmother grows older. Solitude and silence fill the grandmother's days as she distances herself from the real world.. It also shows how love and emotion is experienced not only by human beings but animals and birds too.

Solitude- एकांत

Bond-प्यार का बंधन

Narrates- वर्णन करना

Q1.Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.

Answer:

When author and his grandmother shifted to the city, author got admission in English medium school.

Grandmother didn't accompany author to the school.

She hated western Science and learning.As she did not understand about science and English the rules of Archimedes and gravity.

She was pained to know that there was no teaching of God and the scriptures.She could not help

author in his studies.She was allergic to music. She thought it was not meant for decent people and gentlefolk. It was the monopoly of prostitutes and beggars that's why she was disturbed.

Scriptures- पवित्र ग्रंथ

Prostitutes-वेश्या

Decent- सभ्य

Gentle folk साधारण लोग

Q2.The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.

Answer:

The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad are:

childhood –

In the village grandmother  takes care of all the needs of the author, she wakes him up in the morning. She gets him ready for the school. She gives him breakfast to eat. She  companies him  to the school.

 boyhood –The second phase of their relationship begins when the author joins an English medium School in the City. She does not go with him to school.There is  teaching of Western science and maths.She cannot help him in his studies.

 early youth –

She is allergic to music. When she comes to know that author is learning music ,she feels shocked

She thinks it is not meant for decent people and gentlefolk. It is the monopoly of beggars and prostitutes 

The common link of friendship was snapped.

Phase-चरण

Monopoly एकाधिकार

Snapped- टूट गया

Q3 Mention three ways in which the author's grandmother spent her days after he grew up:

Ans. Grandmother spent most of her time at spinning wheels.

She lived alone in her room as she had accepted her loneliness quietly.

She recited scriptures and saying prayers and counting rosary beads.

In the afternoon, she would feed the sparrows for half an hour. It was the happiest moment of the day for her.

Feeding the poor sparrows had become her favourite pastime.

Spinning wheels- चरखा चलाना

Pastime-मनोरंजन

Recited- दुहराना

Counting rosary beads- माला जपना

Question 4:

The odd ways in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.

Answer: Before she died,a change came over her,She collected the women of the neighborhood,took a broken drum and started beating and singing songs of the homecoming of the warriors.She didn't pray on that day.She was taken ill in the morning.

Doctor was called in to treat her.He declared that she had mild fewer but

 Grandmother said that her end was near.She said she did not want to waste her time. She lay  peacefully in bed. She started praying and telling her beads. Soon her lips stopped moving, the rosary fell from her fingers there was peace on her face and she was dead.

  Beating-पीटना

Drum-ढोल

Warriors- योद्धा

Lips-ओठ

Question 5:

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

Ans

When the the preparation was going 

on, hundreds of sparrows sat silently surrounding the dead body of the author’s grandmother. There was no chirruping. The author’s mother threw some crumbs of bread to them. They took no notice of them. As soon as the grandmother’s corpse was taken for funeral rites, they flew away quietly. Thus the sparrows expressed their sorrow

Chirruping- चहचहाना

Crumbs of bread- रोटी का टुकड़ा

Threw- फेंका

Took no notice-ध्यान नहीं दिया

Corpse-लास/ मृत शरीर

Funeral rites- अंतिम संस्कार

Question 6:

The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?

Answer:

The author’s grandmother was a deeply religious lady.  She visited the temple every morning and read scriptures. At home she would repeat prayers in a sing-song manner while getting the writer ready for school. She hoped that he would learn it by heart. She didn’t like English school as there was no teaching of God and  scriptures.She continued praying and telling beads of her rosary till her last breath.She used to put on white sari.

She had a great love  and care for animals and creatures.She used to feed dogs in the village and fed sparrows in the city.

Scriptures- पवित्र ग्रंथ

Question 7:

Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.

Answer:

Yes, I agree that the author’s grandmother was a person of strong  character. She was a strong woman with strong beliefs. Although she was not formally educated, she was serious about the author’s education. She could not adjust herself to the western way of life, Science and English education. She hated music.She was a deeply religious lady. Her lips were always moving in a silent prayer. She was always telling the beads of her rosary. She went to temple daily and read the scriptures. She was distressed to know that there was no teaching about God and holy books at  school.

She was a kind lady. She used to feed dogs in the village. In the city she took to feeding sparrows.At lat moment she lay peacefully in bed saying prayers and telling the beads of her rosary till she breathed her last.

Q8 how did the grandmother celebrate the homecoming of a grandson?

Ans., Grandmother collected the women of the neighborhood,took a broken drum and started beating and singing songs of the homecoming of the warriors.She didn't pray on that day.She was taken ill in the morning.

Doctor was called in to treat her.But

 Grandmother said that her end was near.She said  that she did not want to waste her time. She lay  peacefully in bed. She started praying and telling her beads. Soon her lips stopped moving, the rosary fell from her fingers there was peace on her face and she was dead.

Warriors-योद्धा

Question 9.

The grandmother had a divine beauty. How does the author bring it out?

Answer:

The grandmother was not pretty but had a divine beauty. She dressed in spotless white sari. Her silver locks were scattered untidily over her pale, puckered face, and her lips constantly moved in an inaudible prayer. The author describes her “like the winter landscape in the mountains”

Divine beauty-ईश्वरी शक्ति

Constantly-लगातार

Puckered- झुर्रीया

Spotless- बेदाग

Untidily-अनायास

Locks- बालों की जुडी

Question10.

What was the happiest moment of the day for the grandmother?

Answer:

The happiest moment of the day for the grandmother in the city was when she was feeding the sparrows. They perched on her legs, shoulders, and head but she never shooed them away.

Shooed them away-भगा देना

Perched- बैठना

Shooed- भगाना/ उड़ाना

Question 11.

Describe the author’s grandfather as he looked in his portrait.

Answer:

In the portrait, the grandfather was dressed in a big turban and loose-fitting clothes. His long white beard covered the best part of his chest and he looked at least a hundred years old. He looked grandfatherly to the author; someone who could never have been young.

Question 12.

How does the author describe his grandmother?

Answer:

The author describes his grandmother as short, old, fat and slightly bent. To him, she looked the same for twenty years. It was difficult for him to imagine her young and pretty. But he found a beauty in her old age, like the serene winter landscape.

serene winter landscape- शांत सर्दियों का परिदृश्य

Q1. How did the grandmother look?

Ans.Old, Short, Slightly Bent, Fat

Q2.What did the author eat for breakfast?

Ans.Thick bread with butter   

Q3.Where were the parents of the author?

Ans. City

Q4.What would the grandmother do in the temple on a daily basis?

Ans.Sing religious prayers

Q5.Why didn't the grandmother like music?

Ans.It was the monopoly of harlots and beggars and not meant for gentlefolk

Q6.How did the grandmother spend her time in the city?

Ans.Spinning the wheel

Q7.How did the grandmother react to her illness?

Ans.She said her end was near

Q8.What did the grandmother do in her final hours?

Ans.Silently praying and telling her beads

Q9.What happened when they took the grandmother's corpse away?

Ans.birds flew away quietly

Annotations

1-Portrait-a painted photographed फोटोग्राफ 

2- Wrinkles- puckered,criss cross झुर्रियों से भरी हुई

3-Mantelpiece- above fireplace अंगीठी

4-Absurd-ridiculous मूर्खतापूर्ण

5-Fables - old stories कहानियां

6-Prophet- religious Teacher धर्मगुरु

7-Hobbled about-walked unsteadily लड़खड़ाना

8- Inaudible- which cannot be heard सुना ना जा सके

9-Expanse- widespread विस्तार

10- Serenity- calmness शांत

11- Contentment- satisfaction संतुष्ट

12- Monotonous-boring उबांऊ

13-Sing song- singing in the same tone

14- Stale- not fresh बासी

15-Monopoly- sole rights एकाअधिकार

16-Lewd- vulgar वासना पूर्ण

17-Distressed- sad/ disturbed उदास

18- Harlots- prostitutes वेश्या 

19- Disapproval- disagreement असहमति

20-Seclusion- loneliness अकेलापन

21- Resignation- submission समर्पण

22-Bits- small pieces टुकड़े

23- Veritable-true सच

24- Bedlam- noisy confusion शोरगुल

25- Frivolous- not serious प्यार से

26-Rebukes-scolding फटकारना

27- Perched- sat बैठना

28- Shooed away- drove them away भगा देना

29- Clasped- hold tightly जोर से पकड़ना

30- Dilapidated- broken टूटी हुई 

31- Persuade- convince मना लेना

32- Overstraining- tiring कठिन परिश्रम

33-Mild- light हल्की

34-Pallor-pale पीला

35-Shroud- coffin कफन

36-Crude stretcher- dead body frame अर्थी

37-Growling- say something in low voice गुर्राना

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         English confluence

               By clgautam

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