The Portrait of a Lady

Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family?

I use Hindi to talk to my elderly relatives in my family. It’s the language that connects us and allows me to share in our family’s traditions, values, and culture. Speaking in Hindi helps in maintaining a deep and meaningful connection with them, as it’s the language they are most comfortable with.

Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?

The specific language that the author and his grandmother would have spoken to each other is not explicitly mentioned. However, considering that the author’s family comes from the Punjab region of India, it’s likely that they communicated in Punjabi, especially since the grandmother’s education seems to have been in traditional and religious studies, rather than…

Have you known someone like the author’s grandmother? Do you feel the same sense of loss with regard to someone whom you have loved and lost?

The author’s grandmother reminds me of my own grandmother, who was also a pillar of strength and wisdom in our family. Just like the author’s grandmother, my grandmother had a steadfast commitment to her beliefs and values. She was the guiding light for our family, always offering a kind word, a helping hand, and invaluable…

Suppose you are Khushwant Singh. Your grandmother dies just after your returning from abroad. Write a letter to your friend describing him the end of the great lady. Don’t forget to include the strange behaviour of the sparrows at her death.

26, Mirza Ismail Road,Jaipur 20th August 20XX Dear Ramesh You will be grieved to know that the grand old lady of our family is no more in this world. She took her last breath on last Sunday. She died just three days after I returned from Germany. Actually, she had overstrained herself. She gathered all…

Draw a contrast of the life the narrator’s grandmother spent in the village with the kind of life she led in the city. Particularly, highlight her concern for her grandson’s education.

The grandmother was used to the life of the village. She got up early in the morning. She woke up her grandson and got him ready for school. She was very much concerned about the education of the narrator. She accompanied him to his school. She sat in the temple reading the scriptures. She was…

Imagine that you are Khushwant Singh. Record the changes that have come in your relationship with your grandmother as you grew up from a kid to a university student.

During my school days and boyhood days, I lived with my grandmother in the village. She used to wake me up in the morning and prepare me for the school. She accompanied me to school. She treated me as a friend. There was a turning point in our friendship when my parents called us to…

Write a pen picture of your grandparents describing the qualities of them which you admire and appreciate the most.

It is well said that grandparents are the pillars of a family and I am lucky enough that my grandparents are still alive. They live in our native village. My grandfather is about 70 and grandmother is about 65. My grandfather served in the army before he retired as a colonel. He is still active…

The grandmother herself was not formally educated but was serious about the author’s education. How does the text support this?

The grandmother was quite serious about the author’s education. She woke him up in the morning and got him ready for school. She washed his wooden slate. She plastered it with yellow chalk. She tied his earthen ink-pot and red pen into a bundle. She took him to school. He studied in school and she…