Kushwant Singh writes about his intimate relationship with his grandmother in this portrait. She was short, fat, and looked very old with many wrinkles, always wearing spotless white clothes. She took care of his needs like a mother when he lived with her in the village, accompanying him to school and feeding stray dogs. In the city they lived together, she spent her time spinning and happily feeding sparrows. She was critical of western education and wanted children to learn about God. Their close bond was broken when he got his own room, but she accepted her new seclusion stoically.

1. THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY
KUSHWANT SINGH

3. An Indian novelist and lawyer
Awarded with Padma Bhushan in 1974,
Padma Vibhushan in 2007
The Train to Pakistan,

4. THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY
IT GIVES A PEN PICTURE OF HIS GRANDMA
THE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP THAT EXISTED BETWEEN THE TWO IS PORTRAYED

5. PEN PICTURE OF HIS GRAND MOTHER
SHE WAS SHORT AND FAT AND SLIGHTLY BEND
SHE LOOKED VERY OLD
SHE HAD MANY WRINKLES ON HER FACE
SHE KEPT ON SAYING HER PRAYERS
SHE ALWAYS WORE SPOTLESS WHITE COSTUME

8. PEN PICTURE OF HIS GRAND FATHER
HE WORE A BIG TURBAN AND LOOSE FITTING CLOTHES
HE HAD A LONG BEARD
HE LOOKED AT LEAST HUNDRED YEARS OLD

10. HIS LIFE IN THE VILLAGE
HE LIVED WITH HIS GRANDMOTHER
THEY WERE CONSTANTLY TOGETHER
SHE TOOK CARE OF HIS NEEDS LIKE A MOTHER
SHE ACCOMPANIED HIM TO SCHOOL
DURING THEIR RETURN SHE FED THE STRAY DOGS WITH CHAPPATHIS

11. HIS LIFE IN THE CITY
THEY LIVED IN THE SAME ROOM
SHE DID NOT ACCOMPANY HIM TO SCHOOL
SHE SPENT MOST OF HER TIME BY SPINNING THE WHEEL
IN THE AFTERNOONS , SHE FED THE SPARROWS
FEEDING THE SPARROWS WAS THE HAPPIEST MOMENT FOR HER

13. GRANDMA’S VIEWS ON EDUCATION
SHE DID NOT LIKE THE WESTERN EDUCATION
SHE WAS VERY MUCH CRITICAL OF IT
SHE WANTED CHILDREN TO KNOW ABOUT GOD AND THE SCIPTURES

14. THIRD PHASE OF HIS RELATIONSHIP
THE NARRATOR WAS GIVEN A SEPARATE ROOM
THE COMMON LINK OF FRIENDSHIP WAS SNAPPED
SHE ACCEPTED HER SECLUSION

15. THE NARRATOR GOES ABORAD FOR HIGHER STUDIES
HIS GRANDMA CAME TO THE STATION TO SEND HIM OFF
SHE WAS NOT SENTIMENTAL
SHE KEPT ON SAYING HER PRAYERS

16. THE LAST DAY OF GRANDMA
SHE KEPT ON SAYING HER PRAYERS
SHE FED THE SPARROWS IN THE AFTERNOON
SHE COLLECTED THE WOMEN OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD AND SANG SONGS

17. SPARROWS PAY THEIR TRIBUTE
SPARROWS CAME IN LARGE NUMBER
THEY DID NOT CHIRP
THEY DID NOT EAT THE BREAD
THEY FLEW OFF QUIETLY

19. THE END