Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1 – The Portrait of a Lady (Khushwant Singh) Summary

 

NCERT Solutions For Class 11 English

Hornbill

Chapter 1 – The Portrait of a Lady (Khushwant Singh)

Summary

The writer fondly remembers his grandmother as a short, robust woman with a slight bend, her silver hair scattered untidily across her wrinkled face. She roamed their home in white attire, one hand resting on her waist, the other engaged with the beads of her rosary. Although he didn't consider her conventionally pretty, he found her enduringly beautiful, comparing her serene countenance to the tranquility of a winter landscape.

During their extended stay in the village, Grandmother played a pivotal role in the writer's daily routine. She woke him early, prepared his wooden slate, organized breakfast, and sent him off to school, which was intricately linked to the nearby temple. While the children learned their alphabet, she immersed herself in studying sacred texts.

Their beautiful relationship encountered a turning point when they relocated to the city. Despite sharing a room, their bond began to wane. The writer, now attending a city school, studied subjects like English, Physics, and mathematics that his grandmother couldn't comprehend. Unable to accompany him to school, she lamented the absence of teachings about God and scriptures, disapprovingly tolerating music lessons.

As the writer proceeded to university and acquired a separate room, the common link between grandson and grandmother weakened further. She withdrew into her solitude, engaged with her spinning wheel and prayers, seldom conversing with anyone. Her daily routine included breaking bread for the birds, who perched on her legs, head, and shoulders.

When the writer departed for his overseas studies, his grandmother, though seemingly undisturbed, bid him farewell at the train station with a silent kiss on his forehead. Her lips moved in prayer, and her fingers remained entwined with her rosary beads. Upon his return after five years, she welcomed him warmly, celebrating his homecoming.

The morning after his return, she fell ill. Despite the doctor's assurances of a mild fever, she sensed her impending departure. Preferring solitude, she occupied herself with her rosary beads, praying until her lips fell still, and the rosary slipped from her lifeless hand. Discovered on the floor, shrouded in a red shawl, her death was marked by the silent arrival and departure of thousands of sparrows, grieving her passing as her body was carried away for the final rites.