The Portrait of a Lady

Presentation on chapter-1 of Snapshots of class 11.

1. Chapter -1 The Portrait of a Lady By- Khushwant Singh

2. About the author Name- Khushwant Singh Born -2 February 1915 Hadali , Punjab Province, British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan)Died20 Died- March 2014 (aged 99) New Delhi, India Occupation- Lawyer, journalist, diplomat, writer, politician Nationality – Indian Awards- Padma Bhushan Padma Vibhushan

3. Vocabulary Wrinkled- having lines or folds Portrait- painting or picture Mantelpiece- a structure of wood, marble, or stone above and around a fireplace. Revolting – unpleasant Absurd – Illogical Undignified- disrespectful Fables- fictitious stories with a moral teaching Prophets- saints Hobbled – walked in an awkward way Stoop – bend one’s body forward Rosary- a string of beads for keeping count of number of chants made of a religious prayer Locks- hair

4. Scattered – disorganized Puckered – a face contract into wrinkles Inaudible- unable to be heard Serenity – the state of being peaceful and calm Contentment – a state of happiness and satisfaction Monotonous – dull and boring Earthen- made of baked or fired clay Stale-  no longer fresh Scriptures - the sacred writings of a religion Growling - making a low guttural sound in the throat ears rolled by- time passed Distressed - suffer from extremely sorrow, anxiety or pain Lewd Association – Indecent or Obscene Harlots – Prostitutes Gentlefolk - People of noble birth Snapped-  break suddenly and completely Seclusion – the state of being private and away from the people

5. Spinning-wheel  - a household machine with a wheel attached to it for spinning yarn Veritable - use to describe something which is very interesting or unusual Bedlam – confusion Chirrupings – the noise of a small bird Perched - alight or rest on something Cherished - hold something dear Moist- wet Clasped – hold tightly Frivolous – not having any serious purpose, light-hearted Rebuke - disapproval of something or someone frivolous rebukes - light hearted scolding Sagging – sinking downwards Dilapidated – in a state of despair or ruin

6. Customary – traditional Crude – in a natural state, roughly made Cremated - dispose of or burn a body after it is dead Blaze - a very large burning fire Shroud – a piece of cloth used to wrap a dead person Corpse- dead body

7. the thought was almost revolting – The thought that the author’s grandmother was once young and pretty raises a doubt in the mind of the author. He finds it too hard to believe. an expanse of pure white serenity – It refers to the calm, peaceful and serene character and conduct of the author’s grandmother. She is compared to the peaceful winter landscape in the mountains a turning-point – It refers to the point where the author’s relationship with his grandmother changes drastically after they move to the city-house. Some important phrases

8. accepted her seclusion with resignation – This shows the author’s grandmother’s passive submission to her secluded life after she gradually loses touch with her grandson. a veritable bedlam of chirruping – It refers to the noise, confusion and chaos caused by the chirruping of the sparrows that scattered and perched around the author’s grandmother. frivolous rebukes – It refers to the casual and light-hearted rebukes of the grandmother to the sparrows. the sagging skins of the dilapidated drum – It points to the shabby and deteriorated condition of the drum.

9. Grandma’s appearance Short Healthy Slightly bent Silver coloured hair scattered messily Wore white clothes Always praying

10. Introduction The writer is narrating his own experience in which he describes the different times he had spent with his grandmother and the three phases of their relationship The writer and his grandmother had a beautiful bond between them and loved each other a lot. The story tells us how beautiful a relationship can become between a grandson and his grandmother.

11. The three phases of author’s relationship with his grandmother

12. Phase-1 Period of author’s early childhood During this time, author used to live with his grandmother. Grandmother used to take care of him from waking him up and getting him ready to accompany him to the school. Both shared a beautiful bond with each other

13. Phase-2 Author moved to the city with grandmother They moved to the city to live with author’s parents Liven in a common room Turning point Saw less of each other Grandmother didn’t go to the school with him, didn’t wake him up, didn't help him to get dressed Grandmother was unhappy with author attending an English school as now she couldn't help him with the lessons School didn't teach about God and the scriptures

14. Phase-3 Author joined university Author was given a room of his own Common link of friendship was snapped Grandmother spent time in doing prayers Grandmother accepted the seclusion with silence

15. Thank you