Description of Grandmother

10 Questions

What was the writer's perception of his grandmother's physical appearance?

She was short, healthy and slightly bent

What was the grandmother's routine during the writer's school days in the village?

She would study scriptures while the children learned the alphabet

Why was the grandmother upset when the writer started going to the city school?

Because there was no teaching about God and scriptures

What did the grandmother think about music lessons?

They were dreadful and only suitable for prostitutes and beggars

What was the grandmother's occupation during her lonely hours?

She would recite prayers and work on her spinning wheel

What was the grandmother's daily routine during the writer's stay?

Giving bread pieces to the birds

Why did the grandmother not speak during her grandson's departure?

She was busy praying for her grandson's safety

What did the grandson think when he saw his grandmother at the train station?

He was shocked by her old age

What did the sparrows do when the grandmother's dead body was taken away?

They flew away without making any noise

What was the grandmother doing when her body was discovered on the floor?

She was praying with her rosary

Study Notes

The Grandmother's Physical Description

The grandmother was short, healthy, and slightly bent.
Her hair was silver in color and scattered messily on her wrinkled face.

Her Daily Routine

She would walk around the house in white clothes.
She kept one hand resting on her waist and the other hand was telling the beads of her rosary.

Her Relationship with the Writer

She would wake him up early in the morning, prepare his breakfast, and send him to school.
She would sit inside the temple connected to the school and study sacred texts while the children learned the alphabet.
She would give stale chapattis to the street dogs on their way back home.

The Change in Their Relationship

When they moved to the city, their relationship started to grow apart.
The writer started going to a city school and studied various subjects that his grandmother couldn't understand.
She felt upset that there was no teaching about God and scriptures at the city school.

Her Views on Music

She thought music was dreadful and only suitable for prostitutes and beggars, not for gentlemen.

Her Later Life

When the writer went to university, she rarely talked to anyone in the house.
She occupied herself with her spinning wheel, reciting prayers, and breaking bread into pieces for the birds.
She would take a break in the afternoon, and the birds would perch on her legs, head, and shoulders.

The Writer's Departure and Return

When the writer was leaving for further studies abroad, his grandmother didn't show any disturbance and merely kissed his forehead.
When he returned after 5 years, she was there to welcome him back.
She celebrated his return, but the next morning she fell ill.

Her Last Days

She knew her time to leave the world was near and didn't want to waste her time talking to someone.
She continued to recite her prayers and tell the beads of her rosary until her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless hand.
Her body was found wrapped in a red shawl, and thousands of sparrows sat around her body, flying away silently when her body was carried away for the last rites.