Question

Meaning of Frivolous rebukes in the chapter THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY

Answer 1

Hint: The author's grandmother is the topic of "The Portrait of a Lady." Kushwant Singh is the author's name. His grandmother had attained the retirement age. From the author, we learn about his upbringing and his bond with his grandma.

Complete answer:
The author and his grandmother relate their experience in the chapter "The Portrait of a Lady." The grandma was a wrinkled, old woman. For the past two decades, the author has always regarded her in this light. He couldn't picture her being "young and lovely" and married since she seemed to be so elderly. She was fat, short, and bent in the front.

In the writer's perspective, she is not exceptionally beautiful, but she is always stunning. He compares her calm demeanour to the wintry landscape. During their extended stay in the hamlet, Grandmother awakened him early in the morning, plastered his wooden slate, prepared his food, and sent him to school. On their way back to the house, she used to feed the stale chapatis to the street dogs.

“Frivolous rebukes” is a phrase used in the chapter “The Portrait of a Lady.” The phrase indicates that the author's grandmother chastised or checked on the sparrows in vain, according to the circumstances. The sparrows were unconcerned with her reprimands because they couldn't understand human language.
The following is the definition of the term "frivolous rebukes" in this context:
Frivolous means carefree and unconcerned.
Rebukes – a strong expression of disapproval or criticism for their actions.

Note: A story of a grandson's viewpoint on his grandma and how their love relationship grows is told in The Portrait of a Lady. Our grandparents' need for companionship and friendship is emphasised in this storey. It also demonstrates how animals and birds, like humans, experience love and emotion.