Bholi

INTRODUCTION— ‘Bholi’ is the story of Sulekha. She is a young girl neglected by all. Education transforms her. It inspires courage and confidence in her. She raises her voice for her rights.

SUMMARY—

The main character of this story is a simple girl, named Bholi. Her real name is Sulekha and she is the fourth daughter of Numberdar Ramlal. She fell out of her cot when she was ten months old and probably, a part of her brain was damaged. Pretty at the time of her birth, her body was disfigured and at the age of two, by an attack of smallpox. Only her eyes were saved. As late speaker, she could not speak clearly and so children made fun of her.

 Bholi was the weakest child, while her brother and sisters were healthy. Her sisters, who were good looking, were married off and her brothers were sent to the city to study. When a primary school was opened in their village, Bholi’s father who was a revenue officer, wanted her to study there. He sent Bholi to school even though her mother protested against it.

 Dressed in new clothes, she was sent to school. Happy to see other girls there, she hoped that one of them would become her friend. The teacher asked her, her name but Bholi was too scared to answer. The teacher smilingly encouraged her to speak. She also asked Bholi to come to the school daily. She gave her a book with many colourful pictures in it. She also told Bholi that she would soon be able to read it and everyone would treat her with respect. Bholi was filled with hope.

As the village progressed, the primary school became a high school.

When Bholi was of marriageable age, her father fixed her match with a person named Bishamber, as he had a big shop, house and a large bank balance. Nearly fifty years old, he also walked with a limp. Not only that, he was a widower and had grown up children.

Bholi was not consulted when this marriage was fixed. The day of her marriage came, and Bishamber arrived with a big baraat. He was pleased with the arrangements but when Bholi’s silken veil was removed, he was shocked to see her pock-marked face.

He refused to garland her, and said that the marriage would go through only if an additional five thousand rupees were given to him. Ramlal brought the money. When Bishamber was about to garland her, Bholi flung the garland into the fire. She very clearly told her father that she would not marry that man, who was not just only old and lame but also a mean and greedy person. She took a vow never to get married. She decided that she would become a teacher and serve her parents in their old age.

Short Answer Questions ( 2-mark Question)

Q. 1. Bholi’s heart was overflowing with a ‘new hope and a new life’. What does the phrase ‘the new hope and the new life’ means?

Ans: The phrase means Bholi’s heart was overflowing with a new hope and a new life when she took a vow to serve her parents in their old age and to teach the students in the same school where she had learnt a lot.

Q. 2. For what unusual reasons was Bholi sent to school?

Ans. The Tehsildar Sahib put the responsibility of sending the girls of the village on Ramlal, the revenue official as he was the representative of the village. Ramlal had not the courage to disobey him. He also felt that there was a little chance of Bholi’s getting married due to her ugly face and lack of sense.

Q3. Why was Sulekha nicknamed Bholi?

Ans: When Sulekha was 10 months old, she fell from the cot. Due to that accident, her head and some part of brain got damaged. She also stammered. She remained a backward child. Being simple, she was nicknamed Bholi.

Q4. Why did the other children make fun of Bholi?

Ans. Some part of Bholi’s brain had got damaged when she fell from a cot at the age of ten months. This made her a little backward and simpleton. She learnt to speak a little late and stammered a lot. Thus, the children made fun of her and mimicked her.

Q5. Why was Bholi’s father worried about her?

Ans. Bholi’s father was worried about the fact how he would marry her. Not only did Bholi looked ugly due to the pock marks but also she was like a dumb cow. To top it all, she used to stammer also which caused her father to be very much concerned about her marriage.

Q6. How does Bholi become her teacher’s masterpiece?

Ans. Bholi was definitely her teacher’s masterpiece because under her guidance, she overcame her handicap of stammering. The shy and reticent child bloomed into a bold and confident girl. She was a true masterpiece because she had the courage to revolt against a social evil of dowry and refused to marry the greedy Bishamber Nath.

Q7.Bholi was believed to be a ‘dumb cow‘. What turned her into a fearless, bold and confident girl?

Everyone called Sulekha as Bholi, the simpleton. She used to stammer and her face was disfigured by pock-marks. She was not wise and not beautiful. She was ill-treated by everyone. She was sent to school as she supposedly had no future. But her education changed her personality. Her teacher’s love and affection moulded her. She became confident and bold. She knew what was good or what was bad. Her father agreed to marry her to Bishamber. But she didn’t accept to marry the lame, old and greedy man. Education had, thus, turned Bholi into a fearless, bold and confident girl. She even chose her future rightly. She told her parents that she would serve them in old age. Thus she became an inspiration for all girls and she became a teacher in the same school from where she had studied. She took a very bold decision of rejecting Bishamber.

Q8. What was the role of the teacher in transforming Bholi from an innocent girl into a bold and confident person?

Ans. The teacher played a very important role in transforming the shy and dumb Bholi into a bold and confident girl. The teacher’s kind and encouraging words helped her to overcome her handicap of stammering. It was the teacher’s untiring efforts which helped her to become so bold that she had the courage to finally refuse to marry Bishamber Nath who was much older than her and was a very greedy and contemptible person.

The metamorphosis of the innocent Bholi to a bold and confident person was because of her teacher. The teacher had definitely created a masterpiece. Under her teacher’s guidance, she bloomed as a bold and confident person. The shy and reticent child like Bholi had transformed into a bold and confident girl. She was a true masterpiece because she had the courage to revolt against a social evil of dowry and refused to marry the greedy Bishamber Nath.

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