Bholi

Summary

Bholi, whose real name is Sulekha, is the youngest daughter of Numberdar Ramlal. As a child she fell off a cot and was left slow to learn, and an attack of smallpox left her face marked with pockmarks. Considered a simpleton and stammering when she speaks, she is neglected at home and has little confidence.

When a village school for girls opens, her father sends Bholi there, mainly because she seems least likely to marry. A kind, encouraging teacher slowly transforms her — giving her confidence, helping her learn, and assuring her that she will one day be respected. Education awakens the intelligent, spirited person hidden within her.

Years later, a match is arranged for Bholi with Bishamber, a much older, lame but well-off widower who, on the wedding day, greedily demands a dowry of five thousand rupees. To everyone's astonishment, the once-timid Bholi refuses to marry such a grasping man, rejects him with dignity, and chooses instead to serve her parents and teach in the village school. The story celebrates how education empowers and transforms a girl's life.

Key points to remember

• Bholi (Sulekha): a neglected girl, slow to learn and marked by pockmarks, who stammers.
• Ramlal: her father, who sends her to school mainly because she may not marry.
• The teacher: kind and encouraging, the agent of Bholi's transformation.
• Education gives Bholi confidence, speech and self-respect.
• Bishamber: an old, lame, greedy widower who demands a large dowry.
• Climax: Bholi boldly refuses to marry the dowry-seeking Bishamber.
• She chooses to serve her parents and teach in the village school.
• Themes: the power of education, the evil of dowry, and a woman's dignity.

Important questions (board pattern)

• 6 marksHow did education transform Bholi's life?

  How to answer: Trace her early neglect and lack of confidence, the teacher's encouragement, her growing self-respect, and her bold decision on the wedding day.

• 3 marksWhy did Bholi refuse to marry Bishamber?

  How to answer: Explain his greedy dowry demand and her new-found confidence and self-respect, which let her reject a grasping man.

• 3 marksWhat role did Bholi's teacher play in her life?

  How to answer: Describe how the teacher's kindness, patience and encouragement awakened Bholi's confidence and intelligence.

• 2 marksWhy was Bholi neglected as a child?

  How to answer: She was slow to learn after a fall and had a pockmarked face, so she was thought a backward simpleton.

• 3 marksHow does the story criticise the dowry system?

  How to answer: Through Bishamber's greedy demand and Bholi's refusal, the story exposes dowry as shameful and degrading.