Bholi

 

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas

The major theme of the story Bholi is the impact of family on children. Bholi is a little girl who fails to develop self-confidence because of her parents' attitude towards her. The story hints at why family support and emotional security are essential for proper child development.

Summary

The story opens up with the introduction of a little girl named Sulekha. She was called ‘Bholi’ for being a simpleton. This was so because some part of her brain had got damaged due to an injury during her childhood. She stammered and had pockmarks on her face which she got when she had contracted smallpox at the age of two. She was a laughing stock for everyone. Her father Ramlal was a Numberdar. He had three sons and four daughters, Bholi being the youngest of all. Ramlal was always worried about her as it seemed impossible to marry her with her having an ugly face and a dumb mind. One day, the Tehsildar visited their village to inagurate a girl’s primary school. He persuaded Ramlal to send his daughters to school. Ramlal’s wife suggested to send Bholi to school, although she was against sending girls to school because no boy would marry such a girl. She reasoned that as Bholi had no chance of getting married, so she could go to school. In the beginning, Bholi was frightened to leave her house but when for the first time in her life, she was dressed up and her hair was washed and oiled, she felt that she was to visit a better place. In the school, she met a teacher who was very kind and polite to her. She encouraged her to study and speak with confidence. This filled hope in Bholi and she began to go to school every day. Years passed and her village upgraded into a small town with some facilities like a cotton mill, a cinema and the primary school being converted into a secondary school. One day Bholi’s parents decided to marry her to a lame old man who was a widower but was rich and had not demanded any dowry. They thought it to be the best marriage proposal for their dumb daughter and fixed up her marriage. On the wedding day, the bridegroom arrived with great pomp and show which filled Ramlal with joy. The groom discovered that Bholi had pock marks and demanded dowry in return for marrying her. He demanded a sum of five thousand rupees. Ramlal begged for mercy and even placed his turban in Bishamber’s feet but Bishamber Nath did not agree. Ramlal had to give the money in order to save both his family’s honour and his daughter’s marriage. Bholi could not bear all this and refused to marry a greedy old man. People accused her of being shameless. The wedding party returned. The marriage ceremony ended without Bholi getting married. Her father was surrounded by grief and said that now no one would marry her and what would she do in future. To this, she replied that she would take care of her parents when they grew old and would teach in her school. Her teacher who was quietly watching all this felt proud of her decision.

 

Read and Find Out

1.Why is Bholi’s father worried about her?

Ans: Bholi’s father is worried about her as she has neither good looks nor intelligence. He did not know how he would find a suitable groom for her.

 

2. For what unusual reasons is Bholi sent to school?

Ans: Bholi is sent to school because there is little chance of her getting married because of her ugly face and lack of sense. Also her father has to send her as the village headman has commanded him to do so.

 

Read and Find Out

1. Does Bholi enjoy her first day at school?

Ans: Yes, Bholi enjoys her first day at school as she was glad to find so many girls almost of her own age present there. She hoped that one of these girls might become her friend.

 

2. Does she find her teacher different from the people at home?

Ans: Yes, she finds her teacher different from the people at home as the teacher was affectionate, polite and this touched her heart.

 

Read and Find Out

1. Why do Bholi’s parents accept Bishamber’s marriage proposal?

Ans: Bholi's parents accept Bishamber's marriage proposal because if they don't accept it, she would not be married for the rest of her life.

 

2. Why does the marriage not take place?

Ans: The marriage does not take place because the groom demanded dowry.

 

Think about It

1. Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. What made her feel that she was going to a better place than her home?

Ans: Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. She remembered how their old cow, Lakshmi, had been turned out of the house and sold. When she got a clean dress, was bathed and her hair were properly done with oil, only then she felt that she was going to a better place than her home.

 

2. How did Bholi’s teacher play an important role in changing the course of her life?

Ans: Bholi's teacher played an important role in changing the course of her life. She was polite and friendly which touched her heart. She encouraged her every time and was affectionate towards her. The teacher transformed her into a confident person who could read, write and speak clearly.This gave her the required confidence. Moreover, teacher’s appreciation and encouragement helped her overcome her low morale.

 

3. Why did Bholi at first agree to an unequal match? Why did she later reject the marriage? What does this tell us about her?

Ans: This is a normal practice in India that girls seldom oppose their parent’s choice for a groom. The upbringing of daughters does a kind of mental conditioning which doesn’t give them enough courage to rebel against their parent’s wish. Bholi more or less followed the tradition of being an ideal Indian girl and agreed to an unequal match because she felt lucky to get a well-to-do groom who owned a big shop, had a house of his own and had several thousands in the bank. Moreover, he was not asking for any dowry. Bholi also heard her mother saying that he did not know about her pock-marks and her lack of sense. If the proposal was not accepted ,she might remain unmarried all her life.Later on when the groom bared his greed to everyone, it repulsed Bholi and she opposed the marriage. Unlike her sisters ,Bholi is educated and has a mind of her own. She is as independent as any other modern girl of a big city. On seeing her father pleading and getting humiliated, she decided not to marry him. This tells us that she loves and respects her parents , has self-respect and knows what is right or wrong and is able to take a wise decision.

 

4.Bholi’s real name is Sulekha. We are told this right at the beginning. But only in the last but one paragraph of the story is Bholi called Sulekha again. Why do you think she is called Sulekha at that point in the story?

Ans: The world Bholi means a simpleton. Throughout the story she had been a simpleton, hardly expressing her opinion in any matter. The word Sulekha means the person with beautiful sense of letters. In this story this word has a larger meaning . It depicts being a literate, intelligent and mature individual. After her education Bholi has really changed to Sulekha and her assertion during marriage is her announcement to the world that she is no more a Bholi but Sulekha.

 

Message

The moral value of the story Bholi is that human smugling for any reson like protitution in heither justified nor a way to escape poverty. It is rather a criminal offence.

 

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