Bholi

Bholi was different from her other siblings. She had neither good looks nor intelligence due to a childhood accident and smallpox marks. Bholi’s father, Ramlal, was worried about finding a good bridegroom for her because of her ugly face and lack of sense.

The Tehsildar had ordered Ramlal to send his daughters to school to set an example in the village. Ramlal’s wife felt that sending daughters to school would impact their marriage prospects. However, she agreed to send Bholi because she felt there was little chance of Bholi getting married anyway due to her ugly face and lack of intelligence. Thus, Bholi was sent to school to satisfy the Tehsildar’s order without risking the other daughters’ futures.

Yes, Bholi enjoyed her first day at school. Initially, she was frightened. But, she was delighted to find so many girls of her own age present there. She felt that one of the girls might become her friend. Also, there were a lot of colorful pictures on the classroom wall (like the horse, goat, parrot, and cow) that enticed her.

Yes, she finds her teacher quite different from the people at home. At home, she is never spoken to in a polite manner, and she is often made fun of for her stammering. But her teacher spoke to her in a very soothing and polite way. The teacher encouraged her to speak with confidence instead of mocking her. This touched Bholi’s heart deeply.

Bholi’s parents accepted Bishamber’s marriage proposal because they thought that Bholi might never get another marriage proposal. They reasoned that Bishamber was a well-to-do grocer from another village, so he did not know about her pock-marks and lack of sense. Moreover, he had not asked for any dowry.

The marriage does not take place because when Bishamber saw the pock-marks on Bholi’s face (when her veil slipped), he demanded a dowry of five thousand rupees from Ramlal. Ramlal placed his turban at Bishamber’s feet, but the groom was adamant. Seeing her father humiliated, Bholi refused to get married to such a greedy and mean man.

Bholi had many apprehensions because she had seen their old cow, Lakshmi, getting sold out after being taken out of the house. However, on the day she was to go to school, she was given clean clothes to wear (dresses that no longer fitted her sisters), she was bathed, and oil was rubbed into her dry matted hair. This special treatment made her feel that she was going to a better place than her home.

Bholi’s teacher played a transformative role. She did not make fun of her stammering like others used to do. She encouraged her to speak without any fear. Her polite and soothing voice gave Bholi hope and confidence. The teacher inspired her to learn, changing the course of her life and making her a confident person who could read, write, and speak with clarity.

Bholi agreed to an unequal match at first to uphold the honor of her family and because she had overheard her parents’ concern about her marriage prospects.

She later rejected the marriage because Bishamber was a greedy, mean, and hateful man who humiliated her father by demanding dowry.

This tells us that Bholi has self-respect and confidence. She is no longer a “dumb cow” but a brave and wise woman who can take a stand against injustice and defend her family’s dignity.

“Bholi” means simpleton. She was called this throughout the story because everyone considered her a backward child who never took a stand. However, at the end of the story, when she refuses to marry the greedy Bishamber and speaks up clearly and confidently, she proves she is no longer a simpleton. She is now a mature, intelligent, and educated woman. The author uses her real name, Sulekha, at this point to signify this transformation and the reclaiming of her identity.

We can contribute to changing social attitudes by:

• Ensuring that girls and boys are aware of their rights.
• Treating girls and boys equally in education and opportunities.
• Speaking out against practices like dowry.
• Giving everyone equal rights to education and employment regardless of their physical appearance or background.

Yes, girls should definitely be aware of their rights and assert them. Girls and boys must have the same rights, duties, and privileges. In many villages and small towns, parents discriminate by spending more on boys’ education while training daughters only for household chores. When we speak of ‘human rights’, the law does not differentiate between girls’ and boys’ rights. This disparity exists only in society’s mindset and needs to change.

No, the characters in the story were not speaking to each other in English. They were likely speaking in Hindi. This is evident from the use of words like pitaji, tehsildaar, izzat, and numberdar in the text, which indicate a rural Indian setting.