Bholi | NCERT Class 10 English Footprint without Feet
Key Points – Bholi
- A Girl Sulekha called Bholi youngest daughter of number dar Ramlal.
- An Accident made her a backward child (10month old) and had pox marks on body (when 2 years old).
- She spokes first time (when 5 year old) and stammered.
- Parents did not care for her.
- Primary school opened (She was 7 year old).
- People did not want to marry educated girl.
- But she was sent to the school.
- Meeting with a kind hearted lady teacher.
- The teacher encouraged her to speak.
- She hoped for a new life.
- Years passed village became a small town.
- Bishamber nath a rich grocer was ready to marry Bholi.
- Marriage ceremony with, pomp and slender Bishmbhar Nath.
- He saw the pox marks on Bholi’s face.
- Demanded for thousands to marry her in the name of dowry.
- Ramlal requested him to marry his daughter and gave him the money with great difficulty.
- But now Bholi refused to marry him.
- First time she did not stammer and said “I can marry with a man of the age same to my father, who is even a lame but can’t marry with a greedy man and conceptive coward just for the sake of your izzat.
- People whispered.
- Bholi answered them smartly.
- Ramlal was tensed.
- Bholi asked him to not to worry about her & said “ I will teach in the school and serve both of you (parents) in your old age
Summary- Bholi
This story is all about a simple village girl named Bholi. Her real name was Sulekha. But fate deceived her and when she was ten months old, she felt off the cot (a small bed for a baby with high bars around the sides) damaging some part of her brain. As a result, she could pick up speech only after she was five years old, but she stammered (speak with sudden involuntary pauses and a tendancy to repeat the initial letters of words). Later on, when she was two – years old, she had an attack of small pox that left her with blank spots all over the body. The other children often made fun of her and mimicked (copy) her. Therefore, she talked very little.
Ramlal had seven children in all – three sons and four daughters. Bholi was the youngest. All other were healthy and strong except Bholi. Bholi was seven years old when a primary school opened in their village. The tehsildar came to perform the opening ceremony of the school. He told Ramlal that as a revenue official and as a representative of the government in the village, he should send his daughter to the school and set an example before the villagers. When he consulted his wife about the issue, his wife did not agree with him. Yet he decided to send Bholi to the school.
The next day, Bholi was given a bath, and a new dress to wear. Her mother mated her hair and then she was sent to the school. When her father left her in the school, she set in a corner in the class. When her teacher asked her name, she stammered and the children started laughing. At this Bholi started weeping. But the teacher’s voice was soft and soothing(having a gently calming effect). It encouraged her a lot and finally she could tell her full name. Then the teacher told her that if she would come daily to school, she would speak without a stammer and one day she would become the most educated girl in the village. Then no one will dare to laugh at her. Then they will listen her carefully.
Years passed and the village now turned into a small town. One night Ramlal consulted his wife about the proposal made by Bishamber, a grocer in the neighbouring village. His wife readily agreed to it. Bholi was also listening this conversational. The day of her marriage came. When the bridegroom was about to garland her, some lady pulled her veil down showing her face to him. The bridegroom had a quick glance at her face and noticed pox marks on her face. At this, He asked Ramlal to give him five thousand rupees as dowry in order to marry that ugly girl.
After some arguments, Ramlal handed over the money to Bishambar. But Bholi asked his father to take money back from him as she did not want to marry that old and greedy person. Everybody was surprised because Bholi was not stammering at all. The bridegroom went back with his baraat. Ramlal could not lift his head due to shame and grief. He asked Bholi as who will marry her now. But Bholi said to him that she would serve his parents in their old age and teach in the same school where she had learnt so much.
Extra Question Answer
Q.1 Why was Ramlal worried about Bholi and not about his other children?
Ans: Ramlal was worried about Bholi because she had neither good looks nor intelligence. She stammered also she had pox marks on her face. Ramlal worried about her that nobody would marry her.
Q.2 Why did the Tehsildar come to Ramlal’s village? What did he ask Ramlal to do?
Ans: The Tehsildar came to Ramlal’s village. He was to perform an opening ceremony of the new school there. He asked Ramlal to send his daughters to school. It was to set an example to villagers. They would send their sons and daughters to school.
Q.3 Who is the artist in the story? What is masterpiece? How did she become a masterpiece?
Ans: the Artist in the story is the Teacher. The masterpiece is Bholi. She becomes the teacher’s masterpiece. It is because she is now not a simpleton. She becomes the ideal human being. She knows now what is good and what is bad.
Q.4 Why didn’t Bholi’s mother want to send Bholi to school?
Ans: Bholi’s mother neglected Bholi. She didn’t like Bholi being sent to school, no one would marry her. She had an ugly face.
Q.5 Why did Bholi look about her in school with ‘fear laden (loaded) eyes’?
Ans: Bholi watched school. She was amazed to see so many rooms. They all had so many girls in them, the girls sat on the mats. They read book or wrote on slates. So she had fear in her eyes. She had come to school for the first time.
Q.6 Why was Sulekha nick named Bholi? Why did Sulekha start stammering?
Ans: Sulekha was nick named Bholi because she was a simpleton. Anyone could fool her. She had fallen from a cot. She had damaged her head. Some part of her brain might have been damaged. She started speaking at the age of five. She stammered also.
Q.7 What misfortunes did Bholi face since her childhood?
Ans: Bholi could be called unfortunate. She fell off the cot headlong. Some part of her brain got damaged. Then she had a small pox, when she was two years old. It left her body disfigured (stained) with permanent black spots. She stammered and could not speak properly.
Q.8 How did Bholi’s mother favour Bishamber as a suitable husband for Bholi?
Ans: – Bholi’s mother favored Bishamber because he had a big shop. He had a house of his own. He had several thousands in the bank. He did not know Bholi had pox marks on her body. He was also not demanding any dowry.
Q.9. Why were all the relatives amazed to hear Bholi speak?
Ans: Bholi always stammered. But now she spoke perfectly well in a clear voice. She said, she would not marry an old greedy man. Her saying startled all. They had thought she was like a dumb driven cow.
Long Question and Answers
Q.1 Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. What made her feel that she was going to a better place than her home?
Answer. In the beginning, Bholi was scared of the idea of going to school. She was reminded of their cow Lakshmi who had been turned out of the house and sold off. It was when for the first time in her life that she was bathed, her hair washed and oiled and was dressed in clean clothes, that she felt that she was going to some better place than her home. She had never received such attention and care before.
Q.2- How did Bholi’s teacher play an important role in changing the course of her life?
Answer. Bholi was always laughed at by everyone. People used to call her dumb and laughed at her when she would fumble while speaking. This made her sad and a low confident child who would remain quiet and sit with her head bent down into her knees. It was on the first day of her school that her teacher discovered her problem of being low confident due to her inability to speak clearly. She encouraged Bholi and treated her in a polite manner. Bholi was never treated like this by anyone. Her teacher told her that with practice she could become a learned person who could speak properly without stammering. This filled her with hope and led to a change in the course of her life.
Q.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?
Answer. Bholi agreed to marry an unequal match because she had heard her parents discussing the marriage proposal. They said that she was lucky to get a bridegroom who was rich and was ready to marry her without taking dowry. He was unaware of Bholi’s pockmarks and dumbness. She had heard her mother say that if they did not accept the proposal, Bholi might remain unmarried all her life. Later, Bholi refused from the marriage because the bridegroom demanded five thousand rupees as dowry from her father. Moreover, it was unbearable for her to see her father pleading in front of him for the sake of his daughter and family’s honour. Her self respect made her refuse from marrying a greedy coward.
Q.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?
Answer. The word “Bholi” means simpleton. On the other hand, the word Sulekha means a person with good handwriting. Throughout the story Bholi was sketched as a person who was a simpleton and never raised her voice for her betterment. At the end of the story she raised her voice for her self- respect and for her father’s dignity and refused to marry a greedy old man. The word Sulekha is used in the end to show her confidence, knowledge and ability to speak up against the injustice.