Bholi

1. What did the Tehsildar say to Ramlal?

The Tehsildar had come to the village to inaugurate the primary school for girls. He told Ramlal that as a revenue official
he was the representative of the government in the village and so, should set an example for the villagers by sending his
daughters to school.

2. How was Bholi different from the other children at home?

Unlike other kids, she was a simple child and thus was called Bholi. When Bholi was 10 months old, she fell from her cot.
This damaged a part of her brain and affected her intelligence. She became a slow learner. When she was two years old,
she had an attack of smallpox that left pockmarks on her face and because of which people thought she looked ugly. She
also stammered while speaking.

3. Why was Bholi frightened to go to school? What did she believe she was being taken to a place better than her
home?
She did not know what a school was like. She remembered how a few days ago their old cow, Lakshmi, had been turned
out of the house and sold. Scared of being sold like her cow, she shouted in terror and pulled her hand away from her
father’s grip.
That day, she was given a clean dress which had shrunk after repeated wash and no longer fitted her sister Champa. She
was even bathed and oil was rubbed into her dry and matted hair. New clothes had never been made for Bholi. The old
dresses of her sisters were passed on to her. No one cared to mend or wash her clothes. Therefore, she knew that she was
being taken to a place better than her home and thus, became calm.

4. When and why did Bholi feel that her heart was throbbing with new hope and a new life?
With the encouragement and help of her teacher bholi was able to pronounce her name despite the problem of
stammering. She was appreciated by her teacher. Her teacher gave her a book and asked her to come to school daily. She
assured Bholi that she would be able to speak like others one day and would be more learned than anyone in the village.
Then, nobody would dare to laugh at her. At that time, Bholi felt her heart throbbing with new hope and new life.

5. What changes did the village see after some years?

The village became a small town. The primary school became a high school. There was a cinema under the tin-shed.
There was a cotton-ginning mill. The mail train stopped at the village railway station.

6. Why didn’t Bholi at first oppose the proposal of the unequal match? Why did Bholi refuse to accept Bishamber
as her husband later?
Bholi realized that her parents were happy to find a rich and prosperous bridegroom for her, so, she didn’t oppose them to
keep the honour of the family intact. He agreed to marry a man who of her father’s age and had grown up children from
his first wife.
When Bishamber lifted Bholi’s veil, he saw pockmarks on her face and started demanding 5000 rupees for marriage. At
this, Bholi got extremely angry and refused to accept Bishamber as her husband.

7. Describe Bishamber’s arrival on the wedding day. What was the reaction of Bholi’s family members?
Bishamber Nath was a well-to-do grocer. He came with a big party of friends and relations with him for the wedding. A
brass-band playing a popular tune from an Indian film headed the procession, with the bridegroom riding a decorated
horse. Ramlal was overjoyed to see such pomp and splendour. He had never dreamt that his fourth daughter would have
such a grand wedding. Bholi’s elder sisters who had come for the occasion were envious of her luck.

8. How did Bholi react to the remarks of an old woman who called her “a shameless girl”?
When Bholi refused to accept a mean, greedy and cowardly man as her husband, everybody was stunned. An old woman
called her “a shameless girl.” Bholi turned violently towards the old woman and shouted told that everybody had thought
of her as a dumb cow and thus forced her to marry a heartless old man. She reminded everyone that she was educated and
didn’t stammer anymore. Therefore, she could speak out to defend herself and if anyone had any problem with that, she
was ready for an one on one argument.

9. What did Bholi tell her father about her future plans at the end?
She asked her father not to worry about her. She assured that she would serve him and her mother in their old age and
would teach in the same school where she had learnt so much.