Class 10 NCERT Solutions English Chapter 9 - Bholi

Bholi's father is worried about her as she has neither good looks nor intelligence. He was therefore worried about how he would find a good bridegroom for her.

A primary school for girls was opened in Ramlal’s village and the Tehsildar sahib came to perform its opening ceremony. He told Ramlal that since he was the revenue official he was the representative of the government in the village and so he must set an example to the villagers and send his daughters to school.

But Ramlal’s wife was of the opinion that if girls went to school no one would marry them. Ramlal however did not have the courage to disobey the Tehsildar and so they decided to send Bholi to school as there was little chance of her getting married, with her ugly face and lack of sense. The teachers at school could worry about her.

Bholi did not know what exactly a school was like and what happened there, but  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. When she entered, the lady teacher was saying something to the girls but Bholi could understand nothing. She looked at the pictures on the wall and the colours fascinated her. She began to cry when the teacher asked her, her name and she kept her head down as she sat in her corner, not daring to look up at the girls who, she knew, were still laughing at her.

Her kind teacher however with the soft and soothing voice spoke to her, patted her affectionately and this touched her heart. Bholi felt as if suddenly all the bells in the village temple were ringing and the trees in front of the school-house had blossomed into big red flowers. Her heart was throbbing with a new hope and a new life on this first day at school.

Yes, she finds her teacher different from the people at home as the teacher was kind , polite and spoke to her with a soft soothing voice, and this touched her heart. In all her life she had never been spoken to like that. The teacher did not scold or command her like the others nor did she laugh at her but kept encouraging her to speak and patted her affectionately.

She gave her a book and assured her that in time she would be able to read and be more learned than anyone else in the village. Then no one would ever be able to laugh at her. People would listen to her with respect and she would be able to speak without the slightest stammer. The teacher behaved with her like no one else had ever done and this gave her confidence and her heart was throbbing with a new hope and a new life.

Bholi's parents accepted Bishamber's marriage proposal because  had they not accepted it, she would remain unmarried for the rest of her life.

Besides Bholi would be lucky to get such a well-to-do bridegroom who owned a big shop, a house of his own and had several thousand in the bank. He was not asking for any dowry.

They were also lucky that he was from another village and did not know about her pock-marks and her lack of sense.

At the auspicious moment when the bridegroom was to garland the bride and the silken veil was pulled back he observed that Bholi had pock-marks on her face. He then agreed to marry her only on condition that her father gave him a dowry of five thousand rupees. Not to be humiliated by the entire village, with tears streaming down his face, Ramlal after much pleading finally placed the bundle of money at the bridegroom’s feet.  Bishamber once again raised the garland to place it round the bride’s neck; but before he could do so, Bholi’s hand struck out like a streak of lightning and the garland was flung into the fire. She got up and threw away the veil and in a clear, loud voice told her father that she had agreed to marry the old man because of her father’s honour but now seeing what  a mean, greedy and contemptible coward he was she would not go ahead with the marriage.

Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. She remembered how their old cow, Lakshmi, had been turned out of the house and sold. But on her first day of school she was lucky to receive a clean dress which had shrunk after many washings and no longer fitted Champa. She was even bathed and oil was rubbed into her dry and matted hair. Only then did she begin to believe that she was being taken to a place better than her home.

Bholi's teacher played an important role in changing the course of her life. She was kind spoke to her with a soft and soothing voice patted her affectionately and this touched her heart .She kept encouraging her every time , was affectionate towards her and told Bholi to put her fears of not being able to speak aside.

She gave her a book and assured her that in time she would be able to read and be more learned than anyone else in the village. Then no one would ever be able to laugh at her. People would listen to her with respect and she would be able to speak without the slightest stammer.

The teacher’s encouragement and motivation was responsible for  transforming her into a wise, confident, fearless person who could read, write and speak clearly.

Bholi at first agreed to an unequal match with the old, lame man  because of her father’s izzat or honour. She knew that her parents had accepted the marriage proposal because he was a well-to-do man who owned a big shop, had a house of his own and had several thousand 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 would remain unmarried all her life.

She later rejected the marriage because the bride groom demanded five thousand rupees as dowry. She knew that he was using her ugliness to take advantage of her father and demand a huge dowry. On seeing her father pleading and humiliated she realized what a mean, greedy, heartless and contemptible coward Bishamber was and decided not to marry him. She even silenced every one around her who said she was shameless.

This tells us that Bholi  has self respect , knows to differentiate between what is right or wrong and is able to take a wise decision.

Thanks to her kind and motivating teacher she has been transformed into an intelligent, confident, fearless person. She is not afraid of staying unmarried but will care for her parents in her old age and teach in the school where she had learnt so much.

Her name was Sulekha, but she was a backward child and so since her childhood everyone had been calling her Bholi, the simpleton.

When Bholi was about to be married she discovered what a mean, greedy and contemptible coward Bishamber - her husband to be was, and her hand struck out like a streak of lightning and the marriage garland was flung into the fire. The author then tells us that  Sulekha in a voice that was calm and steady asked her father not to worry about her getting married as she would serve him and her mother in their old age. She would teach in the same school where she had learnt so much.

She is called Sulekha again at this point in the story to show us that Bholi has now been transformed into a wise, intelligent , confident ,fearless person and is no longer the simpleton she was at the beginning of the story.