Class X M 1 Bholi
Class X M 1 Bholi
Class X M 1 Bholi
LESSON – 9 BHOLI
MODULE – 1
HER name was Sulekha, but since her childhood everyone had been
calling her Bholi, the simpleton.
She was the fourth daughter of Numberdar Ramlal. When she was
ten months old, she had fallen off the cot on her head and perhaps it
had damaged some part of her brain. That was why she remained a
backward child and came to be known as Bholi, the simpleton.
At birth, the child was very fair and pretty. But when she was two
years old, she had an attack of small-pox. Only the eyes were saved, but
the entire body was permanently disfigured by deep black pock- marks.
Little Sulekha could not speak till she was five, and when at last she
learnt to speak, she stammered. The other children often made fun of
her and mimicked her. As a result, she talked very little.
Ramlal had seven children — three sons and four daughters, and
the youngest of them was Bholi. It was a prosperous farmer’s household
and there was plenty to eat and drink. All the children except Bholi
were healthy and strong. The sons had been sent to the city to study in
schools and later in colleges. Of the daughters, Radha, the eldest, had
already been married. The second daughter Mangla’s marriage had also
been settled, and when that was done, Ramlal would think of the third,
Champa. They were good-looking, healthy girls, and it was not difficult
to find bridegrooms for them.
But Ramlal was worried about Bholi. She had neither good looks
nor intelligence.
Bholi was seven years old when Mangla was married. The same year
a primary school for girls was opened in their village. The Tehsildar
sahib came to perform its opening ceremony. He said to Ramlal, “As a
revenue official you are the representative of the government in the
village and so you must set an example to the villagers. You must send
your daughters to school.”
That night when Ramlal consulted his wife, she cried, “Are you
crazy? If girls go to school, who will marry them?”
But Ramlal had not the courage to disobey the Tehsildar. At last his
wife said, “I will tell you what to do. Send Bholi to school. As it is, there
is little chance of her getting married, with her ugly face and lack of
sense. Let the teachers at school worry about her.”
The next day Ramlal caught Bholi by the hand and said, “Come
with me. I will take you to school.” Bholi was frightened. 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.
“N-n-n-n NO, no-no-no,” she shouted in terror and pulled her hand
away from her father’s grip.
“What’s the matter with you, you fool?” shouted Ramlal. “I am only
taking you to school.” Then he told his wife, “Let her wear some decent
clothes today, or else what will the teachers and the other schoolgirls
think of us when they see her?”
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. But today 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!
When they reached the school, the children were already in their
classrooms. Ramlal handed over his daughter to the headmistress.
Left alone, the poor girl looked about her with fear-laden eyes. There
were several rooms, and in each room girls like her squatted on mats,
reading from books or writing on slates. The headmistress asked Bholi
to sit down in a corner in one of the classrooms.
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.
The lady teacher who was in the class was saying something to the
girls but Bholi could understand nothing. She looked at the pictures
on the wall. The colours fascinated her — the horse was brown just
like the horse on which the Tehsildar had come to visit their village;
the goat was black like the goat of their neighbour; the parrot was
green like the parrots she had seen in the mango orchard; and the cow
was just like their Lakshmi. And suddenly Bholi noticed that the teacher
was standing by her side, smiling at her.
“What’s your name, little one?”
The teacher’s voice was so soft and soothing! In all her life she had
never been called like that. It touched her heart.
“Get up,” said the teacher. It was not a command, but just a friendly
suggestion. Bholi got up.
“Ye-Ye-Yes.” And Bholi herself was astonished that she had been
able to say it.
“In one month you will be able to read this book. Then I will give you
a bigger book, then a still bigger one. In time you will be more learned
than anyone else in the village. Then no one will ever be able to laugh at
you. People will listen to you with respect and you will be able to speak
without the slightest stammer. Understand? Now go home, and come
back early tomorrow morning.”
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.
Summary
This story is about a girl, Bholi, whose real name was Sulekha. She
suffered from some brain-damage and thus used to stammer.
Moreover, she suffered from the disease of small-pox which left
pock-marks on her face. This made her look ugly. Thus, due to her
dullness and ugly face, people made fun of her. Also, people called
her Bholi as she remained a backward child. Ramlal had seven
children- three sons and four daughters. Bholi was the youngest of
all daughters. All others were healthy and strong except Bholi. They
would also worry about her marriage. One day, Tehsildar Sahib
came to perform the opening ceremony of a primary school opened
in the village. He asked Ramlal to send her daughter to school.
However, Bholi’s mother was not in support of sending her school.
Yet, she agreed.At first, Bholi was frightened to hear about school.
However, when she was properly cared for, given good clothes and
other things, she began to believe that she was being taken to a
better place than her home. She was happy to see girls of her age.
She wanted to make one of them her friends. However, when the
teacher asked her name, she stammered and all the girls laughed.
This discouraged her badly. She started crying. But the teacher was
a kind-hearted woman. She encouraged her to speak. Moreover, she
told her that she could overcome her stammering completely if she
came to school daily. This aroused a sign of hope and new life in
Bholi.