Ch 27Bholi

Bholi

Author: Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (K.A. Abbas), a noted Indian writer, journalist and film director who wrote powerfully on social issues.

Introduction

"Bholi" is the moving story of a neglected girl child who is considered a simpleton and a burden by her own family, but who is transformed by education into a confident young woman. Through Bholi's journey, K.A. Abbas attacks the social evils of dowry, discrimination against the girl child and mismatched marriages, and shows that education is the true dignity and strength of a woman.

Detailed Summary

Bholi's real name is Sulekha, but from childhood everyone calls her Bholi, the simpleton. She is the youngest child of Ramlal, the Numberdar of the village, who has three sons and four daughters. When Bholi was ten months old, she fell off her cot and part of her brain was damaged, so she remained a backward child. At the age of two she had an attack of smallpox which left deep black pockmarks all over her face and body; only her eyes were spared. She also stammered when she spoke, so other children mocked and mimicked her. As a result, she spoke very little.

Ramlal's other children are healthy and strong. The sons study in the city, the elder daughters Radha and Mangla are married, and the third daughter Champa's marriage is being arranged. But no one worries about Bholi — she has neither good looks nor intelligence, and her family thinks no one will ever marry her.

When a primary school for girls opens in the village, the Tehsildar comes to perform its opening ceremony and tells Ramlal that, as the revenue official of the village, he must set an example by sending his daughters to school. Ramlal's wife thinks it is a useless, even dangerous idea — who would marry girls who have been to school? — but she agrees to send Bholi, saying, "Let the teacher worry about her." For school, Bholi is bathed, oil is rubbed into her dry hair, and she is given clean clothes — in fact, Radha's old washed dress — for the first time in her life. She feels she is being taken to a place better than home.

At school, Bholi is frightened. She cannot answer when the teacher asks her name; she only stammers, breaks into tears at the laughter of the other girls, and sits weeping in a corner. But her teacher speaks to her in a voice full of affection — "the voice that was full of a mother's love and affection". She encourages Bholi to speak without fear, gives her a book full of pictures, and promises that in a month she will be able to read it herself, that she will be more learned than anyone in the village, and that then no one will ever laugh at her — people will listen to her with respect. Bholi walks home that day with a new hope and a new life stirring within her.

Years pass. The village becomes a small town, the primary school becomes a high school, and there is now a cinema and a cotton ginning mill. One day, a marriage proposal comes for Bholi from Bishamber Nath, a well-to-do grocer. He is nearly fifty, limps, and has grown-up children from his first wife, but he demands no dowry. Ramlal's wife considers it good luck — such a big shop, a house of his own, several thousand in the bank, and no dowry demand! Ramlal is doubtful, but the parents accept, hoping Bishamber never sees Bholi's face before the wedding. Bholi hears everything but says nothing — she has silently accepted her parents' decision.

On the wedding day, Bishamber arrives with a big brass band and a party of friends. But when the garlanding is about to take place, the veil slips and he sees Bholi's pockmarked face. The mean-hearted bridegroom refuses to marry her unless Ramlal pays him a dowry of five thousand rupees. The old father, humiliated, places his turban — his honour — at the feet of the young bridegroom and begs him, but Bishamber does not relent. Ramlal brings the money and pays.

Then, as Bishamber lifts the garland to put it around her neck, Bholi flings it into the fire — she pushes his hand away, stands up and throws the garland away. In a clear, firm voice, without a trace of a stammer, she refuses to marry "this mean, greedy and contemptible coward". The guests call her a shameless girl, but Bholi tells her weeping father not to worry: she will stay with her parents and serve them in their old age, and she will teach in the same school where she learnt so much. Her teacher, standing in a corner, watches with her eyes glowing "with a divine light" — her pupil's transformation is complete.

Themes

• Education empowers: School transforms a stammering, frightened child into a confident woman who can stand up for her dignity.
• Neglect of the girl child: Bholi is denied care, new clothes and love simply because she is a plain-looking daughter.
• The evil of dowry: Bishamber's greed exposes how dowry reduces marriage to a shameless bargain.
• Dignity and self-respect: Bholi chooses self-respect over a humiliating marriage, defying society.
• A teacher's power: One kind teacher changes the course of a life that everyone else had written off.

Character Sketches

Bholi (Sulekha)

Bholi begins as a neglected, backward child — pockmarked, stammering, mocked by all and unloved even at home. Yet within her lies sensitivity and quiet intelligence. Education, and one affectionate teacher, slowly turn her fear into confidence. At the climax she reveals remarkable courage: she rejects the greedy Bishamber in a firm, clear voice, choosing dignity over marriage. Her decision to serve her parents and teach in her old school shows maturity, gratitude and a spirit of service. Bholi's growth from "simpleton" to self-assured woman is the soul of the story.

Ramlal

Ramlal, the village Numberdar, is a man of means but a weak father. He feels pity for Bholi, yet bows before social pressure — he agrees to marry her to an old man and even pays five thousand rupees to save his "honour", placing his turban at Bishamber's feet. He represents parents who love their daughters but lack the courage to defy society.

Bishamber Nath

Bishamber is a prosperous, middle-aged grocer — lame, nearly fifty, with grown-up children. His initial refusal of dowry is mere show; the moment he sees Bholi's face, he demands five thousand rupees, exposing himself as mean, greedy and contemptible. He personifies the ugly dowry system.

Bholi's Teacher

The teacher is the true architect of Bholi's transformation. Gentle and motherly, she wins the terrified child's trust, teaches her patiently, and fills her with hope and self-belief. Her pride at Bholi's final stand shows the quiet triumph of a good teacher.

Important Word Meanings