English (Footprints Without Feet) · CBSE Class 10 · Supplementary Reader · K. A. Abbas · 25 Quiz
Bholi — Summary, Author, Theme & Glossary
About the Author
K. A. Abbas (Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, 1914–1987) was an eminent Indian writer, journalist and film-maker. His stories often carried a strong social message about equality, education and the dignity of the weak.
Theme
The story celebrates the power of education to transform a life and raises its voice for girls’ equality and self-respect. It shows how a neglected, backward girl gains confidence, courage and a voice of her own through the care of a good teacher, and how true dignity lies not in false izzat (honour) but in honesty and self-worth.
Summary
Sulekha, the fourth daughter of Numberdar Ramlal, was nicknamed Bholi (the simpleton). As a baby she fell off a cot and injured her brain, and an attack of small-pox left her face disfigured with pock-marks. She could not speak till she was five and then stammered, so other children mocked her. Neglected at home, she had neither good looks nor intelligence, and her father worried that no one would marry her.
When a girls’ primary school opened in the village, the Tehsildar urged Ramlal to set an example by sending his daughters. His wife, fearing schooling would spoil marriage prospects, said to send Bholi — since she was unlikely to marry anyway. Terrified on her first day, Bholi was about to flee when the kind lady teacher spoke to her so gently and encouragingly that her heart filled with new hope. The teacher promised that in time Bholi would be the most learned person in the village and would speak without a stammer.
Years passed; the village grew into a town. Ramlal arranged Bholi’s marriage to Bishamber Nath, a rich, lame, middle-aged grocer with grown-up children, who asked for no dowry. At the wedding, however, Bishamber saw Bholi’s pock-marks and demanded five thousand rupees, which the weeping Ramlal paid. Then Bholi, now educated and confident, flung the garland into the fire and refused — in a clear, stammer-free voice — to marry such a mean, greedy coward. She told her father to take back his money. When Ramlal despaired that no one would marry her now, Bholi calmly declared she would serve her parents and teach in the very school that had transformed her. The teacher watched with the deep satisfaction of an artist viewing her masterpiece.
Glossary
simpleton = a foolish person easily tricked; numberdar = an official who collects revenue; matted = entangled; squatted = sat on the heels; scurried = ran hurriedly; ginning = separating raw cotton from seeds; downcast = looking downwards; pock-marks = scars left by small-pox; izzat = honour; Tehsildar = a revenue official.
NCERT Textbook Solutions (Bholi)
RF1-1Read and Find Out: Why is Bholi’s father worried about her?
Ramlal is worried because Bholi has neither good looks nor intelligence. A childhood fall had damaged part of her brain, leaving her backward, and small-pox had covered her face with deep black pock-marks. She also stammered. Her father fears that, unlike her pretty, healthy sisters, it will be very difficult to find a bridegroom for her.
RF1-2For what unusual reasons is Bholi sent to school?
When the Tehsildar insists that Ramlal set an example by sending his daughters to school, his wife is afraid schooling will spoil the girls’ marriage chances. So she decides to send Bholi — for the odd reason that Bholi is unlikely to get married anyway because of her ugly face and lack of sense. ‘Let the teachers at school worry about her,’ she says.
RF2-1Read and Find Out: Does Bholi enjoy her first day at school?
At first Bholi is terrified — she does not know what a school is, cries helplessly, and dares not leave her corner. But she is glad to see so many girls of her own age and is fascinated by the coloured pictures on the wall. After the teacher speaks kindly to her, her fear turns to joy and new hope, so the day ends happily for her.
RF2-2Does she find her teacher different from the people at home?
Yes, completely. At home Bholi is neglected, scolded and mocked — called a fool and a ‘dumb cow’. The teacher, by contrast, speaks to her in a soft, soothing, encouraging voice, calls her name affectionately, pats her, and fills her with confidence and hope. For the first time Bholi feels valued and cared for — the teacher is utterly unlike the harsh people at home.
RF3-1Read and Find Out: Why do Bholi’s parents accept Bishamber’s marriage proposal?
They accept because Bishamber Nath is a well-to-do grocer — he owns a big shop and a house and has several thousand in the bank — and, crucially, he asks for no dowry. Since they believe the pock-marked, ‘witless’ Bholi may otherwise remain unmarried all her life, they think she is lucky to get such a match, despite his being old, lame and a widower with grown children.
RF3-2Why does the marriage not take place?
At the wedding, when Bishamber sees Bholi’s pock-marks, he greedily demands five thousand rupees or he will leave. Ramlal, humiliated, pays the sum. But the educated, self-respecting Bholi is disgusted by his meanness and greed. She flings the garland into the fire and refuses to marry such a contemptible coward, telling her father to take back the money. So the marriage is called off.
TI-1Think about it: Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. What made her feel she was going to a better place than her home?
For the first time Bholi was treated with care: she was given a clean (though shrunken) dress, bathed, and oil was rubbed into her dry, matted hair. At home no one ever mended or washed her clothes or paid her attention. This unexpected kindness made her begin to believe she was being taken to a place better than her home.
TI-2How did Bholi’s teacher play an important role in changing the course of her life?
The teacher was the turning point of Bholi’s life. With her soft, encouraging words she drove the fear from Bholi’s heart, helped her overcome her stammer, and gave her education, confidence and self-respect. She promised Bholi she would become ‘more learned than anyone in the village’. It was this schooling that finally enabled Bholi to speak boldly, reject an unworthy marriage and choose to become a teacher herself — the teacher truly shaped her into a ‘masterpiece’.
TI-3Why did Bholi at first agree to an unequal match? Why did she later reject the marriage? What does this tell us about her?
Bholi first agreed out of regard for her father’s honour (izzat) — she was willing even to marry a lame old man to save her family from shame. She rejected the marriage when Bishamber greedily demanded five thousand rupees, revealing himself as mean and contemptible; she would not accept such a heartless coward as her husband. This shows that Bholi has become courageous, self-respecting, intelligent and dignified — she values character and self-worth over mere marriage.
TI-4Bholi’s real name is Sulekha. We are told this at the beginning, but only near the end is she called Sulekha again. Why do you think she is called Sulekha at that point?
She is called Sulekha again at the moment she speaks calmly and steadily, declaring she will serve her parents and teach in her school. ‘Bholi’ meant the neglected, mocked simpleton; ‘Sulekha’ marks her true, transformed self — an educated, confident, self-respecting young woman. The return of her real name signals that she has finally become the person she was always meant to be.
TI-5Bholi’s story must have moved you. Do you think girl children are not treated at par with boys?
(Sample) Yes, the story shows painful discrimination — Bholi’s brothers were sent to city schools and colleges, while the daughters were valued mainly for marriage, and Bholi herself was neglected because she was ‘only’ an unattractive girl. In many places girls are still denied equal food, education and respect. The government’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save the Girl Child, Educate the Girl Child) scheme aims to correct this by protecting and educating girls so they get the same opportunities as boys.
TA-1Talk about it: How can you contribute towards changing the social attitudes illustrated in this story?
(Sample) We can help by encouraging the education of every girl, treating sisters and brothers equally, and speaking up against the mockery of those who look or speak differently. By respecting people for their character and abilities rather than their looks, and by supporting schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, each of us can slowly change the attitudes that kept Bholi neglected for so long.
TA-2Should girls be aware of their rights and assert them? Should girls and boys have the same rights, duties and privileges?
(Sample) Yes. Girls, like Bholi at the end, should know their rights and assert them with courage. Girls and boys deserve the same rights, duties and privileges — the same education, freedom, respect and opportunities. ‘Human rights’ belong equally to all; there is no separate, lesser set of rights for girls. A just society treats both genders as equal partners.