Bholi

1.0About the Author

Khwaja Ahmed Abbas

The author of Bholi is Khwaja Ahmed Abbas was considered a king of short Urdu stories and is also famous for his fictional works. In addition to this, he is an Indian film director, screen writer, journalist and an amazing novelist.

2.0Central Idea

Bholi is the story of a little girl who fails to develop self-confidence because of her ugly looks & parents' attitude towards her. The story hints how family support is essential for proper child development. Later in the story, after getting education and encouragement from her teacher, she became very confident and was able to raise her voice against violence.

3.0From Sulekha to Bholi - the simpleton - Ugly and witless

This story is all about a simple village girl named Bholi. Her real name was Sulekha. But fate deceived her and when she was ten months old, she fell off the cot damaging some part of her brain. As a result, she could pick up speech only after she was five years old, but she stammered. Later on, when she was two - years old, she had an attack of smallpox that left her with black spots all over the body. The other children often made fun of her and mimicked her. Therefore, she talked very little.

4.0From Bholi to Sulekha - the Wise and Free

The next day, Bholi was given a bath, and a new dress to wear. Her mother matted her hair and then she was sent to the school. When her father left her in the school, she sat in a corner in the class. When her teacher asked her name, she stammered and the children started laughing. At this Bholi started weeping. But the teacher's voice was soft and soothing. It encouraged her a lot and finally she could tell her full name. Then the teacher told her that if she would come daily to school, she would speak without a stammer and one day she would become the most educated girl in the village. Then no one will dare to laugh at her. Then they will listen to her carefully.

Years passed and the village now turned into a small town. One night Ramlal consulted his wife about the proposal made by Bishamber, a grocer in the neighbouring village. His wife readily agreed to it. Bholi was also listening to this conversation. The day of her marriage came. When the bridegroom was about to garland her, some lady pulled her veil down showing her face to him. The bridegroom had a quick glance at her face and noticed pock marks on her face. At this, he asked Ramlal to give him five thousand rupees as dowry in order to marry that ugly girl. After some arguments, Ramlal handed over the money to Bishamber. But Bholi asked her father to take money back from him as she did not want to marry that old lame and greedy person. Everybody was surprised because Bholi was not stammering at all. The bridegroom went back with his baraat. Ramlal could not lift his head due to shame and grief. He asked Bholi as who will marry her now. But Bholi said to him that she would serve her parents in their old age and teach in the same school where she had learnt so much.

5.0Let's Recall

• The story highlights the girl's problems since people always target her for not having good looks and intelligence.
• These problems and miserable situations vanish when she joins a nearby school.
• Her teacher leads, supports, motivates and guides her to become a confident girl with insightful knowledge.
• This story explains the courage and rise of a girl who raised her voice and firmly stood against social injustice prevailing in the society.
• This tells how this girl Bholi becomes aware of her rights & can fight for her own dignity.
• The chapter, highlights that a bit of encouragement, support and understanding can do wonders and lead to a child's development.
• It states that support and emotional security can give a child unbreakable confidence and self-esteem.