Bholi Summary – The story opens up with the introduction of a little girl named Sulekha. She was called ‘she’ for being a simpleton. This was so because some parts of her brain had got damaged due to an injury during her childhood. She stammered and had pockmarks on her face which she got when she had contracted smallpox at the age of two. She was a laughing stock for everyone. Her father Ramlal was a Numberdar. He had three sons and four daughters, she being the youngest of all. Ramlal was always worried about her as it seemed impossible to marry her with her having an face and a mind. One day, the Tehsildar visited their village to inaugurate a girl’s primary school. He persuaded Ramlal to send his daughters to school. Ramlal’s wife suggested sending she to school, although she was against sending girls to school because no boy would marry such a girl. She reasoned that as she had no chance of getting married, she could go to school. In the beginning, shei was frightened to leave her house but when for the first time in her life, she was dressed up and her hair was washed and oiled, she felt that she was to visit a better place. In school, she met a teacher who was very kind and polite to her. She encouraged her to study and speak with confidence. This filled hope in her and she began to go to school every day. Years passed and her village upgraded into a small town with some facilities like a cotton mill, a cinema, and the primary school being converted into a secondary school. One day her parents decided to marry her to a lame old man who was a widower but was rich and had not demanded any dowry. They thought it to be the best marriage proposal for their daughter and fixed up her marriage. On the wedding day, the bridegroom arrived with great pomp and show which filled Ramlal with joy. The groom discovered that she had pockmarks and demanded dowry in return for marrying her. He demanded a sum of five thousand rupees. Ramlal begged for mercy and even placed his turban in Bishamber’s feet but Bishamber Nath did not agree. Ramlal had to give the money to save both his family’s honor and his daughter’s marriage. she could not bear all this and refused to marry a greedy old man. People accused her of being shameless. The wedding party returned. The marriage ceremony ended without she getting married. Her father was surrounded by grief and said that now no one would marry her and what would she do in the future. To this, she replied that she would take care of her parents when they grew old and would teach in her school. Her teacher who was quietly watching all this felt proud of her decision.
