Class 10 English NCERT Book Footprints Without Feet Chapter 9 Bholi Summary in English with PDF File for cbse, hbse and other state boards.
Bholi Summary Class 10 English
Bholi author- K.A. Abbas
Ramlal was the Numberdar of the village. He had four daughters and three sons. All his children were very healthy but his youngest daughter Sulekha was a backward child. When she was ten months old she fell down from the cot and a part of her brain was damaged. When she was two years old she had an attack of smallpox. Her face was permanently disfigured by deep black pock-marks. She started speaking at the age of five years but she stammered. So everyone called her Bholi.
She was considered as a witless fool even by her parents, her sisters and her brothers. None cared for her. Ramlal’s eldest daughter Radha had already been married. The second daughter Mangla’s marriage also been settled. Ramlal was worried only about Bholi. A primary school for girls was opened in the village. The Tehsildar sahib came to perform its opening ceremony. He asked Ramlal to set an example before the village by sending his daughters to school. Both Ramlal and his wife were not in favour of girl education but Ramlal had not courage to disobey the Tehsildar. So, they decided to send Bholi to school. The next day Ramlal asked Bholi to go to school with him. Bholi did not know anything about school. She was frightened. She refused to go anywhere.
Ramlal asked his wife to give some decent clothes to Bholi. New clothes had never been made for Bholi but that day she was lucky to receive a clean dress. She was even bathed and oil was rubbed into her dry and matted hair. She thought that she was being taken to a place better than her house. When they reached the school, Bholi saw many girls of her age sitting in the rooms. The headmistress asked Bholi to sit down in a corner in one of the class rooms. The lady teacher in the class was very good. The teacher asked her about her name but she could not speak her full name. She began to weep.
When the school was off for the day the teacher asked Bholi to come also the next day and Bhol nodded. Bholi became familiar to the teacher. The teacher drove out her sense of fear. Now she began to speak without stammering a little. Now, Bholi was grown up. She had passed many classes. Her father got a marriage proposal for her from Bishamber who was a rich grocer from the neighbouring village. He was about fifty years old. He walked with limbs. He had children also from his earlier wife. Ramlal accepted the proposal and asked Bishamber to come with baraat.
Bishamber came with great pomp and show for wedding. Everybody was joyful. All the friends and relatives of Ramlal and Bishamber were present there. Bholi dressed in red was brought there. When Bishamber was about to put the garland around Bholi’s neck, a lady pulled back Bholi’s veil. Bishamber saw Bholi’s face covered with pock-marks. He refused to marry her. After many requests but he agreed put a condition that he would marry Bholi only when Ramlal would give him five thousand rupees.
Ramlal put the bundle of five thousand rupees on Bishamber’s feet. Bishamber was feeling victorious. He raised the garland to place it around the bride’s neck but Bholi struck the garland away. Bholi said that she would not marry such a mean, greedy and coward person. The baraat was returned empty handed without bride. Ramlal was full of grief and shame. Bholi consoled her father that she would serve them in their old age and she said that she would teach in the same school where she got the education.