4.2 Bholi My English Coursebook - 4.2 Bholi

A1. Simple Factual Activities:
Who said to whom :
(1) "Yes, Aunty, you are right. You all thought I was a dumb-driven cow."
(2) "I will serve you and mother and I will teach in the same school where I learnt so much."

      Bholi turned violently on the old woman, “Yes, Aunty, you are right. You all thought I was a dumbdriven cow. That’s why you wanted to hand me over to this heartless creature. But now the dumb cow, the stammering fool, is speaking. Do you want to hear more ?”
     Bishamber Nath, the grocer, started to go back with his party. The confused bandsmen thought this was the end of the ceremony and struck up a closing song.
     Ramlal stood rooted to the ground, his head bowed low with the weight of grief and shame.
     The flames of the sacred fire slowly died down.Everyone was gone. Ramlal turned to Bholi and said, “But what about you, no one will ever marry you now. What shall we do with you ?”
     And Sulekha said in a voice that was calm and steady, “Don’t you worry, “Pitaji! In your old age I will serve you and mother and I will teach in the same school where I learnt so much. Isn’t that right, Ma’am ?”
    The teacher had all along stood in a corner, watching the drama. “Yes, Bholi, of course,” she replied. And in her smiling eyes was the light of a deep satisfaction that an artist feels when contemplating the completion of her masterpiece.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Complete the following:
(1) Beside the humiliation and grief, Ramlal was afraid of Bholi's marriage as he thought that no one would ever marry Bholi.
(2) Bholi told her father in a calm and steady voice that she would serve him and mother in their old age and she would teach in the same school where she learnt so much.
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Complete the following sentences by choosing the words given in the brackets:
(1) We are _______________ seriously about buying a new apartment (completing/contemplating)
(2) She _______________ disagreed with what we said. (slowly/violently)
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Correct the error in the following sentence.Focus on verb and subject:
(1) Do you wants to hear more?
(2) Aren't that right?
A5. Personal Response:
(1) 'The teacher is an artist. Do you agree with the statement? Justify your answer. 

A1. Simple Factual Activities:
Choose the correct alternative and complete the following sentences:
(1) Bholi is compared with _______________.
(a) a dumb cow (b) a kind cow (c) a dead cow
(2) _______________ was not ready to get married.
(a) Bishamber (b) Bholi (c) Bholi's friend

     The bridegroom lifted the garland of yellow marigolds. A woman slipped back the silken veil from the bride’s face. Bishamber took a quick glance. The garland remained poised in his hands. The bride slowly pulled down the veil over her face.
     “Have you seen her ?” said Bishamber to the friend next to him. “She has pockmarks on her face.”
     “So what ? You are not young either.”
     “Maybe. But if I am to marry her, her father must give me five thousand rupees.”
     Ramlal went and placed his turban - his honour - at Bishamber’s feet. “Do not humiliate me so. Take two thousand rupees.”
     “No. Five thousand, or we go back. Keep your daughter.”
     “Be a little considerate, please. If you go back, I can never show my face in the village.”
     “Then out with five thousand.”
     Tears streaming down his face, Ramlal went in, opened the safe and counted out the notes. He placed the bundle at the bridegroom’s feet.
     On Bishamber’s greedy face appeared a triumphant smile. He had gambled and won. “Give me the garland,” he announced.
     Once again the veil was slipped back from the bride face but this time her eyes were not downcast. She was looking up, looking straight at her prospective husband, and in her eyes there was neither anger nor hate, only cold contempt.
      Bishamber raised the garland to place it round the bride’s neck but before he could do so, Bholi’s hand struck out like a streak of lightening and garland was flung into the fire. She got up and threw away the veil.
     “Pitaji” said Bholi in a clear loud voice; and her father, mother, sisters, brothers, relations and neighbours were startled to hear her speak without even the slightest stammer.
     “Pitaji”, take back your money. I am not going to marry this man.”
      Ramlal was thunderstruck. The guests began to whisper, “So shameless! So ugly and so shameless !”
     “Bholi, are you crazy ?” shouted Ramlal. “You want to disgrace your family? Have some regard for out izzat!”
     “For the sake of your izzat,” said Bholi, “I was willing to marry this lame old man. But I will not have such a mean, greedy and contemptible coward as my husband. I won’t, I won’t, I won’t.”
     What a shameless girl! We all thought she was a harmless dumb cow.”

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
(1) What shocked the family members?
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Find out synonyms from the passage for the following words:
(1) humiliate
(2) contempt 
(3) prospective
(4) startled 
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Rewrite the following into indirect speech:
(1) "Be a little considerate, please. If you go back, I can never show my face in the village." "Then out with five thousand."
(2) "Pitaji, take back your money. I am not going to marry this man." "Bholi, are you crazy?" shouted Ramlal.
A5. Personal Response:
(1) What did you learn from Bholi's action of not getting married to Bishamber? 

A1. Simple Factual Activities:
(1) The garland of marriage was made of _______________.
(a) roses
(b) yellow marigolds
(c) lilies
(2) Bishamber demanded _______________ to get married to Bholi.
(a) two thousand rupees
(b) three thousand rupees
(c) five thousand rupees.

     The bridegroom lifted the garland of yellow marigolds. A woman slipped back the silken veil from the bride’s face. Bishamber took a quick glance. The garland remained poised in his hands. The bride slowly pulled down the veil over her face.
     “Have you seen her ?” said Bishamber to the friend next to him. “She has pockmarks on her face.”
     “So what ? You are not young either.”
     “Maybe. But if I am to marry her, her father must give me five thousand rupees.”
     Ramlal went and placed his turban - his honour - at Bishamber’s feet. “Do not humiliate me so. Take two thousand rupees.”
     “No. Five thousand, or we go back. Keep your daughter.”
     “Be a little considerate, please. If you go back, I can never show my face in the village.”
     “Then out with five thousand.”
     Tears streaming down his face, Ramlal went in, opened the safe and counted out the notes. He placed the bundle at the bridegroom’s feet.
     On Bishamber’s greedy face appeared a triumphant smile. He had gambled and won. “Give me the garland,” he announced.
     Once again the veil was slipped back from the bride face but this time her eyes were not downcast. She was looking up, looking straight at her prospective husband, and in her eyes there was neither anger nor hate, only cold contempt.
      Bishamber raised the garland to place it round the bride’s neck but before he could do so, Bholi’s hand struck out like a streak of lightening and garland was flung into the fire. She got up and threw away the veil.
     “Pitaji” said Bholi in a clear loud voice; and her father, mother, sisters, brothers, relations and neighbours were startled to hear her speak without even the slightest stammer.
     “Pitaji”, take back your money. I am not going to marry this man.”
      Ramlal was thunderstruck. The guests began to whisper, “So shameless! So ugly and so shameless !”
     “Bholi, are you crazy ?” shouted Ramlal. “You want to disgrace your family? Have some regard for out izzat!”
     “For the sake of your izzat,” said Bholi, “I was willing to marry this lame old man. But I will not have such a mean, greedy and contemptible coward as my husband. I won’t, I won’t, I won’t.”
     What a shameless girl! We all thought she was a harmless dumb cow.”

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Complete the following web :

A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
(1) garment that covers the head and face
(2) hurt the pride of
(3) joyful and proud especially because of success
(4) related to the future
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Do as directed:
(1) What a shameless girl! (Make it assertive.)
(2) Bishamber raised the garland to place it round the bride's neck. (Frame a wh-question to get the underlined part as an answer)
A5. Personal Response:
(1) What did you learn from Bholi's action of not getting married to Bishamber? 

A1. Simple Factual Activities:
Complete the following sentences:
(1) Bholi's parents. were eager to accept Bishamber's proposal for marriage because they felt that _______________.
(2) _______________ were envious of her luck.

         Thus the years passed.
    The village became a small town. The little primary school became high school. There were now a cinema under a tin shed and a cotton ginning mill. The mail train began to stop at their railway station.
     One night, after dinner, Ramlal said to his wife, “Then, shall I accept Bishamber’s proposal?”
    “Yes, certainly” his wife said. “Bholi will be lucky to get such a well to do bridegroom. A big shop, a house of his own and I hear several thousands in the bank. Moreover, he is not asking for any dowry”.
    “That’s right, but he is not so young, you know -almost the same age as I am- and he also limps. Moreover, the children from his first wife are quite grown up”.
    “So what does it matter ?” his wife replied. “Forty five or fifty-it is no great age for a man. We are lucky that he is from another village and does not know about her pockmarks and her lack of sense. If we don’t accept this proposal, she may remain
unmarried all her life.”
    “Yes, but I wonder what Bholi will say”.
    “What will that witless one say ? She is like a dumb cow.”
    “May be you are right”, muttered Ramlal. In the other corner of the courtyard, Bholi lay awake on her cot, and listened to her parents’ whispered conversation.
     Bishamber Nath was a well - to - do grocer. He came with a big party of friends and relations with him for the wedding. A brass band playing a popular tune from an Indian film headed the procession, with the bridegroom riding a decorated horse. Ramlal was
overjoyed to see such pomp and splendour. He had never dreamt that his fourth daughter would have such a grand wedding. Bholi’s elder sisters who had come for the occasion were envious of her luck.
     When the auspicious moment came the priest said, “Bring the bride”. Bholi, clad in a red silken bridal dress, was led to bride’s place near the sacred fire.
    “Garland the bride,” one of his friends prompted Bishamber Nath.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
(1) What were the drawbacks of Bishamber as a bridegroom? 
A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Find out synonyms from the passage for the following words: 
(1) fortunate
(2) surely
(3) senseless 
(4) jealous 
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Change the following sentences in indirect speech:
(1) "What will that witless one say? She is like a dumb cow". "May be you are right," muttered Ramlal.
(2) "Yes, certainly," his wife said, "Bholi will be lucky to get such a well-to-do bridegroom."
A5. Personal Response:
(1) What is your opinion about Bholi's bridegroom? Should she get married to him?

A1. Simple Factual Activities:
State whether the following statements are True or False:
(1) Bishamber was a young bridegroom. 
(2) Ramlal had never dreamt that his fourth daughter Bholi would have such a grand wedding.
(3) When Bholi was brought near the sacred fire she was in a red silken bridal dress.
(4) Bholi felt herself lucky to get a well-to-do bridegroom like Bishamber.

    Thus the years passed.
    The village became a small town. The little primary school became high school. There were now a cinema under a tin shed and a cotton ginning mill. The mail train began to stop at their railway station.
     One night, after dinner, Ramlal said to his wife, “Then, shall I accept Bishamber’s proposal?”
    “Yes, certainly” his wife said. “Bholi will be lucky to get such a well to do bridegroom. A big shop, a house of his own and I hear several thousands in the bank. Moreover, he is not asking for any dowry”.
    “That’s right, but he is not so young, you know -almost the same age as I am- and he also limps. Moreover, the children from his first wife are quite grown up”.
    “So what does it matter ?” his wife replied. “Forty five or fifty-it is no great age for a man. We are lucky that he is from another village and does not know about her pockmarks and her lack of sense. If we don’t accept this proposal, she may remain
unmarried all her life.”
    “Yes, but I wonder what Bholi will say”.
    “What will that witless one say ? She is like a dumb cow.”
    “May be you are right”, muttered Ramlal. In the other corner of the courtyard, Bholi lay awake on her cot, and listened to her parents’ whispered conversation.
     Bishamber Nath was a well - to - do grocer. He came with a big party of friends and relations with him for the wedding. A brass band playing a popular tune from an Indian film headed the procession, with the bridegroom riding a decorated horse. Ramlal was
overjoyed to see such pomp and splendour. He had never dreamt that his fourth daughter would have such a grand wedding. Bholi’s elder sisters who had come for the occasion were envious of her luck.
     When the auspicious moment came the priest said, “Bring the bride”. Bholi, clad in a red silken bridal dress, was led to bride’s place near the sacred fire.
    “Garland the bride,” one of his friends prompted Bishamber Nath.

A2. Complex Factual Activities:
Complete the following web :

A3. Activities based on Vocabulary:
Complete the following sentences using the words given in the brackets:
(envious, procession, overjoyed)
(1) Most of the youngsters like to dance in marriage _______________.
(2) He was _______________ to see his friend after a long time.
A4. Activities based on Contextual Grammar:
Change the following sentences in indirect speech:
(1) "What will that witless one say? She is like a dumb cow". "May be you are right," muttered Ramlal.
(2) "Yes, certainly," his wife said, "Bholi will be lucky to get such a well-to-do bridegroom."
A5. Personal Response:
(1) What is your opinion about Bholi's bridegroom? Should she get married to him?