The first day at school

Afraid, then hopeful. Bholi is frightened: she remembers how their old cow Lakshmi was led away and sold. But today she is bathed, her hair is oiled, and she wears a clean dress. Maybe she is going somewhere better than home.

The classroom. Girls sit on mats with books and slates. Bholi sits in a corner. She is glad to see so many girls her age; one might become her friend. Coloured pictures on the wall remind her of home: a brown horse, a goat, a green parrot, a cow just like Lakshmi.

'What's your name?' The teacher asks. Bholi can only stammer 'Bh-Bho-Bho-', and bursts into tears. The girls giggle.

A soft voice. After class the teacher says 'Bholi' so softly that it touches her heart. No one has ever called her like that. Slowly, with praise ('Well done'), Bholi manages her full name, then 'Ye-Ye-Yes'. The teacher says: 'Put the fear out of your heart and you will be able to speak like everyone else.'

A promise. The teacher gives her a picture book: 'In one month you will be able to read this book… In time you will be more learned than anyone else in the village. Then no one will ever be able to laugh at you.' Bholi feels 'as if suddenly all the bells in the village temple were ringing'.