**Summary: A Gift of Chappals**

"A Gift of Chappals" is a short story written by Anees Jung. The story revolves around a young boy named Ravi who lives in a small village in India. Ravi's family is poor, and they struggle to make ends meet. Ravi often goes to school barefoot as his family cannot afford to buy him a pair of shoes.

One day, Ravi's teacher, Mr. Ramchandran, notices that Ravi does not have any footwear. He feels sorry for him and decides to do something about it. Mr. Ramchandran asks his students to bring an old pair of chappals (slippers) to school the next day. He plans to collect the chappals and give them to Ravi.

The next day, all the students bring their old chappals to school. Mr. Ramchandran collects them and gives them to Ravi. Ravi is overjoyed to receive the gift. He puts on the chappals and walks around proudly, feeling happy and grateful.

However, Ravi's happiness is short-lived. His classmates start teasing him and making fun of his old and worn-out chappals. Ravi is deeply hurt by their remarks and feels embarrassed. He takes off the chappals and leaves them by the roadside, deciding to go back to being barefoot.

Later that day, Mr. Ramchandran sees the abandoned chappals by the roadside. He realizes that Ravi must have been hurt by his classmates' comments. Mr. Ramchandran picks up the chappals and takes them to Ravi's house. He explains to Ravi's mother what happened and urges her to convince Ravi to wear the chappals again.

Ravi's mother understands the situation and talks to Ravi. She tells him that the chappals were a gift from his teacher and that he should be grateful for them. Ravi finally understands the value of the chappals and agrees to wear them again.

From that day onwards, Ravi wears his chappals to school with pride. He no longer feels ashamed or embarrassed. The story ends on a positive note, highlighting the importance of gratitude and the impact a small act of kindness can have on someone's life.

**Key Points:**

- Ravi is a young boy from a poor family who goes to school barefoot.
- His teacher, Mr. Ramchandran, decides to collect old chappals from the students to give to Ravi.
- Ravi is initially happy to receive the chappals but gets hurt when his classmates tease him.
- He abandons the chappals but later his teacher brings them back and convinces him to wear them again.
- Ravi learns the value of gratitude and wears the chappals to school proudly.
- The story emphasizes the importance of small acts of kindness and the impact they can have on someone's life.

Lapping up means to lick(चाटना)