Chapter 2 — A Gift of Chappals

The main characters are Mridu (the visiting girl), her cousins Ravi, Meena, and Lalli, their mother Rukku Manni, and their grandmother (Paati). The music-master and the barefoot beggar play key supporting roles.

The story is written by Vasantha Surya and is taken from her work 'Mridu in Madras: Goruchaka Turns Up'.

The children have secretly taken in a stray kitten they found outside the gate. They keep it hidden behind a thick bitter-berry bush because their grandmother (Paati) would leave the house if she knew there was a cat.

Ravi names the kitten Mahendravarma Pallava Poonai (M.P. Poonai for short). He claims the kitten is descended from the ancient Pallava dynasty's lion emblem and, further back, from the Egyptian cat-goddess Bastet — a story Mridu finds amusing but far-fetched.

Ravi told his grandmother he was hungry and wanted to drink the milk himself, drank most of it to avoid suspicion, then poured the rest into a coconut half-shell for the kitten, washed the tumbler, and returned it before Paati grew suspicious.

Lalli is learning the violin from a music-master. Her playing produces a loud 'Kreech' sound that startles Mahendran (the kitten) so badly that he bounces up, scurries into a bamboo tray of red chillies, and tips them over himself.

The beggar has been coming to the house every day for a whole week to beg for alms. He says the ladies of the house are very kind souls and that he has 'kept body and soul together' on their generosity.

The beggar has large, pink, peeling blisters on the soles of his bare feet. Mridu feels he cannot afford chappals, Meena's eyes fill with tears saying 'It's not fair!', and Ravi decides they must find him something to wear before he has to walk on the melting tar road.

Ravi gives the music-master's brand-new chappals, which had been left on the verandah, to the beggar. After the lesson, the music-master cannot find them; Rukku Manni realises what happened and apologises, giving him Gopu Mama's hardly-worn new chappals as a replacement.

Ravi compares himself to Karna, the legendary hero known for extreme generosity. Rukku Manni sharply corrects him, pointing out that Karna only gave away his own possessions, not other people's.

Rukku Manni invites Mridu and Meena inside for tiffin and scolds the children. As she walks to the kitchen, she suddenly starts laughing because she realises she has given away Gopu Mama's chappals — and he always rushes to put on his chappals the moment he comes home from work, so he will certainly notice they are gone.

Yes. The full NCERT Class 7 English Honeycomb PDF, including Chapter 2 'A Gift of Chappals', is available for free on CBSE PrepMaster. No sign-up or payment is required.