One Rupee Coin - A Heartwarming Lesson in Honesty and Courage

Bipu’s grandfather gave him some loose change to buy the newspaper. Bipu happily took it and rushed toward the shop. It was the same familiar shop—he could have walked slowly; his grandfather wouldn’t have minded. But he ran anyway. He didn’t know he was about to fall. Even if he had known, he might still have run just as fast.

As he turned the corner, he slipped and fell face-first onto the ground. Terrified that his teeth might break and blood would pour out, he thrust his hands forward to save himself. His knees scraped against the rough earth.

But Bipu didn’t feel the pain at all. All he cared about was getting up quickly. With grit and determination, he stood up at once, brushed off the dirt, and gathered the coins that had scattered all around.

Forgetting everything else, he ran to the shop. With a wide smile, he handed over the coins and said,

“Newspaper.”

He expected the shopkeeper to give it right away. Instead, the man frowned.

“It’s one rupee short.”

For a moment, Bipu froze. Should he take the coins back and check again? Should he ask the shopkeeper to look once more?

The shopkeeper didn’t even show a second of concern. Without thinking about the small boy in front of him, he tossed the coins into his cash box.

Then he snapped,

“Go away! First bring the one rupee!”

Disappointed, Bipu slowly walked back home. Now, more than the fall, he was hurt by the thought of letting his grandfather down.

His grandfather sat waiting in his chair, leaning back expectantly. Seeing Bipu return empty-handed pierced his heart. He didn’t even have the strength to ask where the money had gone. He only looked at the boy with a mixture of surprise and pain. Before the question could escape his lips, Bipu told him everything.

Grandfather grew angry.

“It’s not your fault! I gave the exact money. Even if it was short, that shopkeeper shouldn’t have behaved like that. Scolding a small boy and sending him back for one rupee! And on top of that, pocketing our change! Tomorrow I would have corrected it myself.”

He tried to comfort the boy but failed. Finally, he searched his shirt pocket and handed Bipu the two rupees he had.

With the new money in hand, Bipu thought, Now I can walk slowly.

But he never walked slowly. He always ran—like lightning. This time though, he ran carefully.

When he reached the place where he had fallen earlier, he slowed down without even realizing it. He didn’t fall again. He reached the shop safely.

He wanted to say, “Here! Take your one rupee. Give me the newspaper.”

But something held him back. Perhaps he thought he wasn’t old enough to speak in that tone.

So he quietly extended the two rupees.

He waited patiently for the newspaper and the one-rupee balance.

The shopkeeper took the money, dropped it into the cash box, and handed him the newspaper—along with a chocolate.

Bipu didn’t want a chocolate. He checked the newspaper headlines just to be sure—nowhere did it say, “Chocolate Free.”

Do you think you can give me chocolate instead of one rupee? Should I accept this? Is it fair that you sent me home for one missing rupee, but now you give chocolate instead of my change?

Words lined up on his tongue, ready to burst out.

But then he remembered something his father had told him earlier:

“We call a child a brat when he doesn’t know what he is doing. But you—learn to choose what is right. Buy only what you need, not what someone forces into your hand.”

So he spoke calmly, firmly, and politely:

“I want the rupee. I don’t want the chocolate.”

The shopkeeper’s face hardened. His glare was more frightening than before. Still, he reluctantly took out a one-rupee coin and handed it to the boy.

But inside, Bipu felt proud. He had protected himself from being cheated. His heart brimmed with happiness as he turned back with the coin in his fist.

And then—just as he reached the place where he had fallen earlier—something shiny caught his eye.

It was the missing one-rupee coin, lying in the dirt as if calling out to him.

He picked it up with delight.

He returned home with contentment.

His grandfather’s face brightened the moment he saw the newspaper.