On Monday, Dec. 19, Trinity seventh and eighth graders celebrated Indian Culture Appreciation Day. The had Indian food, got henna tattoos and watched a Bollywood movie to get a taste of Indian traditions and culture. The all stemmed from the book they read in Language Arts, "Thirst," by Varsha Bajaj.
Both the seventh and eighth graders read the book, "Thirst." The book follows Minni, who lives int he poorest part of Mumbai. Water access is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. During a severe water shortage, Minni accidentally witnesses theives stealing the water. In contrast to her life, Minni works in a high-rise building where water streams from each faucet and there is even a swimming pool. The building also has something much darker--one of the water mafia bosses. Mini must decide whether to expose him and risk her job, and maybe even her life, or stay quiet.
The book gave students a look at a life they don't know--one without a basic commodity. When they finished the book, language arts teacher Tanya Leon decided to bring a little bit more of India to her students. First, they completed an essay about Indian cultural and then spent an afternoon eating Indian cuisine, watching a movie and receiving henna art. As the classes spent a lot of time talking about what the characters in the book didn't have, they also recognized the blessings in the Trinity community. To help bless others, the students brought in non-perishable food items for Trinity's food pantry.
The students enjoyed the movie and henna and several tried and enjoyed the Indian cuisine. They were also treated to a lesson in India from Pastor Jeremy, who has visited India. He spoke about traveling there to adopt his daughter, and their classmate, Jada.
Indian Culture Appreciation Day 2022
