Thirst (ToolKit)

Varsha Bajaj

Age Rec: 4-76h Grades

Themes: Family, Water Scarcity, Poverty, Mumbai, India, Inequity

Set in the most impoverished parts of Mumbai, Minni and her brother, Sanjay, quickly learn not to cross paths with the wrong people.  When Minni’s brother, Sanjay witnesses the corruption of the Water Mafia illegally stealing water he must flee to the country or fear for his life. This is frightening not only because these individuals are dangerous, but also because Minni and her family know how scarce and critical fresh water is in their poor community.  While water flows freely from the faucets in the high-rise buildings, Minni and her neighbors must wait in long lines to fill buckets at the community spigot each day.  They then laboriously carry heavy loads of water back to their homes for daily use.  This stark reality, where many of the world’s people lack easy access to clean drinking water, is an important realization for readers.  Simultaneously, Minni’s mother, battling illness, opts to recuperate with her sisters who can care for her.  That leaves Minni with the responsibility of attending school and taking over her mother’s role as a housekeeper for a neighboring wealthy family in the afternoons.  The juxtaposition of the poorest living conditions adjacent to the high-rise towers housing Mumbai’s wealthy forms a unique intersection of harsh reality and privilege.