Thirst by Varsha Bajaj

 

Thirst by Vishsha Bajat is a novel set in the slums of Mumbai, India, about a young girl and her fight against water theft in her community, with the belief that water should be free for all.

Minnie, a 12 year-old young girl works hard in school to pass her final exams so that she can continue her education. However, this becomes a challenge when her brother, Sanjay, witnesses water theft occurring in their community, threatening their water supply and his life. Sanjay flees the city for his safety as well as his family’s, leaving Minnie without a brother and her family without a son. Additionally, her mother falls ill because of their limited access to clean water and leaves to be cared for by her sister. Now, Minnie is alone without her mother and brother, making her life more challenging than a regular 12 year olds life. Minnie must fill in her mother’s role as a housekeeper for a rich family, take over her brother’s role of getting water from the water pump and boiling it so that it is safe to drink for her family, as well as study to pass her exams so that she can continue her education. Just when Minni is settling in her new life and roles, she runs into the water thief, the reason for Sanjay fleeing from his home. She is left wondering what the right thing to do is? Should she keep her mouth shut to protect her family and let the water thief continue to rob the neighborhood, or put herself at risk by saying something? Will the police even believe a 12 year old about finding the water thief?

This novel provides young readers the opportunity to learn about the difficulty in society by reading about a child’s existence in another country. It also opens the conversation about  the darker side of human nature of those who continually exploit the less fortunate to enrich themselves, and then do everything in their power to hide their crimes when caught.

2 thoughts on “Thirst by Varsha Bajaj

  1. I love the underlying message of this story! It touches on realistic and challenging themes in such an engaging and interesting way. I like that it introduces young readers to the challenge of water scarcity around the world. It’s a sad reality that many people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water. It’s important to draw attention to these issues so that students can develop a better understanding of how others experience the world.

  2. I first saw this book in a Scholastic magazine that was distributed to the kids during my practicum. It instantly caught my eye because it was based on the constant struggle of clean water access, soemthing I am all to familiar with as it is something the people of my country fight for everyday.
    Living in a first-world country like Canada, it is near impossible for many of us, including our students, to imagine what living in these conditions looks like. I would definitely use this as a novel study in my class. From what I know, this text is easy enough to read for students as young as 9-10 years old.

    Thanks for sharing!

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