Summary

Chapter 1 opens with 12-year-old Minni talking with her 15-year-old brother Sanjay. They are looking out at the Arabian Sea. The view makes Minni feel water is plentiful, but she knows that is not true. The shape of a nearby bridge prompts a discussion of words that begin with M – Mumbai, Minni, and monsoon. The monsoon has slacked off in recent years so that local water sources are scarce. The community water tap near Minni's home only runs a few hours each day. Minni and Sanjay remember that the women once put a marigold garland on the tap, “as it if was a god they could charm with flowers” (2). Minni notes that the huge billboards that advertise Bollywood stars are bigger than the house she shares with her parents and Sanjay. Minni asks if they will always have to worry about water. When Sanjay...