The concern in nine-year-old Aryan’s voice is clear when his grandfather tells him that there are many people in the world who don’t have access to clean water. “Can we do something to change it?” he asks. Indeed there is a way, the grandfather  points out wisely — we can start by being grateful for what we have and by acknowledging how blessed we are. “We are often so busy rushing from one thing to another that we forget to look at the miracles that exist around us and within us. If we focus on the miracles, we will learn to value every drop of water on the planet.”

This wholesome conversation unfolds between the protagonists of a new children’s illustrated book, ‘Paani Party’, published by The People Place Project. Authored by Minaz Ansari, the book focuses not only on water conservation, it also stresses on discovering the indispensable value of water and on building a more meaningful relationship with the precious resource. “If a child or any reader can build a relationship where they see the value of every glass of water they consume, then it is going to automatically lead to conservation and taking care of our water bodies and everything related to it,” hopes Ansari, who is also an architect working in Mumbai.