Customer Reviews

Chachaji's Cup

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As Neel grows up, he gets involved in basketball and computer games. He outgrows his great Uncle Chachaji's stories of old India. And as his uncle ages, Chachaji's stories trail off and are not the center of family attention. Great Uncle Chachaji has a fragile cup that made it all the way from India and India's partition in 1947. But Neel breaks the cup while rushing through the washing of dishes. The next day, Uncle Chachaji, like the cup, breaks, and is taken to the hospital. Should broken cups, like old men, be repaired, or just tucked away in the back of a bedroom closet? Can a place be found for a cup that is no longer good for drinking tea? And what about Uncle Chachaji? Neel has a plan.

The great partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 caused chaos, conflict, and displacement throughout the sub-continent. Uma Krishnaswami masterfully introduces the partition to kids, using the relationship between an immigrant boy and his grandfather to illuminate the cost of that historical event. Readers will relate to Neel, a typical elementary-aged American boy who loves shooting hoops and playing computer games. When Neel decides to honor his family's history and heritage, the encouragement for readers to do the same is subtle but powerful. After finishing this moving book and enjoying Sitaraman's delightful illustrations, I wanted to share a cup of steaming tea with my Dad and hear a few more of his Partition stories.