#493 - The Miracle on Kachhua Beach

by Nandita da Cunha and illustrated by Priya Kuriyan

“The Miracle on Kachhua Beach” by Nandita da Cunha and illustrated by Priya Kuriyan. Published by Kalpavriksh. A powerful story of how determination can bring about an unexpected miracle.

The protagonist of the story is a little boy called Ori. He is bullied in his class by the big boys and is called “Oddball Ori”. Whenever he asked questions in class or turned out to be clumsy at a sport, the name calling would start, making him upset. He loved collecting all sorts of things and had piles of collections neatly organised in labelled shoeboxes. His collections were termed as crazy by the big boys who did not approve of anything he had or did it seemed.

When a crow dropped off a cap of a Limelite soda bottle in his balcony, Ori got an idea. There was a contest going on for collecting the bottle caps and the one who collected the most would be crowned as India’s Limelite Star. He decided to try collecting caps. Following the crow’s movements, he figured that it had found the cap in the garbage dump strip that bordered the sea. He decided to go there and gets his second idea of cleaning up the Kachhua beach which had turned into a beach filled with kachra or garbage. Another oddball idea this turns out to be! Can his unusual ideas bring about a miracle? Will Ori be able to clean the beach? What will it take for a positive change to occur at Kachhua Beach? Read this inspiring tale of how one individual’s aspirations and efforts can bring in a massive wave of positive change.

This book is the second one of the Miracle series by the author. Just like how the first book “The Miracle on Sunderbaag Street” was a hit at our home, this book became an instant favourite. The story is inspired by the true tale of a lawyer named Afroz Shah who transformed the Versova beach from a garbage dump to its former glory of a charming and peaceful haven. My nine year old son and I loved the way in which this incident had been deftly woven together with the character of Ori who is a loner seeking acceptance from the big boys in his class. Bereft of friends, he seeks solace in his collections of all kinds of things. His hope, determination, passion, perseverance and positive attitude were quite infectious. It was heart wrenching to see how he had been trying to seek acceptance from the bullies in his class. My son was happy to see how the story shaped up on this front as we read the book. The way this sensitive topic has been handled along with the main theme of a change being brought about is just beautiful. How Ori deals with the situation and overcomes all hurdles has been portrayed so well. The illustrations are a treat for the eyes and complement the story fabulously.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 6/7 and above.

Where to buy from?

The publishers Kalpavriksh here.