HeritageINDIA Student Nirali Patel knows what was the most meaningful thing she did on the trip
MMM By Nirali Patel
Let me guess...you saw the title and now you're wondering what MMM stands for. Miracle Milkshakes of Mumbai? No. I'm not going to tell you until the end. In the meantime, let's talk about what I've been doing the past three days.
I've been having a crazy, creative and cultural experience at the Mahatma Gandhi International School. We did a few interactive things such as meeting Gandhi's great grandson, visiting the Ashram, and doing Garba, but one thing that really stood out to me was making Mosaics.I was in a group with four other kids who like art as much as me. We were asked to create a piece that highlights a similarity between Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. After various sketches and talking about ideas, we decided to make a Mosaic of a giant rainbow peace sign with the two heroes on either side. I loved this idea, because it's small, and it illustrates how both men channeled their compassion into peaceful, non-violent actions in order to better their nations.While I was drawing MLK for the picture, I felt inspired, inspired to make a change in the world. The words, "I have a dream" kept echoing in my head. And as the other kids in my group were working, I could tell that they genuinely cared about the ending product too. Their faces were like diamonds, shining with happiness.After about six hours of project work, we were finally done. The piece was better than I imagined. By the way, MMM stands for Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Mosaic. This is easily the most impactful thing I've done on this trip.
Nirali is one of 8 students in Indiaspora’s inaugural HeritageINDIA Program. A unique, immersive, 3-week summer program, this initiative gives high school students of Indian descent the opportunity to connect to their ancestral homeland. Students experience and engage with India’s rich and diverse cultural history by completing hands-on projects, participating in stimulating discussions, and building friendships with a cohort that will share in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. With the exciting theme of India’s Riches: History, Culture, Diversity, & Democracy, students visit three areas of India that are geographically and culturally diverse, yet all very much represent India: New 