Chapter 12: India

In a kindergarten class in a small-town public school in the U.S., the kids were excited to talk about and choose parts for the upcoming Pilgrim play for Thanksgiving. Gita watched her classmates hustle around. When the teacher assigned her the part of a non-speaking Pilgrim, she remained seated. That afternoon, when the class went to the kitchen and stuffed the turkey, Gita threw up right outside the kitchen. When her mother learned that Gita had been in the kitchen touching turkey, she approached the teacher to understand the situation. The teacher said that this was a part of the class activity for Thanksgiving. Gita’s mother explained to the teacher that theirs was a vegetarian family and that Gita had never seen a bird dead, stuffed, or cooked. The teacher said the celebrations could not be canceled for the sake of one child.