Kendriya Vidyalaya Dubai -

"Rohan," Mr. Sharma boomed without turning around. "Translate: 'The sky is blue because the sun loves it.'"

They didn't win first prize. A school from Kuwait took the trophy for a dramatic piece about the monsoon.

"Where are you from, Rohan?" "Kerala. You?" "Born in Dubai. But my father loves Hindi films. He says if you live in the Arab world, you must know Hindi to understand the workers, the drivers, the music. And to annoy Mr. Sharma." kendriya vidyalaya dubai

Rohan turned. Aisha winked. She was the only local student in the class, and she spoke Hindi with a formal, textbook-perfect accent that sounded like a news anchor from Delhi.

Above them, the Dubai sky turned a deep orange. The call to prayer from the nearby mosque mingled with the sound of a Hindi bhajan playing from the school speaker. And in that strange, beautiful harmony, two kids from a Kendriya Vidyalaya in the middle of the desert realized they had finally found their home. "Rohan," Mr

A week later, Mr. Sharma made an announcement. "Kendriya Vidyalaya Dubai is hosting the Gulf-wide Hindi Kavi Sammelan (Poetry Meet). Every KV in the Gulf is coming—Bahrain, Kuwait, Doha. We need two students."

But Mr. Sharma handed them a special certificate: "For Finding India in Arabia." A school from Kuwait took the trophy for

Rohan wrote his poem. The first line was: