Two roads away from where children's author Nandita da Cunha lives in Bandra West, a fascinating community project has been long underway. Every week, since the last two years, a group of volunteers meet at an 800 sq ft park, in the middle of the busy D'Monte Park Road, to nurture an organic farm they have created inside.

Nandita's new book, The Miracle on Sunderbaag Street (Kalpavriksh Books) is the story of a young girl, Zara, whose life is turned around by the mission to revive her neighbourhood garden. "Mid last year, I joined my daughters on an exploratory walk around the Dream Grove, organised by their library, which is opposite the park. I recall, it began raining. Yet, the entire group of six- to 10-year-olds was so fascinated, not only by the different species of flowers, insects, organically-grown vegetables, but by gardening, re-using waste, and working together in general. So, umbrellas and chins up, they carried on for an hour," says Nandita, in an email interview.