Jai Singh, an eight-year-old boy from India, will join Colleen s third-grade class next week. Colleen and her classmates are determined to learn all they can about India in order to welcome Jai to the United States. They embark on a quest that takes them from the echoes of ancient India to the dizzying hustle-and-bustle of what is today the world's largest democracy. Once the Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire, independent India is now home to over a billion people who make the nation a kaleidoscope of diverse languages, religions, clothing, art, and food. The students learn about the ancient saints and Bollywood superstars from the land of the Taj Mahal as they greet Jai with mango lassis and beautiful diyas!