Journey from Zanskar

Journey From Zanskar

What an emotional amazing documentary! I admit that I had never head of Zanskar. It is nestled beside Tibet in the northernmost part of India. It is one of the most isolated regions in the Himalayas. It is one of the last places on earth where original Tibetan Buddhist way of life exists. The people are so poor. There is no running water and no electricity. There is no school or hospital. The language and culture are dying out.

The Dalai Lama instructed two monks to take 17 children from Zanskar to be educated in their language and to preserve their culture. Manali was thousands of miles away.

The documentary traces the rough voyage taken by the two monks and the families of the 17 children.

At one point it was impossible to cross a mountain pass. The yaks and horses refused to go. The children were not dressed to sustain the below zero temperatures. I saw several children with bare hands. The adults walked on what looked like soft moccasins. They barely had food to eat. The conditions were impossible and finally they had to turn back and chart a new route. They reached altitudes of 17,000 feet.

When the children could not go any further the monks found an old bus with no heating. It was so cold I could feel it in my bones through the screen.

When the children arrived they were given the first warm shower they had ever experienced and proper food. It was heart wrenching when the children had to say goodbye to their parents.

It is now 5 years since the children have been away from their families. The parents cannot afford to visit or have their children return home. The plan is for the children to stay 15 years.

Over dinner Estelle and I continued to discuss the issues presented in this amazing film. Would it not have been better to have used the money to help the people in Zanskar? How could 17 young children be expected to go home after 15 years and maintain the culture and the language and if so at what price?

In a Q& A following the film it was pointed out that the Canadian residential schools tried to take the culture away from the students. In this case the great sacrifice of the children and their families was intended to preserve the culture.

It was difficult to see the living conditions of the people living in Zanskar. It was even more difficult to watch these young children being taken to another place thousands of miles away. The conditions of travel were horrendous.

This film is only available from June 18-20^th at the Revue cinema. What an incredible experience!