3. Zanskar Background
• In the Himalayas
• No schools
• No power
• No water
• Population of 13,000
• most people living there are illiterate
summary
4. Journey to Manali
summary
Two monks came to Zanskar to take 17 of
the brightest and most capable kids (ages 4-
12) to a school (or a monastery for some
children) in Manali. In order to get there,
they had to pass 17,500 foot pass that
would take 7 days. However, the pass was
too snowy to get through so they were
forced to turn back and chose a different
route to Manali
6. • preserving a dying
culture
• kids need to be well
rounded (educated in
general topics as well as
religion and culture)
central message
Reasons for going to Manali
7. communicating the message
He also showed how poorly the families were
educated and how important it was to them that
their kids obtain a proper education
The director started
the film by showing
the run down town of
Zanskar to show how
little opportunities
kids had there
8. communicating the message
The documentary
followed the group as
they traveled showing
their struggles to make
it to Manali and their
reactions to each
problem that they
encountered
9. Facts were used very effectively by showing the
viewers populations, exact distances of how far
the children had to walk, and the extreme
temperatures that they had to endure on their
journey
communicating the message
10. Response
• People should not take education for
granted
• Education is not a right but a privilege
• Not everyone in the world has good
schools that can teach the basics such as
reading and writing
11. What should we do?
• everyone should help to make education
available for people less fortunate
• we should reach out to other towns like
Zanskar and work to build schools there so
that we can make a smarter planet
response
12. What is the role of the individual in
the modern world?
?
?
• to help others to
live up to their full
potential and live
better lives
• to get an education
and work to
improve the world
One of the monks from Zanskar’s Stongde Monastery who was
instructed by the Dalai Lama to lead the journey to Manali
essential questions
13. How have human choices had a local
and global impact?
essential questions
15. The choices of the monks and the Dalai
Lama to take 17 kids to Manali has saved
a dying culture and given the kids an
opportunity to get an education and do
someone more with their lives which
they would not have had if the monks
had not chosen to go to Zanskar
essential questions
17. How are the kids taken to Manali vs.
kids their age that stayed in Zanskar?
Questions
18. How many other villages are there that
lack schools like Zanskar? Has anything
been done to help the children in those
places as well?
Questions
19. Final Thoughts
With the current increase and interest in
college study abroad programs, could
universities create courses in which
students go to third world countries and
towns like Zanskar and help build schools
and teach young kids to help progress the
education levels in those places? This might
better the communication between the US
and other countries and build greater
political relationships.
