United States Information Services --part of which is the American Library and what used to be USEFI (United States Education Foundation for India), which I don't know is existing or not.
Subramani -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Divyanshu Ganatra Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 3:24 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [AI] Film documents blind teens climbing Himalayan peak pardon my ignorance, but what does USIS. stand for? On 4/8/08, Subramani L <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Perhaps can try with USIS. > > Subramani > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Divyanshu > Ganatra > Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 11:14 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [AI] Film documents blind teens climbing Himalayan peak > > does anyone know how to get this documentary? > divyanshu > > On 4/4/08, pamnani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > CNN > > Subject: Film documents blind teens climbing Himalayan peak > > > > > > Film documents blind teens climbing Himalayan peak > > > > NEW YORK (AP) -- Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind man to reach the > > 29,035-foot summit of Mount Everest and climb the seven summits of the > > world, took on > > a different challenge in 2004: He guided six blind Tibetan teenagers > toward > > the 23,000-foot summit of Lhakpa Ri, the peak next to Everest. > > > > Weihenmayer had received an e-mail from Sabriye Tenberken, a 2005 > Nobel > > Peace Prize nominee and co-founder of Braille Without Borders, a > school for > > the > > blind in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. The students at her school had > been > > inspired by Weihenmayer and wanted to meet him. > > > > He had a different idea. > > > > "If these kids can climb their own Everest, what a statement that > would make > > in the world," Weihenmayer said. > > > > The resulting three-week journey, its hazards, successes and failures > > unravel in "Blindsight," a documentary by Lucy Walker playing in > limited > > release around > > the nation. With the magnificent Himalayas as a backdrop, the film > touches > > on the challenges faced by six blind teens in their daily lives and on > this > > journey. It casts a lens on Tibet, a region now mired in chaos, and > invites > > audiences to see the climbing region now closed to the world as the > Beijing > > Olympics approach. > > > > "We are blind, but our heart is not blind. Normal people's hearts are > > blind," Tenzin, one of the Tibetan teens, said. > > > > Tenzin, who's 17 years old in the film and whose name means "keeper of > > Buddha's teachings," made the climb with five other Tibetans from his > > school: Dachung, > > Kyila, Sonam Bhumtso, Gyenshen and Tashi. > > > > Sonam Bhumtso, called the climb a "golden chance." She, like Kyila, > comes > > from a loving home, but said she worried her family wouldn't take care > of > > her > > for much longer. > > > > Kyila, on the other hand, had to help take care of her two blind > brothers > > and her blind father after her mother died. Dachung lived only with > his > > father, > > who has since died. > > > > The 19-year-old Tashi, whose name means "lucky," becomes the > unofficial star > > who faces the most physical and mental adversity on the climb. Born in > > China, > > he said his parents sold him to a couple who brought him to Lhasa to > beg. > > When he couldn't collect enough money, he said they beat him, so he > ran > > away. > > He lived on the streets for years before a Tibetan woman took him to > Braille > > Without Borders. > > > > Tashi is reunited with his father and mother during the film in a > wrenching > > scene. Despite his hardships, Tashi told director Walker: "The best > thing > > about > > being blind is that I'm forced to look on the brighter side of > things." > > > > Gyenshen, 17 years old in the film, became blind at 9 and spent four > years > > locked in his house, since his parents were ashamed of his condition. > > > > "He was the smartest boy around, now he's turned into this," > Gyenshen's > > mother says in the film. "The cleverest child has gone to waste. > Without > > eyes a > > man in not complete." > > > > Such beliefs are common among Tibetans. > > > > "It's because of bad deeds in my past life that I am blind in this > one," > > Tenzin said. > > > > Because of high altitude and exposure to ultraviolet rays, Tibet has > high > > rates of blindness and eye disease. The incidence of cataract > blindness in > > Tibet > > is about six times that found elsewhere in China, according to UNESCO. > > Despite this, Buddhist pilgrims and nomads in Tibet believe that blind > > people are > > possessed by demons or that they have done something wrong in a past > life. > > > > In the film, two blind teens walk through town and someone calls to > them, > > "You deserve to eat your father's corpse." > > > > "These superstitions can be overcome," Tenberken told the Associated > Press. > > > > She is living proof, and is slowly changing the face of blindness in > Tibet > > and around the world. > > > > Born in Germany, Tenberken became blind by 13. When she later traveled > to > > Tibet, she was startled by the Tibetans' treatment of their blind. She > also > > found > > that they had no Braille system, so she created one. She met her > partner, > > Paul Kronenberg, while in Tibet and they opened the school to pass on > the > > techniques > > she had learned to live successfully as a blind person. > > > > Open for 10 years now, the preparatory school hosts 30 to 35 students > who > > stay for two to three years, Tenberken said. After learning techniques > and > > studying > > English, Chinese and Tibetan among other subjects, the students > integrate > > themselves into regular schools and return home, often to work and > thrive. > > > > "I think the climb was one in many accomplishments for the students," > > Tenberken said. "It's good to find your own borders and figure out > methods > > to get > > around them." > > > > During the expedition, the top became an impossibility for at least > three of > > the climbers, who were sent back after suffering headaches and > altitude > > sickness. > > > > "Part of me felt like a failure," Weihenmayer said. "In some ways, > having to > > send those kids down, I wanted to make them feel special and I thought > maybe > > they felt the opposite." > > > > The remaining group stayed below the summit of Lhakpa Ri for five more > days, > > and though they never made it to the top they found a summit of their > own. > > > > "Everyone created their own meaning from the trip," Weihenmayer said. > "The > > changes in the kids are mostly all Sabriye's influence, but the climb > was > > extra > > fuel." > > > > The six young adults have been able to travel for the film's release, > and > > Gyenshen attended the Tokyo premiere alone to head a > question-and-answer > > session. > > He now runs the only Braille publishing company in Tibet. > > > > Dachung now studies at Braille Without Borders vocational school. > Sohnam > > Bhumtso attends a regular school and is the head of her class. > > > > Tashi and Tenzin opened the largest medical massage clinic in Lhasa. > Kyila > > went to the U.K. to study English and returned to Tibet to help run > Braille > > Without > > Borders. > > > > And Weihenmayer started a program in Colorado called Global Explorers, > in > > which he climbs with blind children in the U.S. > > > > Copyright 2008 The > > Associated Press. > > All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, > > rewritten, or redistributed. > > > > Find this article at: > > > http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/02/film.climbingblind.ap/i > ndex.html > > To unsubscribe send a message to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] with > > the subject unsubscribe. > > > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please > > visit the list home page at > > > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.i > n > > > > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.i > n > > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with > the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.i n > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. 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