It is now all merged into the American Center. Kanchan Pamnani Advocate & Solicitor 9, Suleman Chambers, Battery Street, Colaba, Mumbai - 400 039.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Subramani L" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 4:07 PM Subject: Re: [AI] Film documents blind teens climbing Himalayan peak > 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. > > 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.in > 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.in
