Orphans of Tibet

This is a very moving film centered around the stories of two children who escape from Tibet to come to India, where they can receive an education in their own language (as opposed to Chinese in Tibet), and learn about their cultural traditions, religion, etc.

The journey they take across the Himalayas to get to India is very traumatic. The boy Sonam cannot understand why his parents abandoned him to the child smugglers who brought him across, and thinks they may have been arrested by the Chinese.

The girl Dholma was brought out by her grandfather, but is evidently confused and very quiet, and it is hard to get her to interact with the other children at their Tibetan school in Mussorie.

Besides hearing about their stories the film also introduces us to some of the children who came out before them, including one young woman who tries to help Dholma, and who herself lost touch with her mother back in the home country before she died.

It is a shame indeed that people have to leave their own countries, communities and families to be able to get an education in their culture and traditions, and we can see the trauma this causes in these children. For many though this is now the only way their culture will get passed on to future generations.