Urgan, Child of the Himalaya

This is a really wonderful film about the journey of a small boy in Ladakh to go to a monastery for training in Buddhist philosophy and practice.

Urgan is just 7 years old, and the last of six children. His mother needs to get him settled into the monastery and educated, so he will be able to help them later.

We first see Urgan in his home village, and get to know some of his relatives and friends. We see him at play as well as at work, and can understand this is the only world he has known till now.

He sets off with his older cousin Norbu, who is charged with delivering the boy to the monastery, and who then hopes himself to go on to the capital Leh, where he wants to earn a living singing and hopefully find a girl.

From the village one of the biggest challenges they have is to cross the Wori La pass, which is located at more than 5,000 meters above sea level, where the oxygen is very rare. They make it through to the other side though, and after five days of traveling they reach their destination.

This is a haunting film, beautifully shot and edited, which manages to convey Urgan’s life and journey and the start of new possibilities for him.