The exodus of Tibetan children | SLICE | FULL DOCUMENTARY

this is a story that began more than 50 years ago in 1959 when the Dalai Lama fled from his homeland Tibet and took refuge in dharamsala India this is a story of Exile a people fleeing the tragedy of the Chinese occupation Guided by the dream of a life of Freedom there on the other side of the Border in India oh on the road to Exile groups of children entrusted to Smugglers they are risking their lives by illegally crossing the great Himalayan range a towering Rampart between Tibet and India laughs [Music] their names are Tenzin Sonam dolma sarin they know nothing of India but what their parents told them you'll be fine there you'll study in a good school where the teachers are Tibetan work as hard as you can you're very lucky to be able to go to this school [Music] they walk for nigh on a month every day the fight against fatigue cold the fear of being arrested and the pain of leaving their parents some of them die on the way exhausted lost abandoned by their Smuggler [Music] foreign [Music] here they are in India safe in one of the Tibetan schools founded by the Tibetan government in Exile they have just been through one of the hardest ordeals of their life they have left behind their family childhood and are now considered as orphans [Music] a new mother new brothers and sisters that's how the hotels are presented to the young children who have just arrived [Music] Sonam joined this reformed family three years ago his parents sent him into Exile when he was barely six years old [Music] is also six this little new girl has just crossed the Forbidden Frontier [Music] shoes [Music] [Music] [Music] in the condition s [Music] everybody [Music] [Music] [Applause] else [Music] yeah they are understood foreign teasingly [Music] [Laughter] [Music] it was dolma's grandfather who managed to smuggle her out of Tibet together they crossed the highest mountains and Frozen passes he was glad to entrust dolma to the school sure that he was giving her a better future [Music] Sonam and dolma's story is that of the school's 2400 children it's the story of a heart-rending experience Guided by the hope of an entire people for Tibetans to live in Freedom was always [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] okay [Music] had they remained in Tibet these children would have had a Chinese education administered in Chinese the Chinese occupation and repression created this Paradox these children had to flee Tibet to become Tibetan citizens when they lived in Tibet their parents didn't talk to them about Tibet too dangerous it's impossible to talk about lost Independence or boycotted religion even behind closed doors here in India the children find out about the history of their country [Music] around um [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] s are taught about Tibetan culture but they are also trained to adapt to an international environment so that they may work in India and abroad and make the voice of Tibet heard around the world that is why the most important subjects are English and the soft and hard Sciences [Music] full of education is comparable to that of the finest Indian schools the difference being that here they also teach the Tibetan language history and culture lessons in Buddhist philosophy usually taught in monasteries are given to the oldest students only not all can Master its great complexity [Music] foreign foreign foreign [Applause] this is [Music] [Music] yeah yeah yeah yeah [Music] yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] sometimes [Music] I did it [Music] huh [Music] [Applause] yeah [Music] it is [Music] foreign ER students she arrived here aged nine and stayed throughout her education for the last three years she has been studying economics at University in the south of India Tinley hasn't been back to her old school for three years when I was in classics I just like this [Music] um [Music] to my life [Music] give it to say it again [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is [Music] [Music] am I listening [Music] um [Music] [Music] [Music] give me your seamless give me foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] thank you [Music] all right [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] hello [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] dolma has joined the nursery school where they teach using the Montessori method for these very young children the main thing is to enjoy school and feel reassured around their teachers [Music] the most important thing for now is healing the trauma of Exile softening the shock of Separation today still dolma cannot talk about her life before with her family in Tibet she is barely beginning to speak to her teachers and classmates [Music] hello [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] some more videos [Music] [Applause] and the best foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you [Music] [Music] do you do this because we can do that [Music] [Music] very few students will return to Tibet because the return is every bit as illegal and perilous as the outward trip because those who make it face interrogation and imprisonment because in Tibet they'd have little chance of finding a job without speaking Chinese everybody their parents knew that they decided to let them go the situation in Tibet is too desperate for raising children sister was jailed for six years for demonstrating in the lhasa main Square yeah along with other nuns she finally chose Exile in India to be near her little sister [Music] [Music] Britain that really hurt um [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] each Tibetan child grows up with a legacy of tragedy of Tibet devastated by 50 years of History already a million Tibetans have been killed there are six million left [Music] as the Dalai Lama keeps saying every Tibetan child from birth carries the responsibility of his entire people [Music] in each child lies the hope of saving Tibet through non-violence through education through dialogue [Music] the great history of Tibet has entered these children's lives there it will remain muted deeply felt like a tragedy a tragedy around which they must patiently build their own lives little dolma is beginning to join her class slowly she is emerging from her silence taking part in lessons and trying her best [Music] all right [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] enough [Music] [Music] no foreign [Applause] [Music] I surely foreign [Music] how can a culture's wealth be passed on when that culture is dying how can you not speak of Tibet in the past tense how can you not idealize an age when Tibet was a free Kingdom all the school's books have been especially created by a team of teachers from the government in Exile and the program is constantly reviewed they must avoid freezing Tibetan identity in the folklore and myths of bygone days amazing yes [Music] foreign you know questions [Music] foreign foreign not all students of the school will go on to become political activists or sages like Tinley they'll simply become Tibetans conscious of their Heritage Tibetans in Exile in India [Music] [Music] Tinley wants to study for another year take her teaching certificate and become an English teacher then her dream is to return to the Missouri school where she grew up to look after the children in Exile of which she was one from [Music] um foreign [Music] [Music] Dalai Lama gives thanks to the Indian government for welcoming the hundreds of Tibetan refugees and helping them to integrate in particular by opening the doors of Indian universities to them in supporting Tibet for 50 years India has quite considerably damaged its relations with China it is the only nation to have made such a commitment to Tibet the only one to refuse to yield to Chinese pressure but for how long can the Tibetans carry on fighting for their identity from India how many more children will cross the Forbidden Frontier sunam and dolma's story is that of thousands of Tibetan children are they Orphans of a lost country or bearers of Hope who will save an endangered culture [Music] foreign [Music] challenge foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music]

Channel: SLICE

Views: 70,362

Keywords: documentary, documentaries, shortdoc, shortdocs, slice, slicedocs

Id: l4PQZiKmLhs

Length: 42min 27sec (2547 seconds)

Published: Sun May 14 2023