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Most Dangerous Ways To School | NEPAL | Free Documentary

Apr 09, 2020
(pleasant music) Narrator: We all know it, we walk it every day, but none of us were like that. The

most

dangerous

roads in the world to go to

school

. Climbing,

free

zing, paddling for hours, all for the chance at a better life. Risky, spectacular and sometimes simply beautiful. The

most

dangerous

roads to go to

school

. (calm music) Nepal, the highest country on Earth, stretches across mountain ranges, sometimes reaching heights of more than 4,000 meters above sea level. In the mountainous village of Kanpur in Bagmati province, anyone who wants to get to school on time must take unusual roads in extreme conditions.
most dangerous ways to school nepal free documentary
The destination, Shree Adarsha school. 650 students, some of them have the most extraordinary routes to get to school. A daily adventure trip, of arduous walking through mountains on foot, of risky hitchhiking on the highway, and of crossing the most dangerous river in the area twice a day with a dilapidated cable car. One of the most dangerous

ways

to go to school, all for one goal: a better life. (soft music) At six in the morning, another normal day dawns in the Nepalese mountains. Schoolboy Ajit has to wake up quickly because before he can go to school, he must lend a hand in the field.
most dangerous ways to school nepal free documentary

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most dangerous ways to school nepal free documentary...

His father, Hari, needs all the help. Two hours of early work, from six to eight in the morning, comes quite naturally to Ajit. But nothing to say against a little daydreaming. -: When I grow up, I want to do something more than work on the farm. I want to explore the world. (light music) Narrator: Ajit's father has never attended school. He knows that, like all other parents living in the mountains, education is the key to his child's future. Every day, parents in the mountain village of Kanpur prepare their little ones for their big adventure. The same scene, 400 meters down the mountain.
most dangerous ways to school nepal free documentary
Here, little Kabita makes her way through her early morning spit bath with the help of her mother. Kabita is no more than four years old. Mother Nirmala has decided to send her to school as soon as possible. Nirmala would love to have her daughter by her side all day, but she believes that without schooling Kabita would have no chance of finding a job and, more importantly, finding a husband. That's why she accepts that her four-year-old daughter walks the long way to school, more than six kilometers. Together they practice every morning before going to school, doing Kabita homework and learning the Nepali alphabet. (speaks in foreign language) (attractive music) A little further into the village, Ambika's farm wakes up.
most dangerous ways to school nepal free documentary
Ambika is happy that her seven-year-old daughter Asmita does not have to go to school alone. Fortunately, she has two other children who also go to school: Amit, eight, and Anita, six. Until recently, the mother took the children to school herself, but the necessary work on the farm suffered. That's why a couple of days ago her son and her daughter started going alone. Especially in the morning everyone is a little tense. Nobody knows how dangerous the walk to school will be today. And these are the last moments that Ambika and her children share until nightfall. They quickly put on their school uniforms and begin the dangerous two-hour walk to school. (pleasant music) After working in the field, Ajit is also getting ready.
In two hours, at ten, classes begin in the valley on the other side of the river. It's not bad to go a long way for a dream. -: When I grow up, I want to be a pilot. It must be great to be a pilot and fly around the world. (speaks in foreign language) Narrator: Along with his sister Sapana, Ajit hits the road, leaving behind a worried family. Above all, a mother who knows this path to school very well. -: Every day I am afraid to send my children to school. Everyone in my family was injured on the way to the valley.
My son, my daughter, myself, even my husband got hurt. Ajit: I am often afraid of slipping and getting hurt. I am also afraid of wild animals like jackals, monkeys or tigers. But I really want to go to school. (pleasant music) Narrator: Unlike most fast-growing Asian countries, in Nepal, 80% of the inhabitants live outside large cities. Approximately 2/3 of children attend school. The others, like 12-year-old Ganesh, who must stay behind today, must help in the fields to ensure the harvest. The illiteracy rate in Nepal exceeds 50%. Those who attend school in the mountain town of Kanpur walk through the mountains of the highest country on Earth.
Almost half of Nepal is located more than 4,000 meters above sea level. To reach their destination, Ajit and Sapana have to go down to the city at the foot of the mountains. And to do this they will have to cross the dangerous Trishuli River that meanders throughout the valley. The Trishuli River comes from the Himalayan mountains. It is 60 meters wide. And this time of year, the monsoon season, is especially wild. The next bridge, miles away. For the students there is only one way to the other side: the so-called tuin, a basket supported by two old metal cables.
Rusty and inspiring little confidence, no one knows how long this construction will last. Many accidents have happened here. Several students have fallen into the river while trying to get to the other side. Some almost drowned. -: I would like to learn to swim, but the river is very wild. I never dared to try it. My biggest fear is that the river will take me with it. Narrator: Some days, the weather intensifies Ajit's fears. During the monsoon season, sudden rains cause the water level to rise dramatically. But today students are lucky. (speaks in foreign language) Kabita: Mommy, goodbye.
Nirmala: Goodbye. (speaks in foreign language) Narrator: In every farewell, there is a touch of fear. But there is no alternative. Furthermore, the children of Kanpur al

ways

stick together and help each other face the dangerous journey to school. A little further down, at the foot of the mountain village, mother Ambika also says goodbye to her children. Amit, the eldest, is supposed to guide the others safely. He is the most experienced. But even so, every morning saying goodbye to her children takes Ambika a lot of strength. (serene music) -: Every day, when my children go to school, it is a terrible moment.
I'm afraid they'll try to swim in the river. I often wonder which side of the river they might be on at any given time. Have they managed to reach the other side? There are so many things that could happen to them. Narrator: 1 and a half hours before school starts, children from across the village of Kanpur gather at the foot of the mountain. They are on their way to school and the school is in the city. Today it is normal. But just 50 years ago, the town was completely self-sufficient. Only if there was a lack of salt did someone, twice a year, go out to replenish the supply.
Nowadays, children go to the city almost daily and are forced to cross the dangerous river. (disturbed music) A struggling town is left behind. Concerns unite Kanpur families more than anything else. -: We simply don't have time to take our children across the river every day. We have to take care of the fields. But we are worried every day, we are afraid that they will get hurt while crossing the river. Narrator: The Kanpur village community is spread across 18 mountain farms (murmurs). The families live in a very remote area. And every mother dreads the moment when her child is old enough to go to school and has to cross the Trishuli River.
At nine o'clock the children arrive at the so-called tuin. The name can be translated as "The path of the rope." But there is a problem. The basket is on the other side of the river. 60 meters away, out of reach of children. The Trishuli River, which can only be crossed with two rusty ropes, separates the region into two halves at this point. On the other hand, Nepal seems like a completely different world, with cars, buses and shops. But without the basket, the children have no chance of reaching it. Sometimes Kanpur students wait up to three hours. If no one comes, they have no choice but to return home. -: It makes me sad when we have to return.
The other children learn more. I keep getting worse and worse. (light music) Narrator: The only hope the children have is that someone will come in and bring them the basket. -: Many times teachers yell at us when we are late. Sometimes they really get very angry. Sometimes they hit our hands with a stick or pull our hair if we are late. Narrator: After 20 minutes, a village farmer reaches the river bank. He also has to cross to sell his cucumbers and his goat. A stroke of luck for the children. As farmer Pramod is in a hurry, he cannot wait for someone to come across the basket.
The market closes in just under two hours. Therefore, he crosses the river with a very special method. A device the villagers called kirikiri, a pulley and rope. That's how he wants to get to the other side to pick up the basket for the children and himself. -: Children do not have this pulley and are simply not strong enough. Only we farmers can cross like this if the basket is on the other side. Almost none of the children know how to swim. If they fall into the river, they die. (lovely music) Narrator: By crossing the river with the rope, farmer Pramod is not only in danger of drowning, but the old, rusty steel rope is dangerous enough on its own.
With each grip, tiny slivers of rusty wire fell into his hands. None of the villagers are vaccinated against tetanus. Many have had fever and have almost died. They used to be another way to cross the river, a kind of ferry. But the current diverted the ship again and again and often made it impossible to cross. That is why the villagers of Kanpur built the tuin eight years ago. But now it has rusted and the wires have become brittle. Pramod knows that school in the city starts in less than an hour, so he lets the children use the basket first.
In order to cross them all, Ajit and his friends have to cross the river twice completely busy. If you hurry, you can get to school on time. But only if nothing else goes wrong. (pleasant music) The weather must be with us. And now, precisely, that is not the case. Rain. When it rains over Kanpur, it can quickly turn nasty on the river. The Trishuli River, fast by nature, picks up even more speed. And with the rain, students find it extremely difficult to handle the slippery metal cable. Everyone in the town is worried about crossing the river.
Ajit's father too. He has a special responsibility because he was the one who built the construction. -: When I moved here, I would never have thought that the river could be such a problem, nor that my children would have to use the tuin one day. It was my idea to build it. I just thought, "If we had a rope to cross the river, we could get to the other side." Narrator: So Ajit's father and other villagers built the tuin, the rope path, to overcome the isolation, little suspecting that one day they would send their own children to the other side so they could attend school.
The head of the family, Hari, and his wife know the dangers. Many are seriously injured trying to cross the river. It even happened to Hari himself, the builder of the tuin, with almost fatal consequences. Three years ago, his ring finger was crushed during the crossing. He was trapped between the rope and the pulley. He almost died from the resulting infection. -: For many months, I could not work in the field. My family tried to take the job, but it was impossible for them. I'm the head of the family, it's my job. When he could not plow the fields and harvest the rice, it was very hard for the entire family Narrator: In the town, and for the children, the imminent danger of the river and the tuin is omnipresent. (attractive music) Ajit and his companions are in a hurry.
Everyone wants to get to the other side as quickly as possible. But the basket is too heavy. They will have to go several times. There are strict rules among students. The younger ones are allowed to stay low in the basket. The older ones have to climb the ropes and push. Today it is Ajit and Rabindra's turn. -: Rabindra has fallen once before. You really took it upon yourself to keep an eye on him. He runs fast and doesn't pay attention. That often makes it difficult for me. Narrator: Rabindra is Ajit's best friend. A year ago, he survived a tuin fall by just a close shave. -: He surprised me a lot when we crossed the river running with the rope.
I slipped, couldn't hold on and fell straight into the river. I was sure he wouldn't survive. Narrator: It was luck given the circumstances, since Rabindra is one of the few students who knows how to swim. For most others, a fall into the river would have been fatal. Ajit and Rabindra climb on the ropes to take the basket to the other side. Towards the middle of the river, the rope sinks. And from then on, it's pushing the basket. (Rabindra pushes hard) The tuin, on the one hand, is the only possibility of reaching school on time and, on the other, a mortal danger for the children.
And time is running out. Because Ajit and his friends are still far away from the other side, not to mention they are not close to the school. At this point, the eight-year-old tuin is in a fairly inclined position. Over the years, the ropes have gradually loosened, and with each step, they have lost their balance a little more. Until recently, the tuin had a third string in the middle. It used to be easy to push the basket that way. And many took advantage of it to get closer to the other side in the last meters. But then it tore.
FromSo, Ajit and his friends have to make do with just two ropes. And they keep hoping not to destroy themselves. At least the younger students made it to the other side this morning. For years, students and parents have waited for the government to build a bridge. But, in reality, everyone in the town believes that nothing will happen until someone dies in the tuin. -: If I could choose, I would rather have a bridge than become a pilot. Narrator: Ajit's dream is to leave home and see the world. He'd give it for a bridge. At the moment there are none.
So we returned in a tuin to pick up the remaining students. After all, school starts in half an hour. Every morning, Ajit's teacher, Bhawani Sharma, prepares her classes at Shree Adarsha School. She also has little hope that the situation for Kanpur students will change in the near future. -: We have a clear system here in Nepal. If the tuin breaks and someone dies, then the government will take care of building a bridge, not beforehand. There has already been a serious accident in Ajit's tuin. One of our students fell from the tuin and hurt her head. She was seriously injured, but survived.
And nothing happened. There used to be a second tuin nearby. Today there is a bridge. Because? Because the student fell and died. That's how it is. Only if someone dies will anything happen. Narrator: Bhawani Sharma has often tried to draw attention to the problem. But her requests were not heard. Tuin probably affects very few people. Only 12 of the 650 students have to cross the river. So all the teacher can do is hope that everyone in Kanpur village arrives safely at school. Because schooling is important, especially for them. -: There are big differences between the students on this side of the river and those on the other side.
Children here don't have much to worry about and their families are often well-off. Your way to school is much easier. That's a big difference. Students on the other side simply do much worse. Narrator: There are 25 minutes until school starts. Still, not all students have managed to cross the river. Su-dit-sha and Amit wait on the other side. Both students are in fifth grade. It's time to push the tuin themselves. This morning will be the last one they will go up to the basket. After school, on the way back, they will climb into the basket for the first time in their lives.
And then they will be the ones to push the younger students to cross. -: Those of us who can cross the river on our own are adults. Narrator: For the students, riding the tuin is more than an obligatory task, it is an important step in their lives, an initiation into the adult world that fills them with pride and concern. The dance on the rope, that is what the students call the walk on the tuin ropes. While the younger ones wait with some anxiety for the ritual, the older ones carry out their task on the rope in an apparently informal and cunning way.
When you get out, you immediately think with mixed feelings that when you return it will be the first time you drive the tuin. -: Right now I'm not thinking about feeling proud of riding the tuin, I'm just afraid. Narrator: All the children arrived safely and are heading to the road. They still have quite a few kilometers to go before reaching school. Ajit has to return once again. Student Amit and more importantly, farmer Pramod and his goat are still on the other side. Solidarity within the town of Kanpur is strong. After all, sooner or later, everyone depends on each other.
And that is why, sometimes, even transporting livestock is part of one of the most extraordinary ways to go to school. Shortly after, everyone arrived safely. Ajit must continue. Just a few meters up the hill awaits them the next difficult stage on the way to school. They have to hitchhike on the highway. Prithvi Highway is the major highway in western Nepal. The entire infrastructure and balance of wealth in the region has changed since it was built 40 years ago. But the accident rate has also increased. There are always accidents on Prithvi Highway. One of the reasons is the large number of dilapidated trucks.
School starts in a few minutes. The children have no choice but to wait and hope that someone will take them. Today students are lucky. After 10 minutes, an ambulance driver stops and takes Ajit and his friends. (lovely music) He takes the students to Gajuri which is just a 10 minute drive away. Gajuri is the largest city in the region with 7,000 inhabitants. From five to ten, just in time, everyone arrives at their destination. 650 students from all over the area attend the school. Many of them live near the school campus. While they only need to walk for two or three minutes, Ajit and his friends travel for more than two hours.
Before the start of classes, at 10 o'clock, students line up (the bell rings) for roll call. -: One Two Three Four Five. One Two Three Four Five. Four five. Narrator: Every morning, six days a week, five minutes of gymnastics. -: Nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Narrator: Then the children sing the national anthem of Nepal. (children singing) The children have a long day ahead of them. Eight school periods until 4 p.m. While most of the students know each other, because almost all of them come from Gajuri, Ajit and his friends are sort of outsiders from the mountains. On top of that, almost everyone belongs to different classes.
In Teacher Sharma's class, Ajit is also an outsider. The only thing his classmates know about him is that he has a dangerous route to get to school. -: I heard that some students have to cross the river, but I have never taken a tuin ride. -: Ajit comes here with the tuin. I've never even seen it. (speaks in foreign language) Narrator: Students at Shree Adarsha School regularly receive the so-called class serial number. Show who is the best and who is the worst student. Ajit is number 39. One of the last in the entire class. -: The students on the other side are simply not good at concentrating.
His mind is weakened by the daily struggle. When they are at school, they only think about the way home. Hitchhiking, crossing the tuin, there is still a long walk ahead, all of them, Ajit, his sister and the others, simply have no chance of being good students. Narrator: In addition to his isolation within the school class. No girlfriend, no friends to keep Ajit company in class. The reason is that, apart from the school, there are no points of contact. So the 30-minute lunch break is the only opportunity to spend some time with his friends. Most students eat in town.
Ajit can't afford it. The school cafeteria offers a basic meal for little money. -: I don't know anyone here. At least I can spend my lunch break with my friend. Narrator: For 15 rupees, about 20 cents, Ajit and Rabindra receive a small meal. A lot of money for their families, but they know that the children need it. (lovely music) Immediately afterwards, the lessons begin again. Another four hours of school. Science, in order to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot, Ajit should pay special attention to this topic. But he lacks concentration and is easily distracted. His thoughts are not on school, but on the way home.
Late in the afternoon, Ajit and the other Kanpur students began their journey back to the river. Now it will be up to Amit to demonstrate his skill on the wire and get his friends to the other side safely. The students of Kanpur wait at the entrance to the town, the meeting point where cars circulate at pedestrian speed. The chances of taking an elevator are greater here. Today, they have to wait 30 minutes until a truck driver takes pity on them and lets Ajit and his friends get on. As is often the case, the journey is quite dangerous.
Trucks are the biggest danger on the road as drivers are often short on time and have to rush to reach their destination. But for children they are the only means of transportation. (driver honks horn) (driver honks horn) (driver honks horn) (driver honks horn) (driver honks horn) (driver honks horn) (driver honks horn) Done . The students leave the road behind, the first stage on the way home. (light music) Luckily, it's not raining anymore in the morning. The river is relatively calm. The tuin strings dry out. Optimal conditions to pass the test for those who have not yet danced on the rope. -: I only dare to pull the basket, even if I hurt myself on the rope doing so.
We have to do it slowly, otherwise it will be too dangerous. I'm too scared to walk on the rope in case I fall and drown. Narrator: It's a great moment for Su-dit-sha. The passage from childhood to adulthood. For the first time, together with his friends, he will take the tuin to the other side. Experienced children pass on their knowledge to the next generation of tuin and teach them to walk correctly and always maintain a constant pace. On one of the most dangerous routes to school, students have to sharpen their senses at all times. Also those newcomers on top of the rope. -: One wrong step and I could drown.
I would fall into the river just like Rabindra. Narrator: Unlike Rabindra, Amit has not yet learned to swim. Su-dit-sha below, Amit above, both have due respect. Amit only dares to use one foot pushing the tuin. This is safer but much slower and tiring for others. Su-dit-sha is also afraid. She will almost certainly hurt her fingers on the rusty, brittle rope. Towards the end, the tuin becomes increasingly steeper. Children need more and more strength to pull. The wire bristles of the rope cut deeper and deeper. The students crawl to the river bank with the last of their strength.
This time the crossing lasts 15 minutes. Three times more than normal. But the ritual is finally overcome. They went through their baptism of fire even though it hurt them. A great step has been taken. But this also means that they will have to climb the tuin again and again and expose themselves to danger. Together with his sister, Ajit makes his way back to the mountains. Exhausted from a long day, their path climbs steeply toward the house and farm. And it takes even longer than in the morning. More than one hour. They arrive after 6 p.m. Ajit and his sister have been on their feet for more than 12 hours. (speaks in foreign language) -: Every day I am happy when my children return home safely.
But I do know that if we had a bridge across the river, they would shine with joy. Every night I look into their eyes and I can see that they are very tired. But I'm happy they're here. Narrator: Ajit would like to do his homework, but he is too exhausted. (upbeat music) The family eats dinner together, happy that both children also made it through this day unscathed. And Ajit remembers his dream. His dream is that one day he can become a pilot to see the world. -: If we had a bridge, going to school would be much easier.
I could do my homework and then become a pilot and fly around the world. Narrator: Ajit's day comes to an end with this hope. He needs to sleep for tomorrow now. Then Ajit and his friends will rise once again with the first rays of sun and take one of the most extraordinary and dangerous paths in the world to school.

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