Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea is the story of one man, and how a chance encounter high up in the Karakoram ranges one day, led to his mission to make a difference to the world, one school and one nation at a time. My discovering this book was a chance encounter too, and the cover picture of three girls, heads covered in white scarves, heads bent over their books, caught my eye and helped me acquaint myself with the life and work of this remarkable man.

Greg Mortensen was a climber and dreamt of climbing K2, the second largest peak in the world and also the most dangerous, to leave a necklace of his late beloved sister, on the summit. He, alongwith a couple of others in the expedition, were pretty close to the top, but a sudden necessary rescue operation derailed their efforts, as they rescue a fellow climber, who was in trouble, to safety. In the process of descending to their own base camp, Greg wandered off the trail and got lost. After spending a depressing night all alone in the mountains, he sets off the next morning and stumbles into a village, bedraggled and exhausted. It is Korphe, the last village and habitation before the lonely peaks take over the scenery. Little does he know at the time, that he has stumbled upon his destiny, and is about to discover the true calling of his life.

He is welcomed into the village and given a chance to rest and recuperate. In a few days, he has regained enough strength to make the descent and go home. As he prepares to leave, he watches the children of Korphe in their school. The sit on the hard and dusty ground, no roof over their heads, using sticks to write on the dust, their lessons. And watching them, a resolve suddenly forms in Greg's mind, a resolve to build them a proper school. He makes the headman of the village, his promise, that he will be back.

Three Cups of Tea is the story of how Greg Mortensen built that school. And some 131 after that, providing education to some 58,000 kids, 44,ooo of them girls, in some of the most remotest and volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. This coming from a man, who could barely support himself at the time. He worked as a medic back in the States, filling in as a nurse in a hospital, a clinic....anyplace that would have him. He lived out of his car, and stored his meager belongings in rental storage. How did he go about gathering the funds for a project like this? How long did it take him? Who helped? How did he learn the business of building a school? What about all the logistics, impossible at times, or transporting materials to such high altitudes, in a land which is so ridden by corruption and vested self interests? It is high altitude drama all the way and one that will keep you turning page after page, rooting for this simple earnest man, who has a single minded focus.

One of his biggest challenges post 9/11, is the issue of the rapidly multiplying madrassas and their spewing of fundamentalist Islam. And what started off as one school, in the last village of the mountains, becomes much larger than life, as it addresses the root cause of what develops such volatile, dangerous fanaticism to flourish....that of the dreadful poverty of the people of these remote villages, which see so little of the Central Govt. funds coming their way. Greg makes his case by arguing that one of the most effective ways to ensure security from terrorism, is to provide a balanced, modern education, without any religious overtones, to give the children and youth of this region, a chance for a better way of life, one which they can value. So that when it comes right down to it, they want to choose life over death, and tolerance over jihad.

The title Three Cups of Tea, comes from the custom of this region drink endless cups of tea and use it to forge relationships with others and it has a close analogy with the book. The first cup of tea, is offered in hospitality to a stranger. With the second cup of tea, you become a friend. And by the third cup, you are family. And that is how it is with us, as readers, too....by the time we are done with Three Cups of Tea, we too are intimately drawn to the life of this man, and the people he chose to serve....

And such an experience does not have to end once the book is shut...there are several more ways, to let it continue to enrich our lives. One way is through Pennies for Peace, which is based on the fact that one penny, which is quite useless to us here, helps to buy a pencil for a child out there. A more personalised look at Pennies for Peace, here.

The year is drawing to a close and if you're considering any last donations to make, you might seriously want to consider giving to the Central Asia Institute.
Also, this book is available for young adults too....as Three Cups of Tea One Man’s Journey to Change the World, One Child At A Time.

And much to my delight, there was one for the little kids as well...Listen to the Wind, the review of which is coming up soon! Stay tuned!