Book Review :- "Three Cups of Tea"

One man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and build nations. One School at a time - by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

As a human being what you can do for a society? How could one single person bring the difference in the lives of thousands of people over many many generations..? "The Three cub of tea is an incredible story of a true American hero Greg Mortenson who is set for his life long, difficult journey of building the schools to the less fortunate poor kids, especially the girls in the remote hilly valleys of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

I was totally taken by the book which takes you to the adventurous journey of Greg Mortenson towards his impossible seeming mission. his struggles to raise the money, his efforts to learn the languages and cultures , this fight against Islamic extremist, the sacrifices he made, his steadfast devotion and his perseverance to build one school at a time.

The story of Greg Mortenson is remarkable not only because he is doing an humanitarian efforts to build the school for poorest of poor people, but also because in spite of being an American he devotes his life for the people of the remote world where Americans are hated and misunderstood the most. He sets the example for the America, and sends out the message to the whole world. The message Mortenson sends is very simple yet very important, the war against terrorism can’t be fought by bombs but by the books; peace can be promoted by pen not through rockets!! The terrorism can be fought by building secular schools against the increasing populating madarssa which inculcate terrorism under the cover of extremist Islamic education. The wealthy Arabic sheikhs bring the suitcases full of money to build the madarassas and poor people impel to send their young children to these madarssas because they don't have any other place to send their kids.

The journey Mortenson led was not simple; he has to face challenges at very step. A failed, wounded mountaineer who made an unsuccessful attempt to climb world's second largest mountain K2, he came to the village of Korpe in Pakistan accidently wandering after the his high altitude rescue, In this village where he gets the shelter and asylum till he rejuvenates and brought back to life by locals, he observes the village children taking their lessons on a frosty, snowy hills with the sticks and at that moment this gentle big American makes a promise to elderly village leader "Haji Alli" to come back and build a school for them.. Mortenson's life changes from there forever.. ..After returning back to America, he saves every penny he could, sleeps in his pick up, eats meal only one time to save the money for this dream to build a school in Korea, After unsuccessful attempt of writing 580 letters to people urging them to make donations to raise the funds for the school, finally one old rich mountaineer and entrepreneur "Jean Horney” believes in his dream and sends him a check of 12,000$..With that money he returns to Baltistan (Pakistan)'s Khorpe village, where his arduous decade long odyssey only starts from there. Khorpe's people welcomes and supports this "big Angrezi" who comes to help like "Farista" when nobody, not even own government don't care about them. At the same time Mortenson has to fight very adverse hash weather and harsher local fundamentalist’s mullahs.

With the motivation and money provided by Hoerni, Mortenson becomes the director of CAI (Central Asia Institute), the institute founded to build the schools for the poor children especially for the girls and other humanitarian projects in the war toned region. Now with the money in hand and the support he receives from a couple of handful people back home, Mortenson feeling frantic and fired up with zeal recruits some loyal locals as the employees of CAI and with their help builds many more schools, women centers, refugee camps, build water projects in the remote villages When he does not work in the Pakistan he tenaciously peruses his efforts to convince his fellow countrymen to open their hearts and minds towards these less fortunate poor people of 3rd world.

In pre-9/11 era where Taliban was prominent in Afghanistan, it was almost impossible for Mortenson to set a foot on the land of Afghanistan to help the people in that region. One time even he was abducted by the wazirs of Wazaristan Pakistan-Afghanistan border when he visited there to enquire if any village in the region needs the school to be built. for. He was kept in an airless dark room for a week. But Mortenson's never gave up; never lost the hope. He was too determined by his goodwill to help the people even his abductors set him free with the suitcase full of money so he could use them to build the school for their own people. After post 9/11 as America invaded Afghanistan and Taliban was thrown out, Mortenson started spreading this work in Afghanistan and helped the schools to resume their presence in the region where schools were almost non existent before.

I specially want to mention here the "Tara Bishop" the wife of Greg Mortenson; she is not the less than the hero herself... When her husband works in extremely dangerous areas of the world more than half of the year, Tara manages to run a family in Bozman, Montana and brings up their two gorgeous kids praying God everyday that her husband is safe, the task which is very difficult for any wife knowing her husband working voluntary in extremely precarious conditions half a world away. Only an extraordinary woman can do this. This is only because she believes her husband's dreams and gives him a strong steadfast support.

The reading "The Three cups of tea” was a thrilling and phenomenal experience for me. I enjoyed it thoughorrally and also learnt a lot from the book.. It is very close to my heart. The chapter by chapter as I read through the book, as this extraordinary story of an ordinary man unfolded before me, I was amazed by one man's will-power and abilities to change the whole world. One failed climber has achieved the most difficult climb/height any mountaineer could even reach.