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 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 ...