Every day, millions of children in India go to school in city classrooms, mountain fields, or desert tents. Some children go to school by boat, by bicycle, by wheelchair or by bus. Some even take classes on a bus! Some lessons are taught in the blistering heat of the desert, others in the chill of the mountains. On a lake, in the dark, on a dune, or even in a monastery … one thing they all share is the desire to go to school where they can learn lessons that are relevant to their lives--a school that helps them to become who they dream to be. A new DVD, "Going to School in India," uses these unique settings to illustrate how important an education is to children and families of India.

Going to School in India

Cincinnati, OH (PRWEB) February 28, 2007 -- Arriving March 6 from Master Communications, is the 76 minute, live-action "Going to School in India" DVD, which will retail for $29.95 and is recommended for ages 5-11. The DVD features English and Hindi tracks and is subtitled in English and Spanish.

"Going to School in India" is a collection of short films, many of which are award winners from film festivals in the U.S. and internationally, including Best International Short at the KIDS FIRST! Film and Video Festival; Jury Award for Best Family Films at the Big Bear International Film Festival; and Best of the Fest in Programme E Category in the East Lansing Children's Film Festival.

"Going to School in India" has also been selected and shown at many film festivals including KIDS FIRST! Film and Video Festival; Newport Beach Film Festival; San Diego International Children's Film Festival; Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival; 2006 South Asian International Film Festival; and the LA International Children's Film Festival.

"Going to School in India" came about when Lisa Heydlauff, a former teacher in the United Kingdom, was asked by Oliver, one of her seven-year-old students, "What is it like to go to school in India?" Lisa looked for books to answer his question and found nothing at that time that would satisfy Oliver's curiosity, so she promised the student that if she ever got the chance to find out she would let him know.

Heydlauff first published the award-winning book Going to School in India (Charlesbridge) and then turned the project into a series of award-winning short films highlighting each unique school, narrated with the charming voices of students as they show viewers their colorful world in locations very different from classrooms in the U.S.

And how these kids love their creative schools!

Meet 12-year-old Zahida as she paddles her boat to attend school in Kashmir in the middle of a lake ("Going to School in the Lake") and learns about the vegetation and plants of the floating garden that surround her; 12-year-old Ramesh takes us to his desert classroom made of mud, where there is no water and the wind rips through paper flags above his head ("Going to School in a Mud Desert"); nine-year-old Skarma climbs uphill through biting cold to attend school on top of a mountain ("Going to School on a Mountaintop"); 12-year-old Gamlesh works during the day so her family can survive, but she still has the chance to go to school at night ("Going to School in the Dark"); and 10-year-old Lobzang Namgal studies at the monastery where he lives ("Going to School in a Monastery") where morning exercise and prayers are very important.

In Mumbai, 11-year-old Saddam lives on the streets, but comes to study and plays music with classmates aboard the Door Step School, a school-on-wheels ("Going to School on a Bus"); 12-year-old Haider goes to school on a different set of wheels -- his wheelchair ("Going to School on Wheels"); Veera Veni, Durga Devi, and Dhana Lakshmi, three nine-year-old girls, live with their families on boats, and they come and go with the tides so they travel by a special school boat to their land-based school ("Going to School on a Boat"); Sagarika is a 10-year-old tribal girl who learns lessons climbing trees, and, with local materials such as jackfruits, learns how to buy and sell at the local market in her government school not far from her home in the village ("Going to School in a Tribe").

Heydlauff is also the director of Going to School, a non-profit organization in India that makes media for children to make going to school relevant to children's lives and, most importantly, lots of fun. Proceeds from the royalties of GTS media go to support the development of more fun media activities for children in India. Visit www.goingtoschool.com.

Over 50 million children in India currently watch "Going to School in India" over POGO, Cartoon Network and National Geographic television networks. Master Communications, best known for distributing the multi-award-winning "Families of the World" DVD series, plans to soon make the program available to broadcast outlets in North America.

To order "Going to School in India" DVD call 1-800-765-5885 or visit www.master-comm.com.

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