Meet an orphan, an Indian who used Google Earth to reunite with his family, inspired by Hollywood films, and now runs a business in…

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Saroo Brierley, an Indian-born Australian businessman and author, gained worldwide recognition for his extraordinary life story. At just the age of five, Saroo was accidentally separated from his family in Ganesh Talai, Madhya Pradesh, and ended up more than 1,500 kilometers away in Calcutta. Unable to trace his way back, he survived on the streets before being placed in an adoption center. In 1987 he was adopted by an Australian couple, John and Sue Brierley, and grew up in Hobart, Tasmania.

Despite adapting well to his new life, Saroo never forgot his origins. As an adult, he embarked on a determined quest to find his birthplace using Google Earth, guided by vague memories of landmarks and railway lines. After years of painstaking efforts, he identified his birthplace, Khandwa, in 2011. The following year, he traveled to India, where locals helped reunite him with his biological mother, Kamla Munshi, and his siblings, Kallu and Shekila, after 25 years. of separation. Tragically, he learned that his brother Guddu had died the night they were separated.

Saroo described his remarkable journey in his 2013 memoir: A long way homewhich inspired the 2016 Oscar-nominated film Lion. Directed by Garth Davis, the film starred Sunny Pawar and Dev Patel as Saroo and Nicole Kidman as his adoptive mother. The film brought Saroo’s story to an even wider audience and received critical acclaim and six Academy Award nominations.

Now living in Hobart, Saroo maintains regular contact with his Indian family and has visited them numerous times. He bought a house for his mother in Khandwa so that she no longer has to work. Although Saroo offered to take her to Australia, she chose to stay in India due to cultural differences and language barriers.

In 2019, Saroo announced a new chapter in his journey: the search for his estranged father. His inspiring story of resilience and hope continues to touch millions of people around the world. Today, Saroo Brierley is a businessman and author.