Sunday, December 17

Marilyn and I watched the Australian movie, Lion, last night.  Apart from the fact that it took out a swag of awards at the Australian Film Awards, we were interested in a Tasmanian connection.  It's the story of a young Indian boy who was scooped up from the streets of Kolkata and adopted by a couple from Hobart.  The Couple, John and Sue Brierley, run a business supplying hydraulic hoses and fittings so are quite well known in the state.

It's an extraordinary story.  Saroo was born in the west of India but, through a series of misfortunes, he found himself on a train which ended up at Howrah Railway Station in Kolkata, in the south-east of the country.  He was only 6 so was lucky to be rescued.  By an extraordinary coincidence, he found himself enrolled in Howrah Primary School in Hobart.  Twenty years later, he decided to try to find his old home.  Using Google Earth, he worked back along the railway lines until he recognised some landmarks.  You would think it was fiction if you didn't know better.

I also downloaded the book Saroo wrote of his experiences, Long Way Home, and the film certainly does it justice.