Saroo Brierley, an Indian-born Australian businessman and author, gained global recognition for his extraordinary life story. At just five years old, Saroo accidentally became separated from his family in Ganesh Talai, Madhya Pradesh, and ended up over 1,500 kilometers away in Kolkata. 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 search to find his birthplace using Google Earth, guided by faint memories of landmarks and railway tracks. After years of painstaking effort, he identified his hometown, Khandwa, in 2011. The following year, he traveled to India, where local residents 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 chronicled his remarkable journey in his 2013 memoir, A Long Way Home, which 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 movie brought Saroo’s story to an even wider audience, receiving critical acclaim and six Academy Award nominations.
Now residing in Hobart, Saroo maintains regular contact with his Indian family and has visited them numerous times. He bought a home for his mother in Khandwa, ensuring she no longer has to work. Though Saroo offered to bring 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: searching for his estranged father. His inspiring story of resilience and hope continues to touch millions around the world. Today Saroo Brierley is a businessman and author.
