She was born to landless Hindu peasants who worked as near-slaves in others’ fields until her father was killed by a heart attack and her mother died a few months later in childbirth. They should have been back hours earlier.įatima lived for her children. When she returned to her cramped house after a hard day of work on a construction site, her two young sons still hadn’t arrived. The train was thundering down the track toward a destination - and a destiny - unknown.įatima Munshi was frantic. Outside the window, the remains of his old life had faded into the distance. One day, after years of searching, he miraculously found what he was looking for and set off to find his family.Only the relentless hum of the train answered his cries. Eventually, with the advent of Google Earth, he had the opportunity to look for the needle in a haystack he once called home, and pore over satellite images for landmarks he might recognize or mathematical equations that might further narrow down the labyrinthine map of India. Unable to read or write or recall the name of his hometown or even his own last name, he survived alone for weeks on the rough streets of Calcutta before ultimately being transferred to an agency and adopted by a couple in Australia.ĭespite his gratitude, Brierley always wondered about his origins. Soon to be a major motion picture starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara, this #1 international best-seller tells the miraculous and triumphant story of a young man who rediscovers not only his childhood life and home.but an identity long-since left behind.Īt only five years old, Saroo Brierley got lost on a train in India.

Lion in hindi is called saroo