Saroo Brierley is the man who inspired the film Lion. When he was 5 years old, Brierly got lost and was separated from his mother in India. He fell asleep on a train. When he woke up it was moving and he was trapped inside. Brierley ended up 1,000 miles from home in Calcutta and in an orphanage. He was later adopted by an Australian couple and thrived. But Brierly’s memories of his birth mother persisted. He eventually found his way back to his Indian village by using a mental map of his home and Google Earth.
[Saroo Brierley’s incredible book A Long Way Home is available on Amazon]
In the film Lion, Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) plays adult Brierley. His Australian parents are portrayed by Nicole Kidman and David Wenham (Lord of the Rings). According to Brierley’s bio on Amazon, he currently helps run the family boating supply business, Brierley Marine in Hobart, Tasmania. CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker interviews Bierley on 60 Minutes on Sunday, December 18 at 7:30pm on CBS.
