The Tragic Story of a Man Who Found His Way Home With Google Earth 25 Years After He Disappeared

In 1986, a 5-year-old Indian boy got on the wrong train and disappeared. After weeks of living on the streets, she went to an orphanage and then to her adopted Australian family. But over the years, he never stopped searching for his real family and home.

Saroo Brierley was just 5 years old when he fell asleep at a train station in India while waiting for his older brother to arrive. When he awoke, his brother was still not there. He got scared and started looking for his brother and not knowing what to do, he got on a train. Thus, Saroo embarked on a long journey where he had to survive alone for weeks.

All was well in Australia, but Saroo was wondering about his real home and family…

Saroo, who tried to survive in different parts of India for about 3 weeks because he did not know his family and where he lived, survived the danger of drowning in this process, escaped being sold as a slave, and was eventually placed in an orphanage. He was then adopted by an Australian family and sent to Australia, thousands of kilometers from India.

The adoptive family took very good care of Saroo. But Saroo couldn’t help but think of the real family he had left in India, even though he could hardly remember anything about it.

Google Earth and Facebook were the way to reunite Saroo with his family after 25 years

For years he sought ways to find his real family. But he couldn’t remember the identity of his family or where they lived. But over the years, Saroo discovered a way that he believed could find his family after he got acquainted with the internet.

Saroo has spent years studying the map of India on Google Earth. Searching for a trace by examining the entire railway map of India, Saroo one day found an image that was etched in his mind. This image was of the train station of his town, Khandwa.

Saroo, who learned the name of the town thanks to the image that was familiar to him, then found someone to communicate with in a group opened in the name of the town on Facebook. Flying to India without wasting time, Saroo searched and found his family in the streets of the town.

Saroo and his real mother, who had a heart-warming reunion despite the difference in language and culture over the past 25 years, came together from time to time and continued to satisfy their longing. Saroo, who is in frequent contact with his mother, albeit on the phone, bought her mother’s house in India and supported her economically.

Saroo first told his story in his autobiography “A Long Way Home”. At the time of the incident, the media had already paid a lot of attention to the issue. The story, which was strengthened by the book that followed, eventually became a movie adapted for the big screen with a huge cast.

Saroo’s tragic yet fascinating story earned it 6 Oscar nominations

Starring giants such as Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel, this 2016 movie titled Lion won 59 awards, including BAFTA as well as 6 Oscar nominations.

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