How did Saroo find the location of his village?

How did Saroo find the location of his village? - Crop man with map in automobile

At around 1:30 into the movie Lion, Saroo tears his schedules from the wall, then starts clicking Google Earth more or less at random. He then moves out of his original search radius - the Google Earth shots suggest only in the order of kilometers - and then notices a characteristic surface structure that draws his attention. Ultimately that leads to the answer of his search.

At this point in the movie I had serious issues maintaining my suspension of disbelief.
I can understand that in desperation he would click outside of the area he had already searched. But that would assume that the direction of his original searches was correct (based on something he 'knew'?). It would also imply that he used the correct amount of zoom to recognize an area that he has not seen from the air before.

Since the movie is based on a real story, this makes me wonder:

Did Saroo find the actual location based on more factual information or clues than presented in the movie?



Best Answer

Did Saroo find the actual location based on more factual information or clues than presented in the movie?

Yes

As an adult, he spent many hours over many months conducting searches using the satellite images on Google Earth, painstakingly following railway lines radiating out from Howrah railway station. He relied on his vague memories of the main features around Burhanpur railway station, although he knew little of the name of the station except that it began with the letter B.

Late one night in 2011, he came upon a small railway station that closely matched his childhood recollection of where he had become trapped in an empty carriage; the name of this station was Burhanpur, very close to a phonetic spelling of the name he remembered from his childhood ordeal. He followed the satellite images of the railway line north and found the town of Khandwa. He had no recollection of that name, but the town contained recognizable features, such as a fountain near the train tracks where he used to play. He was able to trace a path through the streets to what appeared to be the place where he and his family used to live.

Following up on a lead, Saroo contacted a Facebook group based in Khandwa. The Facebook group reinforced his belief that Khandwa might be his hometown.

In 2012, Saroo travelled to Khandwa in India and asked residents if they knew of any family that had lost their son 25 years ago. He showed photographs of himself as a child in Hobart. Local people soon led him to his mother. He was also reunited with his sister, Shekila, and his surviving brother, Kallu, who were now a schoolteacher and factory manager, respectively. With Saroo and Guddu gone, their mother was able to afford to send them to school.

Wikipedia

A lot more complicated and detailed than just clicking around on Google Earth.




Pictures about "How did Saroo find the location of his village?"

How did Saroo find the location of his village? - Full body of diverse couple standing with map while trying to find direction in city center during trip
How did Saroo find the location of his village? - Focused young man pointing at map while searching for route with multiracial friends in Grand Central Terminal during trip in New York
How did Saroo find the location of his village? - Concentrated young Hispanic lady reading map while standing near staircase of old building during vacation with crop multiethnic male friends



How did Saroo find his hometown?

In 1986, aged only 5, he lost all contact with his family when he was at a train station waiting for his brother who never returned. After living on the streets of Calcutta for 3 weeks by himself, he then got placed into a local orphanage where an Australian family adopted Saroo.

Did Saroo Brierley find his family?

Saroo was reunited with his mother after 26 years of searching. In a subsequent 60 Minutes documentary, Saroo's biological mother and his adopted mother met for the first time, something he will never forget.

Why did Saroo and his brother go to the train station?

Guddu and Saroo steal coal from freight trains to trade for milk and food. One day, Saroo follows his brother to a job and they arrive at a nearby train station, where Saroo decides to stay back and take a nap. Guddu tries to wake him up, but Saroo is too tired.

How did Saroo survive on the streets?

Saroo recounts his experience when he has to rely on people to leave scraps or give him food so he can outlast his time on the streets of Calcutta - 'I survived by eating scraps of food I found on the ground, like peanuts travellers had dropped or gnawed corn cobs that still contained a few kernels\u2026' pg 34.



Saroo's incredible journey to find his long lost family | 60 Minutes Australia




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Dziana Hasanbekava, Samson Katt, William Fortunato, William Fortunato