An epic video of a man who was separated from his family on a runaway train as a young boy will move you… and yet, there’s more.
Originally appeared from HyperVocal
In a season where all we hear about is the government falling to pieces and flesh-eating drugs and other such bad-vibe stories, a happy story can make you feel all tingly. This week we have two from the same place.
Both these stories come out of India, and began over 20 years ago with two different little boys being separated from their families on trains.
The first broke yesterday, and maybe you’ve seen it. A new Google ad tells the story of Saroo Brierly, who was separated from his family more than 25 years ago when they were aboard a runaway train. He was then raised in an Australian family* and recently harnessed the power of Google Earth to make his way home. The word epic is overused, but we think it applies here.
The other is the tale of Ganesh Raghunath Dhangade, an Indian police officer separated from his family in 1989.
The resolution to Dhangade’s story is less tech-savvy, but equally heartwarming: After years at orphanages and living on his own, a tattoo on his right arm of his mother’s name, Manda, was the only clue to his past.
After being wounded in a car crash, his memories of his childhood home were even fuzzier, but a record from one orphanage showed his hometown as Mama Bhanja, an area near Mumbai, which ultimately led him to his Mama, Manda.
It’s easy feel cynical about the current state of affairs, but this makes us feel just a little bit sunnier.
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by Marisa Kabas
Read more from HyperVocal
*GMP editor’s note – we have slightly edited this post to reflect that Brierly was not raised in an orphanage, as originally reported.
Please note that Saroo was not raised in an orphanage, but a loving adoptive home in Tasmania, Australia. As an adopted person myself, I find that detail important. Still, a very inspirational and beautiful story. If you can find footage of his adoptive mother and birth mother meeting for the first time, it will make you weep!
I believe he went first to an orphanage, and then was adopted. We will make note of the distinction, because you’re right that it is important! Seems like he was adopted by an awesome family, too! They are amazing stories.