A Lenten blog, Day 2 

Inspired by Jalebi 

Lena and I have just been to see the film “Lion”. The true life story that inspired it was of a small boy called Sara (actually Sheru, meaning “Lion”) from a village called Ganesha Talai in western Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India. Saroo’s father had left his mother for another women, leaving the family in a terrible plight. So Saroo’s mother had to work as a day labourer, moving stones. the 4 year old boy helped her with that, and his elder brother Guide in his scavenging efforts - stealing coal from a train, etc.

On one of these ventures to Kandwa station Guddu left Saroo to look for work, and the boy climbed onboard an empty train, fell asleep and was taken to Calcutta. Somehow he survived there until he was taken to an orphanage, where he was picked out for adoption by an Australian couple, the Brierleys, who lived a comfortable life in Hobart. The last thing Saroo told Guddu was to get 2,000 jalebi! (jalebi is an Indian sweet made by deep-frying maida flour - plain flour or all-purpose flour - batter in pretzel or circular shapes, which are then soaked in sugar syrup. They are particularly popular in the Indian subcontinent. The sweets are served warm or cold. They have a somewhat chewy texture with a crystallized sugary exterior coating. Citric acid or lime juice is sometimes added to the syrup, as well as rose water. Jalebi is eaten with curd, rabri (North India) along with optional other flavours such as kewra (scented water).)

The story continues 20 years later. Saroo, by now very Australian, has made contact with some Indian students in a course he’s enrolled in. One of them brings jalebi to a party. This triggers a memory and an identity crisis for Saroo. But how could he find the home he left as a 4 year old. Enter Google Maps. And that will do. Suffice it to say that the reunion scene was brilliantly done.

Lion provokes and addresses many issues which I don’t wish to address here. It was, however, nice to watch a “no baddy movie”. There was a paedophile ring which the 4 year old avoided, and some brutal treatment of children, but in general the story is the thing. And in the story, both Saroo’s biological and adoptive mothers are strong, sympathetic women.

Lion is the best movie I’ve seen since “Interstellar”.