Saroo Brierley was born in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, India. In 1986, when he was aged only five, he lost all contact with his family when he became lost and was separated from his older brother at a train station in India. He never saw his brother again. Not knowing the name of his family or where he was from, he survived for weeks on the streets of Calcutta, before being taken into an orphanage and adopted by a family in Australia.
He grew up with his new parents in Hobart, Tasmania for the next 25 years. Saroo's virtual odyssey of his homeland and search for his home town and his mother made headlines across the world in 2012. His full story is recounted in his internationally bestselling autobiography, A Long Way Home, young readers' edition Lion: A Long Way Home and picture book Little Lion: A Long Way Home. The film Lion, based on his autobiography, was released in November 2016 and nominated for four Golden Globe and six Academy Awards, and won many other international awards. The film stars Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel and David Wenham. Since publication his books continue to be bestsellers and have been published in multiple overseas territories.