Mother India: Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan (DVD)

I spent much of my younger years (college, grad school, law school) involved in social and political issues and causes. As I grew older (like many others), I grew weary of "the fight" for social change, and my focus turned to my family. For many years now, I have largely avoided any movie (or anything else) that I thought might be trying to "preach" to me. Art that is expressly "political" does not generally interest me.I purchased this film because it was brought to my attention through the American Family Association (my father signed me up as a member, and I get their publications now). I don't always agree with the views of the organization (some of those views, like their views on gay rights, are directly opposite mine), but they do have a nice focus on family, and I have discovered some truly wonderful movies through the reviews or ads in their publications (The Pledge, Jimmy, Camp). I learned about this movie that way, as well, and that is why I watched it.My wife was a little concerned that it might be a bit much for our children (10 and 13), so I "pre-screened" it last night. Although some of it is a bit rough, I do not think it is inappropriate for children that age, and we will watch it as a family (I may add more here after we do that).Other reviewers have used words that seem right to me -- raw, blunt, direct, honest, simple. Also, heartbreaking, touching, inspiring. An almost random story of two American guys who return to India after their initial time there, for the sole purpose of documenting the lives of some of India's countless street orphans, it turns into an advocacy piece when they fall in love with the children they meet. And so did I, as I watched it. I like to pretend I'm a tough guy (at least for a balding suburban professional), but I was in tears through most of this film, and literally had to stop it at least four or five times to regain my composure. It is very nicely done. I don't know how much footage they must have had, but they edited it artfully, and it never drags. In the end, it leaves you with a sliver of hope, and the realization that nothing is going to change easily or quickly.My only criticism -- and I know it is expected, and it does not detract from my "rating" at all -- is that at the end it becomes a little more strident than it needed to be. It would have been enough to simply document what happened; the commentary at the end, urging us to lend a hand, probably could have been skipped (as in Camp, where the filmmakers simply provided contact information for the relevant organization in a screen after the credits). That said, I appreciate what they are doing, and if this last bit helps, or even has a chance of helping, then I can't argue with putting it in.This film is an excellent way to spend an hour of your time. Will do a lot more for you than watching another episode of [fill in your favorite tv drama].

This documentary showed the life and struggles children face on the street: over 310 million children, each with painful stories that matter.I can't imagine the utterly amazing strength they each have inside of themselves to move on each day. Groups of them stay together, help one another, and watch out for each other, like a family. They all have plans, wishes, and dreams despite their situation, which I find admirable.I can't help but have so much respect for the Americans that documented their lives in a way that wasn't judgemental or degrading. They spent a night with the children sleeping on the streets, not only to experience what they do first hand but also to show the kids that they respect what they go through and in no way are above them. Not many people would do that. It's uncomfortable, dangerous, and I can only imagine how it actually feels.Finally, I thought it was beautiful how these men who were making a documentary about orphaned children found themselves truly caring about them. They did fun things with them, really got to know them, and found a place for the two smallest of the children, a place where they could be adopted into a place that helps orphaned children have a home, education, food, and a better chance at having a successful life. This same place let all the 20 children in this group get hair cuts, shave, shower, gave them new clothes, and a hearty meal. The only sad thing was that the rest of the kids had to go back. I wish there were places like this for all homeless youth as well as adults. It is a beautiful documentary that I certainly recommend.The documentary definitely made me look at my own life and think that if these kids can have hopes, dreams and survive every day, there must be hope for my own trauma and mental and physical illnesses. These children are missing limbs, some living with horrible illnesses, and have been abused in so many ways, but they get their strength from somewhere. I see them as true warriors. Each child is an inspiration, and I'm definitely doing to look into doing my own part to help their circumstances in any way I can.

Kudos to the two Americans seeking to experience, first hand, how teenaged, orphaned children live near a small-town railway station in India. To have delved as deeply into their lives is more than most Indians do. India has much economic want - in this, it is no different from many developing countries. However, India is rare, perhaps unique in one respect: It is open - more than any developing country, probably more than any country, period - to outsiders focusing on specific, tiny aspects of the country’s gigantic mishmash.Just two weeks to understand the lives of homeless kids in India seems inadequate. In effect, the movie scrapes the surface of its stated purpose. Questions that come to mind are:- The two youngest got adopted, but what about the others? The script touched on the resistance of the older ones to giving up their freedom by going into an orphanage or training school. But it begs questions about why.- Nothing is said of Harvest India’s Christian essence. Would the young ones be indoctrinated into Christianity irrespective of their birth faith?- Was the choice of location affected by Harvest India being headquartered there? I was born and raised in India, and had never even heard of Tenali until this movie. In India, a town of 300,000 is little.- Statistics: The movie repeatedly points out that there are 31 million orphaned children in India. However, the homeless count is closer to 18 million; of that, not all kids are orphans. Parsing this difference would have been so very useful.In the minds of many Indians, perhaps others too, the movie may look like just another commercial for Christian charities, perhaps more subtle than most.But, its a nice movie. Then again, any movie showing children being “saved” is generally nice.