KOLKATA: Author Salman Rushdie wants 'Lion' to win in every category at the Oscars that the movie has been nominated for. He feels moved by the authenticity and unsparing realism depicted in the film's Indian first half. That segment includes portions from Saroo Brierley 's childhood on Kolkata's streets and a home in Liluah before he was adopted by an Australian couple. Yet, the Oscar buzz and the BAFTA wins don't have much significance for those in SMM Home in Liluah.It was here that Saroo spent some months. During his recent Kolkata visit, he described this home as a scary place. "The place looked like hell. It was like a war prison."The depiction of the home in the film reflects the same sentiments. The BAFTA-winning adapted screenplay has a scene with a five-year-old girl called Amita and Saroo watching a guard and a well-dressed outsider striding past an open door. In the background, there is sound of a scuffle, followed by cries of anguish and whimpering while the two kids stare at a reluctant boy being dragged by these men.No one at Liluah wants to talk about this past. A website on the list of government homes just mentions figures like rescue (80), observation (50), special (25) and day care (125) against SMM Liluah (Female).Assistant superintendent Kalpana Saha doesn't want to part with any information about the home and claims ignorance about 'Lion'. "I have joined recently so I can't talk about the home. The superintendent is on leave," Saha says.A 10-year-old loitering near the gate says, "My grandparents told me there used to be a dilapidated building here where a lot of dirty work would get done." Before he can elaborate, a guard cuts him short. "The boys have been shifted elsewhere. We have women and girls only. I don't know anything else."Brierley's book 'A Long Way Home' refers to how, in the earlier days, boys were punished with "a long thin cane that hurt doubly, because a split end pinched the skin on contact". Saroj Sood (84), the founder and honorary secretary of The Indian Society For Sponsorship and Adoption (ISSA) who had first met Saroo at this home in Liluah, says, "I remember the situation was really bad then."Social worker Ambika Jaipal Singh, who has worked with ISSA, adds: "Decades back, I had been to the Liluah home. It was overcrowded. I don't think the film's depiction is a figment of imagination."But will the spotlight on 'Lion' help in changing the living condition of children at the numerous homes in India? Singh is hopeful. She says that a "powerful movie" like 'Lion' is likely to usher in a lot of changes to ensure safety and security of children on the streets ,as well as in the shelters.

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