DVD Review and Giveaway: Mother India: Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan

                                    Releases April 23, 2013

The Documentary Narrated by Rebecca St. James Captures the Lives of 25 Abandoned and Orphaned Children Living on the Streets in India

Rebecca St. James MOTHER INDIA synopsis: Winner of “Best Short Documentary” at the 2012 San Diego Christian Film Festival, Mother India is a compelling documentary that chronicles the adventure of 25 courageous orphans living as a family along the railway in Tenali, India. Mother India brings to light the struggles faced daily by over 31 million orphans in India and the challenge of rescuing them from a life of begging and addiction.   Mother India, is the work of first-time filmmakers David Trotter and Shawn Scheinoha.  “India is growing in both population and industry, but few people know that there are over 31 million orphans in this nation,” commented Trotter (Executive Producer, Director). “Each of these young lives is much more than a statistic. Every one of them has a name, a face and a story.” Scheinoha (Executive Producer) added, “We’re not out to just tell a tragic story. We’re focused on raising awareness and changing lives.”

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My Review:
I knew about poverty and the caste system in India but I had no idea that there are over 31 million orphans in India. My family and I were very touched by this eye-opening and inspiring documentary. I was in tears. Mother India was filmed in Southern India during a two-week period in early 2012 when David Trotter and Shawn Scheinoha made friends with 25 orphans who live together (like a family) near a railroad track because they wanted to capture the plight of the orphans through the eyes of the orphans themselves. They interviewed the kids and followed them around with a video camera. It's a very sad reality that these young people are left to fend for themselves, feeling unwanted, unloved, and uncared for.

The train station is their "home" and they barely survive by getting on trains to beg passengers for money (1-2 rupees). At night, they sleep on the hard ground, covering themselves with blankets to protect themselves from getting bitten by mosquitoes. Several of them are limbless (resulting from jumping the trains). Most of them are addicted to cigarettes, tobacco, or whiteners. Some even use injections and have no clue what they've been injecting into their bloodstream. They only care about numbing their pain. They have been discarded, abandoned, abused (by their own families), beaten even by the police. When two young siblings (ages 3 and 7) joined the group, David and Shawn asked Harvest India (an orphanage and school) to help these young ones out. It's their hope that viewers will watch this film, realize the desperate need, and then take action to change lives. I highly recommend this powerful DVD and I invite you to check out Mother India's website and Harvest India!

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9

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~ I received a free copy of this DVD via Blogger Gateway in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.