Homeless to Harvard

Homeless to Harvard..........Sounds like two different worlds connected by a bridge. I was just surfing for movies and was attracted by the title. It is a story of a homeless teenager who gets into Harvard! An incredible story of creating a destiny exactly opposite of what could have been.

What is even more incredible is that it's  a true story. Liz Murray (Elizabeth Murray) and her sister were born to parents who were drug addicts . Walking into the kitchen and witnessing her parents giving themselves shots with needles and blood splattered on the walls was a part of her upringing. Her mother once tried to sell her sister's coat to a drug dealer to procure coke. Liz was a brilliant student but she dropped out of school. Her mother had never gone to school as she ran away from home at an early age to escape her abusive father. Liz's life changed when her mother died of AIDS and she became homeless. She realised that she is going on the same path as her mother. She decides to go to school . Takes extra classes to complete four years of high school in two years. She is still homeless but she doesn't let the school know. She works to eat and sleeps on the subway. She is determined to change her life.

The turning point comes when she starts looking for scholarships to go to college and finds about the New York Times scholarship. She writes the essay and posts it one day before the last date. She is called for the interview and wins the scholarship.

Despite of all the hardships Liz Murray has no trace of bitterness towards her parents. She always loved her mother dearly and still does. Her story is beautiful and inspirational for a lot of us who are tied down by our tiny hardships.

Liz Murray graduated from Harvard. She is married and recently had her second child, a daughter she named after her mother. She has written a book ' Breaking Night' and is an inspirational speaker who  runs workshops to help people discover and construct better lives for themselves.

The drug dealer ,whom her mother tried to sell her sister's coat had refused to take it. He instead gave her mother a coin . Her mother had come home frustrated and threw away the coin. Liz kept the coin which had the serenity prayer inscribed  on it's back. She considers it a source of strength and a beautiful memory of her mother Jean Murray.

Masoom Shahar

I have  been downloading and watching sitcoms ( Canadian/ American/ British) for past one and a half years. They have become a very reliable source of entertainemnt for me. Providing the much needed rescue from remote control fights and forced feeding of 'Saas Baahu ' Drama. However watching something on the laptop means multitasking. The social networking sites and the chat apps taking away some moments of the sitcoms.

That day a friend suggested a children's movie , the full length of which was freely available on Youtube. I had watched the movie years ago  and the associated nostalgia drove me to finally watch it a few days later.

 KABHI PASS KABHI FAIL

The movie was "Kabhi Pass Kabhi Fail". The protagonist Robin is a happy-go-lucky , loved -by- all child living in a beautiful village in Goa. He is creative and playful but never scores in exams. One fine day he does a mathematical calculation mentally and his parents are taken aback. Slowly his talent and mathematical genius gains popularity in the village . He becomes the village genius. Then enters the villain ,his step uncle who schemes to use Robin's talent to make money. Robin gets caught up in his uncle's evil plans and eventually loses his mathematical magic due to sheer exhaustion and sadness.

It is a very beautiful story of discovery, loss and rediscovery . The child actor and his dog Coco have done such realistic work. The other cast has stalwarts like Deepti Naval and Naseeruddin Shah. Almost all the actors are recognizable as most have them have been on famous serials on TV.

I loved the storyline for it's simplicity and crispness. All characters have been played well and not a single shot deviates from the storyline. I was struck by nostalgia and enthralled by the simplicity of the movie once again.

MEHAK MIRZA

Then I stumbled upon another Children's Film " Mahek Mirza". Just clicked and was surprised to find a more recent and wonderful creation of the Children's Film society of India. It is a story of a girl who wants to excel in everything. when she runs for class President she dreams of becoming the first female President of India. However the reality is the exact opposite of her dreams. She loses . Still dreams. Loses some more. In the midst of dissapointents meets a 'Modern Fairy' who guides her towards finding her one true talent. One fine day Mehak loses the will to try again cos she doesn't  want to fail one more time.

 Again it is a very sweet, refreshing kid's tale with it's share of magical moments without the abra-ka-dabra. The child actors have  done a brilliant job. Specially the lead actor who played Mehak (Shreya Sharma).

LILKEE

The third one I watched was not as good as the other two but hit upon a topic of child labour. Lilki a garwali kid is taken to Mumbai to work  by a good-hearted couple who want to help her mother financially. She takes care of their baby and tries to adjust with the new surroundings. Develops friendship with the kids of the appartment who accept her after discarding her for being poor and a maid servant. It's over all a happy film which utilises a very burning topic but stays in a very secure surrounding. Focussing more on the mental state of Lilki who otherwise is among a very good lot of people.

I wonder what kids watch these days. But  watching these beautifully picturized simple tales based on  the innocence , inquistiveness  and creative potential of childhood was very heart warming. A respite from everyday unrest, violence, discontent, dishonesty , growing distances among people and surprisingly from multitasking.