Last year, people found out about the remarkable story of Saroo Brierley. In 1981, Saroo was born in the city of Khandwa, located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. When he was only four-years old, Saroo accompanied his older brother Guddu on a train journey to nearby Burhanpur. On the way home, Saroo boarded a train assuming his brother was on it. Guddu wasn't on board. An exhausted Saroo fell asleep, after failing to get off the train at a number of stations. He woke up in unfamiliar territory and was unable to find his way home. Ultimately, he ended up 1,500 kilometres away.

After spending weeks living on the streets of Kolkata, Saroo was eventually declared a 'lost child', and ended up adopted by Australian parents. Living a new life on another continent, Brierley was not able to shake the distant but distinct memories of his childhood and hometown. When he discovered Google Maps, he painstakingly virtually traveled India's seemingly endless train lines to try and rediscover his home. Amazingly, he actually found it.

It's not an entirely happy ending - Guddu hadn't returned home either, but his body was discovered soon afterwards - but it is a fascinating story. Saroo talks about his story in the video below (with only a final logo betraying that it is actually an ad for Google Maps). He's told the story in more depth in his book A Long Way Home, and producers are already looking to make a film about Saroo and his journey.

(Image: Google Maps)