Indian government fails to pay heed to condition of star of Oscar winning movie "Smile Pinki"
She's not as famous as the child actors of "Slumdog Millionaire," but Pinki Sonkar is a legend in the Indian village that once ostracized her, thanks to cleft-lip surgery and another Oscar-winning film.
Pinki along with her family lives in a small village, 50 km (30 miles) south of the Hindu pilgrimage city of Varanasi in northern Uttar Pradesh state and faced the brunt of poverty.
The 39-minute poignant film, by U.S.-based filmmaker Megan Mylan, recounted how the girl, born into a poor family and with a cleft lip, is taken by a social worker to a hospital that provides free surgery to fix the deformity for thousands of children each year.
Pinki was once an outcast in her northern Indian village, where deformities are not understood, but she was accepted into the community after the surgery.
The family members of Pinki were hopeful that their monetary condition would improve after the government announced that all kinds of help would be provided to them as Pinki had made the nation proud in the international arena.
Grandfather of Pinki, Sohan Lal told reporters on Saturday (May 26) that no aid was provided by anyone and all their hopes for better future shattered like a broken glass.
"Our condition has deteriorated.
Q. When Pinki went to work at that time you would have thought that your condition would improve?
A. Yes, when she went to work and won Oscar we thought that government would provide us some aid but they did not help us. Several people told us that they would help us but none of then helped us," said Lal.
When small Pinki returned from America after receiving the award, she was accorded a warm welcome and wife of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also felicitated her.
However, now the streets leading to her house remain deserted.
Pinki's father Rajender Sonkar told reporters that it seems a challenging task for him to fulfil his daughter's dream to become a doctor as they had not received any help.
The hut where Pinki spent her whole life does not have basic facilities like electricity and water.
"Our condition is very bad in this village. We thought that when our daughter would return from abroad then our life would improve but nothing has happened. Neither the government nor others provided any financial assistance to us," said Sonkar.
However, after 'Smile Pinki' won the Oscar, several non-government organisations came forward to create awareness about corrective surgery being performed on those who have cleft lip, free of cost.
A charitable organisation, 'Smile Train' took the initiative to help those who cannot get themselves treated for cleft lips due to lack of money.
Plastic surgeon who operated on Pinki, Subodh Kumar Singh while interacting with reporters said that 'Smile Train' was trying their level best to help Pinki and others like her but due to geographical constraints proper aid failed to reach the needful.
"The smile train is providing monetary help to Pinki and Guddu and also taking care of their education but as they are living in the remote village area, there is limited scope of development. But I believe that this intelligent girl after completing her education would get a good job," said Singh.
The federal government has failed to fulfil its promise of providing all kinds of monetary assistance to the main protagonist of Oscar winning movie 'Smile Pinki's', Pinki Sonkar, an Indian child who lives in abject poverty in a village in northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (MAY 26, 2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC)
1. VIEW OF THE AREA
2. A SIGN BOARD IN LOCAL LANGUAGE
3. A MAKESHIFT TENT IN THE COMPOUND OF THE HOUSE
4. OSCAR WINNING CHILD PINKI PLAYING WITH ANOTHER CHILD
5. PINKI SITTING
6. PINKI PLAYING WITH ANOTHER CHILD
7. PINKI PLAYING WITH OTHERS
8. PINKI WALKING
9. EXTERIORS OF THE HOUSE
10. ENTRANCE GATE OF THE HOUSE
11. A BOOK RACK IN THE HOUSE
12. INTERIORS OF THE HOUSE
13. PINKI STANDING ALONG WITH HER GRANDFATHER
14. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) GRANDFATHER OF PINKI, SOHAN LAL, SAYING:
"Our condition has deteriorated.
Q. When Pinki went to work at that time you would have thought that your condition would improve?
A. Yes, when she went to work and won Oscar we thought that government would provide us some aid but they did not help us. Several people told us that they would help us but none of then helped us."
15. COMPOUND OF THE HOUSE
16. MUD FLOOR OF THE HOUSE
17. INTERIORS OF THE HOUSE
18. PINKI STANDING HOLDING OSCAR AWARD
19. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) FATHER OF PINKI, RAJENDER SONKAR, SAYING:
"Our condition is very bad in this village. We thought that when our daughter would return from abroad then our life would improve but nothing has happened. Neither the government nor others provided any financial assistance to us."
20. PINKI WALKING IN THE FARMLAND
21. PINKI WALKING
22. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) PLASTIC SURGEON WHO OPERATED ON PINKI, SUBODH KUMAR SINGH, SAYING:
"The smile train is providing monetary help to Pinki and Guddu and also taking care of their education but as they are living in the remote village area, there is limited scope of development. But I believe that this intelligent girl after completing her education would get a good job."
23. A WELL
24. PINKI WALKING ALONG WITH ANOTHER CHILD
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