Tali Mason’s story as an Indian adoptee in Australia

When Tali Mason was in the film watching the theater Lion for the first time, she was struck by the way the first few months of her life were brought to life on screen.

The now 32-year-old and her older brother were accepted by white Australian parents from the Nava Jeevan orphanage in Calcutta, India, the same as the main character and the man on whom the film is based, Saroo Brierley.

It wasn’t until Tali turned around and saw her father shedding tears next to her that she realized how much her parents had given to be in this position.

“Dad was in tears. He never goes to the movies, he hates going to the movies, but he was even in tears and he doesn’t cry that often,” she recalled. nine.com.au.

‘I just saw how emotional mom and dad were [made her realise] there has never been a time where my background and where i come from have been on my mind.

“It was overwhelming, it hit me at once… my actual life story.

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Tali was adopted when he was 15 months old. Her older brother was adopted from the same orphanage three years earlier, although the siblings are not biologically related.

Tali’s biological mother had died and her father was unable to care for her, leaving her in the care of the orphanage.

She spent her first few months of life in a ‘chaotic’ environment with several other children in a house made of earth and stone.

Despite everything, she has many fond memories of her time in the first place she called home.

“I had my first birthday there, and there’s a picture of me at the table on my first birthday, and the orphanage gave me a little book that they put together with other little memories,” Tali remembers.

As in the film, she was cared for by Mrs. Sood, the friendly, bespectacled woman in a blue sari who prepared her, Saroo and other children at the orphanage for their lives abroad, teaching them skills such as using a knife and fork or salt and pepper shakers.

I knew it was dad, my father, coming for me.

Like all adoptees, Tali was shown photos of her future home – a quaint English Tudor house in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell – and of course, her parents.

‘When Dad came to pick me up, I apparently pushed [a friend] out of the way because I knew it was daddy, my fatherwho comes to pick me up from the orphanage,” she said.

The return journey was not easy, with the father and daughter being held up at the airport over the authenticity of her adoption papers and even held at gunpoint – but they eventually made it home and became a family of four.

Tali’s childhood was typically idyllic Aussie. She went to school in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and even did gymnastics after school.

But she always knew there was something different about her.

It was clear from the start that she and her brother were adopted: after all, they had a different skin color and features than their parents.

As she grew up, her parents explained the circumstances of their adoption – how they had gotten married in their early 20s and tried everything to have children, even several failed rounds of IVF, before deciding to adopt.

The process took at least six years, with multiple court hearings to argue their case before they could welcome their children in their 40s.

“That must have been a terrible situation, just the two of them,” Tali said.

“And then to be able to give two more children a life like we did… sometimes I just forget the magnitude of it.”

As Tali and her brother grew older, their parents developed a bond with their homeland and identity by traveling back to India, and even back to the orphanage in Calcutta.

Tali recalled that her visit to Nava Jeevan at the age of six was “very emotional”, as the children from the orphanage clung to her.

“When I look back at the photos and I’m stuck in the orphanage, I understand why [her parents] wanted to do what they did.

“I see that what mom and dad have done is the best thing in the world.

“Out of all this, I’m just grateful to be alive, to be honest… if I was still back in India, who knows? I might not be alive anymore.”

What helped most in reconciling their experiences as Indian adoptees in Australia were the fortnightly meetings with other families undergoing adoption.

Growing up, she spent most weekends at a new family’s home as the adoption group gathered to share their experiences.

It was here that she met Saroo Brierley and heard his story for the first time, long before it became the subject of an Oscar-nominated film.

Tali recalled that he and his mother attended a meeting just before the movie came out, and after it appeared on the news.

“My story is great, but his story is phenomenal!” she thought at the time

Over time, Tali felt like she “blended in very well with the culture here,” to the point where she often “forgot” that she was adopted.

“I was fortunate that I never really experienced racism or bullying growing up,” she says.

Tali said of herself and her brother, “I think we were lucky that our parents raised us that way, because we both grew up to be really resilient and independent kids and adults, and we were then, and learned to defend ourselves.”

Her unique experiences growing up with her heritage in a predominantly white community made her acutely aware of the inequality between people in Australia.

It was a common occurrence in her everyday life, especially when she was trying to buy makeup that matched her skin tone.

She often had to settle for the darkest color available at the pharmacy, which was often too light for her, left an orange cast and had a bland texture.

Ultimately, she and another friend from her adoption group thought “enough is enough” and decided to launch their own makeup brand, All Shades Matter, with their parents’ blessing.

“At first we were actually a little worried about what they would think with our background,” explains Tali, who was already teaching full-time at an elementary school at the time.

“We didn’t want them to think we were taking advantage of our story or anything like that.

“They said, ‘No, absolutely, that’s a phenomenal idea. You lived it and you understood the experience and how difficult it was… It’s not the story, it’s your actual experience.'”

They took the unique approach of starting with the darkest shades first to address a huge gap in the Australian market.

The couple “turned the beauty game on its head and did the opposite and actually started with the deeper shades first.”

People of all ages resonated with the message and appreciated the product, from Tali’s sixth-year students who wanted to wear the right color to graduation and formal, to people in their 70s who said they had been waiting for a product like theirs for so long.

Despite receiving some criticism because people thought they were selling their story, Tali continues to be able to “have an authentic and appreciative community.” [was] where it resonated so well… it wasn’t just a matter of making money.”

The brand released a number of foundation shades and had found success both overseas and on home soil, stocking in Canada and in discussions with Australian retailers.

They were preparing to let go when Tali’s partner left the company, leaving her to go it alone on top of her full-time teaching job.

Ultimately, she too decided to resign after weighing the costs of running the company against her rapidly increasing burnout.

But despite that heartbreak, she was able to turn to her loving parents for support.

“I also told my parents, ‘I don’t want to feel like I’m failing and letting people down,’” she recalls.

“They said, ‘No, you’ve learned so much through this, you’ve learned how to run a business… People will understand where you’re coming from.’

“I’m very grateful to them,” Tali said. “I love them so much.”