Six-year-old
Pinki Sonkar from a tiny village in Mirzapur district of eastern
Uttar Pradesh had gotten accustomed to
a cruel existence. Not just did she have to endure a life
of extreme poverty, she had to face shame and isolation due to
her cleft lip deformity. She had no friends, the kids in the
village teased her and she was not allowed to attend school.
She was condemned for life.
That was until Pankaj a social worker from G.S. Memorial Hospital
Varanasi visited Pinki’s village and told her family all
about Smile Train’s cleft program. Little
could they have imagined how their lives were about to change!
Pinki’s cleft surgery, sponsored by Smile Train and carried
out by Dr. Subodh Kumar Singh was a huge success. She got a beautiful
smile.
But
that wasn’t all. Pinki also became the subject of acclaimed
American documentary film maker Megan Mylan’s new short
film. The 39 minute film, ‘Smile
Pinki’, which traces the life of Pinki before, during
and after the surgery, premiered at the Silverdocs Film Festival
in 2008 and has met with rave reviews since. The film was nominated
for an Oscarin the category of Best
Documentary Short along with three other leading documentaries
and has won the Oscar!
Pinki, her father Rajendra Sonkar, and her surgeon Dr. Subodh
Kumar Singh, travelled to Hollywood to
attend the 2009 Oscar Awards ceremony
held in Los Angeles on the 23rd of February. They were there
to witness the proud moment when director Megan Mylan collected
the Oscar. Pinki can’t stop smiling…..and her father
still can’t believe it!
Pinki in Hollywood!
Watch the Trailer of 'Smile Pinki'
'Smile Pinki' tells the real-world fairy tale of one
young life changed forever and takes you inside one
of Smile Train’s incredible partner hospitals. Click
below to watch the trailer of this acclaimed documentary which
is a 2008 Academy Award Nominee for
Best Documentary Short.
Latest on Pinki’s story
17/02/09: Pinki and her father
left for USA last night on their way to the Oscar event
3/02/09:Pinki
and her father Rajendra Sonkar have got their passports and
US Visas and are all set to take off on 16th February
23/02/09: 'Smile
Pinki' wins the Oscar! Pinki Sonkar, Rajendra Sonkar and Dr.
Subodh Kumar Singh were there in Los Angeles to witness the
proud moment first hand
India
| 
Six-year-old
Pinki Sonkar from a tiny village in Mirzapur district of eastern
Uttar Pradesh had gotten 
But
that wasn’t all. Pinki also became the subject of acclaimed
American documentary film maker Megan Mylan’s new short
film. The 39 minute film, 
