Mira Nair honoured in her native India for homelessness work

Director Mira Nair has been honoured for her work to eradicate homelessness in her native India. The Monsoon Wedding moviemaker recently returned to New Delhi to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her first feature film Salaam Bombay!, about a young boy’s struggle to survive on the streets, and during the trip she was recognised by local officials for using her earnings to set up a trust fund for needy children.
Overcome with emotion, she tells Elle magazine, “The most important celebration is for the trust. It’s thriving. We reach 5,000 kids with 17 centres, 168 social workers, and five shelters.”
As well as helping to put food on the table, the organisation provides literacy and learning programmes for kids, something Nair feels strongly about – the 55 year old currently spends half the year teaching at New York City’s Columbia University and the other half educating students at her film school in Uganda.