Susan Sarandon 

Easier said than 'Saran' don

"The image that an educated American has about India is something between the Kamasutra and the slums. But after visiting India, I am going to go back with lots of positive images about this place,” says Susan Sarandon, a Hollywood actress and a social worker, while spending some time exclusively with mumbaibest. She was in the city recently as a special representative for the UNICEF.

“I don’t have the faintest idea as to how my presence is going to affect any cause, but since I have seen what is happening, I can speak from a sense of urgency. The underprivileged need to know that they are not alone. The world is watching them,” says Sarandon.

She revealed some very stark facts about India- There are around 500,000 street children in India who are exposed to violence and exploitation, disabled children are put to work as beggars and girls continue to face higher risks of mortality. Mortality among girls is 20% higher than among boys. India still continues to have the highest number of child labourers globally. One third of the world’s total number of children suffering from malnutrition are in India. Micro-nutrient deficiencies, nutritional anaemia and deficiency of vitamin A are still widely prevalent. Sarandon said that the main objectives of UNICEF are looking after the nutrition and health of children and women, improvement of sanitation and hygiene and providing primary education. However, one of the major challenges that the UNICEF faces is to curb child prostitution, she added.

While in Mumbai, Sarandon visited the slums in Parel Gilbert Hills (Andheri W). Appalled to see the condition of women there, she said, "Women here have amazing strength of spirit.” On motherhood she said, “If you give up your job to bring up your child and you feel miserable about it, then you are going to be a miserable mom. You need to have your priorities right. You have to put your marriage and your sense of self aside and spend time with your child.”

Sarandon who has always been actively involved in a variety of social causes and charitable endeavours feels that social issues in the US are on similar lines. "There is a high mortality rate and severe housing problems. A large number of people live on the streets. And above all there is a very high percentage of homes headed by single females and this trend is estimated to increase further by next year," she said.

For her social work Sarandon has been awarded Amnesty International’s ‘ Media Spotlight Award for Leadership’. Sarandon tries to maintain consistency between her social work and films. She has a big “NO” for any kind of violent films. She also plans to do a film with Mira Nair.

Sarandon who was on her first visit to India met a host of Bollywood celebrities including Shabana Azmi, Javed Akthar, Kiron Kher, Manisha Koirala, Shyam Benegal and Sunil Dutt.

By : Latika Sidana