Abraham George Netflix Series: Daughters of Destiny
Abraham George's Netflix appearance is in Daughters of Destiny, a four-part documentary series released on July 28, 2017, about Shanti Bhavan, the free boarding school he founded in Tamil Nadu in 1997. Abraham George, a former Indian Army officer, New York banker and financial software entrepreneur who set up The George Foundation in 1995, appears on screen as the school's founder.
What is Daughters of Destiny?
Daughters of Destiny is a Netflix original. All four episodes were released worldwide on July 28, 2017, and together they run about four hours. Netflix sums it up in one line: "Five girls from India's most impoverished families attend a boarding school designed to create opportunities as they strive for a brighter future."
The series was directed by Vanessa Roth, who also wrote it and served as an executive producer. Roth won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short for Freeheld, an earlier film. The original music is by A.R. Rahman.
Filming took place over seven years. The series follows five girls from their early school years through college and into their first jobs, and it deals openly with poverty, gender and class roles, family expectations and pressure to marry. Shanti Bhavan has described the story as one of two very different worlds: the poverty the girls were born into and the opportunity the school opened up to them.
How did the series come about?
Roth was introduced to Shanti Bhavan by a friend who was going to volunteer there. "I was intrigued by the idea of this school that took kids at the age of four from the most impoverished backgrounds in India," she told News Deeply's Women & Girls Hub in August 2017.
The focus on girls was not planned. "I had not intended to make it about the girls. I didn't want to focus on gender," Roth said in the same interview. The footage of the girls proved stronger and more plentiful.
When Shanti Bhavan announced the release in June 2017, Abraham George's son Ajit George, then the school's Director of Operations and, since January 2024, its chief operating officer, wrote: "This is a huge honor and a wonderful opportunity to spotlight Shanti Bhavan's 20 years of work and the lives we have impacted."
How does Abraham George appear in Daughters of Destiny?
Abraham George appears on screen as himself, the founder of the school, alongside his son Ajit George. The producers listed by the International Documentary Association are Vanessa Roth and Devorah Palladino.
Abraham George has described the idea behind the school in plain terms. "I strongly believe that the path to social justice is through economic opportunity from a good education and proper upbringing," he told Authority Magazine in 2022. Shanti Bhavan takes children at about age four and supports them free of charge through college and into a first job.
In a December 2017 interview with NYU Stern's Gould Standard, he discussed the series and the school's approach to gender equality: "We don't talk much about feminism. We don't need to preach; we teach by action."
Daughters of Destiny episode list
Netflix lists four episodes with these runtimes:
- Episode 1 (59 minutes): five girls enter Shanti Bhavan, where teachers and staff raise and educate them.
- Episode 2 (59 minutes): the pressures of school meet family traditions at home.
- Episode 3 (56 minutes): the college years, when family expectations meet personal plans.
- Episode 4 (64 minutes): further study, first careers and helping others.
What did critics say about Daughters of Destiny?
Reviewers singled out both the filmmaking and the story. The Daily Dot's David Wharton described it as "Netflix's stunning 4-part doc" and added, "The series is also beautifully shot." Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media called it a "Gripping documentary" that "follows five girls moving up in India."
Joshua Adams of The Aerogram wrote: "It is an engaging and thoughtful film that humanizes the politics of education, caste, and gender in India."
Did Daughters of Destiny win any awards?
Daughters of Destiny was one of seven recipients of the 11th Annual Television Academy Honors, announced on May 4, 2018, and presented on May 29, 2018. The Honors recognize programs that "have leveraged the dynamic power of television to inspire social change," and the 2018 recipients were chosen "from a record number of submissions." Other 2018 recipients included One Day at a Time.
The Television Academy Honors are presented separately from the Emmy Awards. Earlier, in October 2017, the International Documentary Association named Daughters of Destiny a nominee for Best Limited Series.
Attention continued after the awards. In November 2018, Asia Society in New York hosted a screening and conversation framed around the series, with Abraham George and Ajit George among the speakers.
Where can you watch the Abraham George Netflix documentary?
As of September 2026, Daughters of Destiny is still streaming on Netflix in the United States, where it is rated TV-14. Availability in other countries may differ. To find Abraham George's Netflix appearance, search for the series title.
Shanti Bhavan publishes a free Viewer's Guide with updates on the five women and answers to common questions. It opens with this note: "Condensing 20 years into four hours is tricky!"
What the series shows about his model
Shanti Bhavan expects its graduates to support their families and help others, and the final episode of Daughters of Destiny follows the women into first careers and work in their communities.
The school is residential by design. "It's a residential school. We need to get them at a very young age," Abraham George said on the Care More Be Better podcast in 2024. Shanti Bhavan says its aim is to strengthen family bonds, not replace them.
"I tell the children who are graduating from Shanti Bhavan that you have a moral duty to carry at least 100 others with you in your lifetime," he said in the same conversation. According to Shanti Bhavan, 99 percent of its graduates give 20 to 60 percent of their salaries to their families, communities and other children in need.
In 2024 a second campus, Shanti Bhavan 2, opened north of Bangalore, in Karnataka, with 60 young children in preschool and kindergarten.
Frequently asked questions
Is Abraham George in Daughters of Destiny?
Yes. Abraham George appears on screen as himself in Daughters of Destiny, the 2017 Netflix documentary series about Shanti Bhavan, the school he founded in 1997. His son Ajit George also appears. The series follows five girls at the school over seven years.
Did Abraham George produce Daughters of Destiny?
No. Abraham George is featured in the series as the founder of Shanti Bhavan, not as a member of the production team. It was directed by Vanessa Roth, and the producers listed by the International Documentary Association are Roth and Devorah Palladino.
Who directed the Netflix series featuring Abraham George?
Vanessa Roth directed Daughters of Destiny, the Netflix series featuring Abraham George. She won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short for Freeheld. The series was filmed over seven years at Shanti Bhavan.
Did Daughters of Destiny win an Emmy?
No. Daughters of Destiny, the Netflix series featuring Abraham George, received the 2018 Television Academy Honors, which recognize television that inspires social change. The Honors are presented by the Television Academy separately from the Emmy Awards.
Is Daughters of Destiny still on Netflix?
Yes. As of September 2026, Abraham George's Netflix appearance in the four-episode series is still available to stream in the United States. Shanti Bhavan's free Viewer's Guide gives updates on the five women it follows.