A mother is a giver, a nurturer who sacrifices so much for the sake of her child. But, when it comes to the protection of her child she can become ‘Kaali'(The furious Goddess Kaali) build a thick wall and go to extremes for the safety of her children.
This incredible story of Sagarika Bhattacharya shows a mother’s struggle, dedication and patience with which she stood against the whole nation to get the custody of her children back.
We at Mad4India have brought the real-life story of this fearless and bold mother – Sagarika Bhattacharya which inspired Rani Mukherjee starrer ‘Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway’. Read on to learn more about her struggles and her pain.
Is The Story Of Sagarika Bhattacharya True?
Sagarika Bhattacharya and her husband Anurup Bhattacharya, a geophysicist by profession had to shift his base for work – to Norway in 2007. A year later Sagarika Bhattacharya was pregnant with the couple’s first child Abhigyan -who soon started showing signs of autism. Seeing her little boy suffering like that was heartbreaking for her. But she always kept an optimistic way of life as all mother do.
In a situation like that, many parents lose all hope and become reluctant to assist their differently-abled children, but this was not the case for our brave mother Sagarika Bhattacharya, who didn’t treat her son any less lovingly than other normal kids of his age.
She did everything in her might to help their child in whichever way possible. In 2010, when Abhigyaan was admitted to kindergarten by that time Sagarika Bhattacharya gave birth to her second child- a baby girl Aishwarya.
As an autistic child, her firstborn often use to feel a little under the water due to various situations. Whenever her child get angry he used to bang his head on the wall.
After that, the real struggle began when the Child Welfare Services of Norway noticed the behaviour of her child and started monitoring carefully their family without their prior knowledge about that.
The Real Case Of Sagarika Bhattacharya -Inspired Rani Mukherjee Starrer ‘Mrs. Chatterjee VS Norway’
In May 2011, Norwegian authorities took over the custody of Sagarika Bhattacharya’s children. The CWS of Norway accused Sagarika Bhattacharya and her husband of not taking good care of their children.
They were accused of feeding their children with their hands, sleeping on the same bed as their children(which is very common in India) and not giving them enough room to play and proper clothes.
The whole case was just blown out of proportion and it’s the cultural difference that the authorities didn’t understand. They even accused Sagarika Bhattacharya as a mentally unstable person – who is not fit to take care of her children.
Sagarika Bhattacharya struggled for more than one year without a clues to what was going on but the road to get custody of her children was long ahead. After one year of trial, custody was given to Anurup’s brother.
Sagarika Bhattacharya’s Challenge Didn’t End There
With so much going up & down the parents suffered tremendously. The whole custody battle took a roll on Sagarika Bhattacharya and her husband’s relationship and they got separated.
After years of struggles and endless wait, the custody of her children was given to her ex-husband’s family. And she put on a brave front despite all the trauma just for the sake of her children. And, continued the custody battle here in West Bengal, India.
Sagarika Bhattacharya won the legal battle and was granted custody of her children in January 2013. The movies we watch and enjoy frequently serve as inspiration for our daily lives, but it is ironic and inspirational at the same time that most movies are based on true stories. The world’s struggles are incomprehensible, and the fights people put up in the face of those struggles are simply astounding.
Sagarika Bhattacharya has written a very beautiful autobiography titled ‘Journey of a Mother’ as well which inspired Rani Mukherjee starrer ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’ movie.
The custody battle of Sagarika Bhattacharya- shook the whole nation by storm showed us what the power of real mother is. We salute her courage and determination in this long battle.
Feature image:Twitter, Instagram
If you loved reading this story, you can also read about Gangubai Kathiawadi: The Real Life Story Of Betrayal, Struggle, And Power
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