KOLKATA: The story of a feisty mother from Birati who fought against a country (Norway) to get back her children will soon be on the silverscreen. Sagarika Chakraborty's custody war for her two kids had hit the headlines, both in India and Norway, in 2012. Titled 'Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway', based on the young mother's fight, Rani Mukherjee will be playing the protagonist in this Bollywood movie.
The Birati girl had never ventured out of the country before her marriage to geophysicist Anurup Bhattacharya that took her to Norway. But when her children were taken away by the Child Welfare Services (CWS) in Stavanger - on ground of neglect and 'emotional disconnect' - the petite and seemingly meek Sagarika took on the Norwegian government in a legal battle till she got her children back.
In May 2011, the CWS also known as Barnevernet, took away the couple's children - two-year-old Abhigyan and four-month-old Aishwarya - and kept them in custody of a foster care home, where they would stay till they turned 18. Sagarika, then in her late twenties, was branded mentally unfit to care for the children. What followed was a two year-long legal battle with rights activists. Even the Indian government stepped in.
"They do not even consider cultural differences in raising a child and simply took away my children, branding me unfit. Sleeping on the same cot with the children, feeding them with bare hands being among the reasons. My son had some developmental issues while my daughter was still being breastfed when they were snatched away from me. Imagine my plight at that time," recounted Sagarika, who now works as a software engineer in an IT firm at Noida.
"I am happy and excited that this journey of mine has been made into a movie. I hope it will inspire many more parents whose children have been taken away by Barnevernet, to fight back," Sagarika told TOI over phone.
When Sagarika's fight against CWS failed, she sought help from her parents and rights activists in India, who approached the Indian government. The CWS finally relented and sent the children to India in April 2012. But her battle was far from over. The couple's marriage broke down and the children were handed over to their paternal uncle in Kulti on their return to Kolkata in April 2012 as the CWS had decided that the mother was unfit to care for children.
Sagarika had to run from pillar to post again in Bengal - courtrooms and doctors - to prove that she was psychologically fit to raise her children. The Calcutta High Court finally handed over the children to Sagarika in January 2013. While her son, now 13, still needs treatment for learning disabilities, her daughter is 11 and both are attending normal schools.
While living with her children at her parents' house in Birati, Sagarika had enrolled for a master degree in computer applications. She even penned her battle in a book titled 'Journey of a Mother' which will be released soon. "Due to my work, I am now based in Noida for about a year while my children are being looked after by my parents in Birati. But I speak to them daily on phone and video calls," Sagarika said.
Directed by Ashima Chibber the movie is set to be released soon.
