Menu

Sagarika Bhattacharya Age, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Quick Info→
Hometown: Kolkata
Age: 41 Years
Husband: Anurup Bhattacharya

Sagrika Bhattacharya

Bio/Wiki
Birth nameSagarika Chakraborty (before marriage)
ProfessionDeveloper
Famous ForNorwegian Child Custody Case
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 162 cm
in meters- 1.62 m
in feet & inches- 5’ 4”
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourBlack
Personal Life
Date of BirthNovember 4, 1982 (Thursday)
Age (as of 2023)41 Years
BirthplaceKolkata
Zodiac signScorpio
NationalityIndian
HometownKolkata
College/University• University of Calcutta
• St. Xavier's College, Kolkata
• Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (IISWBM), Kolkata
[1]Sagarika Chakraborty - Facebook Educational Qualification• Bachelor of Science (Hons.) degree (2002-2005)
• Master's degree in computer software engineering
• Master's degree (2005-2007) in business administration and management
• Master of Computer Application (2015-2018)
ReligionHinduism [2]Sagarika Chakraborty - Facebook
Sagarika posting about Durga Puja
CasteBrahmin [3]Sagarika Chakraborty - Facebook
Food HabitNon-vegetarian [4]Sagarika Chakraborty - Facebook
HobbiesTraveling, working out, and cooking
Relationships & More
Marital StatusSeparated
Marriage DateDecember 2007
Separation Date2012
Family
Husband/SpouseAnurup Bhattacharya
A wedding picture of Anurup and Sagarika
ChildrenSon- Abhigyan (b. 2008) (age 16 years; as of 2023)
A picture of Sagarika's son
Daughter- Aishwarya (b. 2010) (age 14 years; as of 2023)
Sagarika's daughter Aishwarya
ParentsFather- Manatosh
Mother- Shikha
Sagrika's parents in protest
SiblingsBrother- Subhadip Chakraborty, Subhodip Chakroborty, and Sourav Chakraborty
Favourites
ActorShah Rukh Khan
SingerArijit Singh
TV ShowsKoffee with Karan

Sagarika Bhattacharya

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sagarika Bhattacharya

  • Sagarika Chakraborty has worked as a software developer for several companies in Kolkata and West Bengal. She was employed at Software Sales and Development from July 2018 to November 2018, and then worked as a software developer at Microbase Infotech Pvt. Ltd. from February 2019 to February 2020. From June 2020 to June 2021, she was a software engineer at Saha Softech, and from July 2021 to November 2021, she worked as a software developer at Lee & Nee Software (Exports) Ltd in Kolkata. In November 2021, she joined Chetu, a US-based software development company, as a full-stack developer in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. [5]The Times of India

    Sagarika often posts about her office on social media

    Sagarika often posts about her office on social media

  • Sagarika Chakraborty began collaborating with Vishwakarma Publications, a book publishing company based in Pune, Maharashtra, as an author in January 2019.

    The invitation of Sagarika's book release

    The invitation of Sagarika’s book release

  • She was a part of the 2022 Pune Literary Festival Event.

    Sagarika as a part of Pune Literary Festival

    Sagarika as a part of the Pune Literary Festival

  • Sagarika Chakraborty married geophysicist Anurup Bhattacharya in 2007 and moved to Norway. Their first child, Abhigyaan, was born the following year and showed signs of autism early on. In 2010, Abhigyaan was enrolled in a family kindergarten program that provided specialized care, especially since Sagarika was expecting their second child, Aishwarya, at the same time.

I had no idea what they were thinking and planning. Neither me nor my husband were expecting this consequence. We were never informed that there was any problem with us and that the children could be taken away by the CWS. Both of us knew about the [Marte Meo] counseling and observation part and we had openly agreed to it for the sake of our son. But I remember very clearly that when I did request a cancellation or a rescheduling of the home visits, I was told that this would not be possible. Even on days when I wasn’t feeling well, they insisted on coming. I remember being extremely uncomfortable on such occasions and I wanted to be alone with the baby, wanting to rest when the baby slept, but they sat there through everything, just sat there and observed everything, constantly writing down things in their files. On some days, I felt awful, I didn’t know what to do.” [6]Masala Chai Musings

  • Barnevernet, the Norwegian Child Welfare Services, removed Aishwarya and Abhigyaan from their parents’ custody in 2011 and placed them in foster care until they turned 18. The couple had been under observation for several months by Barnevernet for alleged “improper parenting”. This event was a tragedy for the family.

“On 9 May 2011, two days before the CWS took my children away, I went to the health station for my daughter’s vaccinations. She got injections on both legs and was in pain and had developed fever. I was not able to sleep those two nights. My husband was also very tired. I still went to the kindergarten for the sake of of my son and I thought that when I get him back from the kindergarten, then the whole family can relax. At this time, the CWS people again insisted on coming home. I was very stressd due to the lack of sleep and didn’t want any one at home and tried to tell them about the vaccinations, the pain, the fever, and our sleepless nights. They insisted on coming. I started to prepare breakfast and they started some questions about household duties and who does what. I told them that this was not the right time for them to ask us questions, we hadn’t slept and needed to finish the household tasks. The officer then took my daughter out of the house saying you are tired, we will take your daughter for a walk outside. While we completed our work we waited for the child to be brought back. At this time, after about an hour, we were told that our children have been taken to a care home and we will not be allowed to see them. [Pause] ……………….. I don’t have words………………I cannot tell you…………..I cannot explain what I felt……..I remember I was crying, hysterical, shouting……I asked how they could do such a thing………..But I was not heard. Later, I heard that they had recorded my behavior as hysterical and taken that as further proof of my unsuitability as a mother. Tell me…..how would you react if your children are taken away from you?”

The kids' Norwegian foster family

The kids’ Norwegian foster family

  • Norwegian authorities accused a couple of engaging in inappropriate parenting practices, such as sharing a bed with their children, hand-feeding (which was viewed as force-feeding by Norwegian authorities), and administering corporal punishment (Sagarika allegedly slapped the children once). While these practices might be considered acceptable in Indian culture, they were considered unacceptable by Norwegian authorities.
After my daughter was born, me and my husband were sleeping in two different rooms. My husband used to sleep with my son and I used to sleep with my daughter. You know, little babies keep getting up in the night to feed so we thought that this is the best for all of us. I think now that the CWS thought it was wrong for us to do this. That it was wrong for me to sleep with my baby. I just cannot understand why they would think that. Many times, I could see them frowning at me, but they never said anything. Like when I was preparing food, I could see they did not approve of what I was cooking, and when I was feeding the children also, I think they made many notes about that. I know later they did say that I used to feed the children with my hand, and I think they said that is wrong. I think they found faults with most of the things I did. As a child, my son did not play with many toys, and when he was a baby and I used to be cooking, I used to let him play with the utensils in the kitchen. This is something we all do in our families. I think this also became a point of complaint about me, they felt a child should play with toys and not kitchen utensils. I did sometimes get angry with him and would threaten him by raising my hand, but that was only a threat. I would raise my voice only when there was something unsafe like a hot surface. I would want to prevent him from getting hurt. I think they put me down as an abusive mother, and I cannot understand how they came to that conclusion.
  • Afterward, the Norwegian Child Welfare Services handed over custody of Sagarika’s children to their uncle and grandfather in Kulti near Asansol, West Bengal in April 2012. However, the custody battle was not yet over for Sagarika. The arduous fight with Norwegian authorities had taken its toll on her marriage with Anurup, and she now faced another battle for custody of her children back in India.
  • She approached the Burdwan Child Welfare Committee for custody of her children, and while the committee ruled in her favor, the police did not enforce the decision, leaving the children with their uncle and grandfather. In December 2012, Sagarika took the matter to the Calcutta High Court, and in January 2013, Justice Dipankar Dutta ruled that Sagarika should have custody of her two children, while their uncle and grandfather were granted visitation rights.
  • The children were eventually given to their uncle and grandfather in Kulti, near Asansol, West Bengal, which was a positive outcome. However, the custody battle was not yet resolved, and the extended conflict with Norwegian authorities had taken a toll on Sagarika and Anurup’s marriage. Now, Sagarika was facing another legal fight for custody of her children in India.
  • Sagarika appealed to the Burdwan Child Welfare Committee for custody of her children, and the committee ruled in her favor. However, the police did not enforce the decision, and the children remained with their uncle and grandfather. In December 2012, Sagarika took her case to the Calcutta High Court.
  • In January 2013, Justice Dipankar Dutta granted custody of the children to Sagarika while allowing their uncle and grandfather visitation rights. Despite this, Sagarika’s husband, the father of her children, remained in Norway and has not visited her or their children since they were taken away by the Norwegian Child Welfare Services. [7]Indian Express
    An interview of Sagarika as she won the custody case

    An interview of Sagarika as she won the custody case

    Sagarika reuniting with her kids

    Sagarika reuniting with her kids

  • Furthermore, Sagarika underwent multiple psychiatric and psychological evaluations conducted by government-appointed experts to assess her mental well-being and ability to properly care for her children. Nonetheless, she was never found to be lacking in any way.
  • Sagarika Chakraborty’s autobiography, “The Journey Of A Mother,” was published in 2022 and inspired a movie that featured her case. The film, starring Rani Mukerji as Sagarika Chakraborty and Anirban Bhattacharya as her husband, Anurup Bhattacharya, was released in 2023.

“I am happy and excited that my journey has been made into a movie. I hope it inspires many more parents whose children have been taken away by Barnevernet to fight back,” Sagarika said.

Sagarika during her book launch

Sagarika during her book launch

The cover picture of Sagarika's book

The cover picture of Sagarika’s book

Rani Mukherji portraying the role of Sagarika in the film

Rani Mukherji portraying the role of Sagarika in the film

  • The hashtag #BoycottGermany gained popularity in India following the release of the trailer, due to the ongoing struggle of Bhavesh and Dhara Shah in Germany to regain custody of their child, which shares similarities with the Bhattacharyas’ case.
    A picture of Bhavesh and Dhara Shah

    A picture of Bhavesh and Dhara Shah

    Boycott Germany trending on twitter

    Boycott Germany trending on Twitter

  • Since writing her life story, Sagarika has spoken at many literary festivals and events and was nominated for the Women Author Awards by JK Paper and Times of India.

    Sagarika posted about JK Paper Women Author Awards

    Sagarika posted about JK Paper Women Author Awards

  • She was also invited to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (India NCPCR) under GOI and met with the chairperson of NCPCR, Mr. Priyank Kanoongo.

    Sagarika with Mr Priyank Kanoongo

    Sagarika with Mr Priyank Kanoongo

  • Ever since her case has come to light again, many fake accounts have been created using Sagarika’s profile picture, prompting her to complain about them.

    Sagarika posting about fake profiles on her social media

    Sagarika posting about fake profiles on her social media

  • Sagarika enjoys traveling with friends and often shares pictures on social media, along with her workout photos, as she is health-conscious. These are some of her hobbies.
    A picture of Sagarika in the gym

    A picture of Sagarika in the gym

    A picture of Sagarika on a trip with her friends

    A picture of Sagarika on a trip with her friends

  • She follows a non-vegetarian diet. [8]Sagarika Chakraborty – Facebook