Ms. Soma Chakraborty

A simple middle class girl with dreams in her eyes to be the perfect housewife. This was what she wanted to be while in college. Life had some other plans for her and the journey of her life is a roller coaster ride of trials and tribulations, of fights and breaking glass ceilings and rising each time after every failure. Life has prepared her to be born fighter whether it is standing against skin colour discrimination from relatives and surroundings alike or whether its restarting after collapse of a turbulent marriage or whether to succeed battling professional hardships being a single woman.

Last being the fact that she went to a simple school and her English was not fluent enough leaving her to face ridicule amongst the convent educated girls from neighbourhood.

The young girl was determined from that young age to rise above the odds. She couldn’t change her school but she changed the game by reading English newspapers aloud in front of mirror to correct her diction. She started speaking knowing she will go wrong in grammar but as they say that one has to flow.

She knew she was a girl and had to be obedient to what is being taught but deep within she also knew she cannot be stopped. She never planned to be a rebel of sorts but her actions made her one. Parental rebukes could not deter her from what she wanted to do and it is this zeal in her that made her survive the odds and create a life for her.

While she was building a mix of personality balancing what her parents wanted her to be and what she wanted to be, her dreams remained same. Getting married, having kids and a loving homemaker. As what happens her parents fixed her marriage to a software engineer who was at that time in US for an offsite placement. Post marriage she stayed with her in laws for several months when she realized that her dreams were crumbling.

After some good seven months she travelled alone to US to join her husband. Little did she know what she was walking into. A young bride travelling alone to far flung US in her maiden flight to Chicago.

Day one was uneventful. She was received by her husband and both came to lake Shore Drive 24th floor condo where she was set to stay. Very next day she was asked to manage the home without any briefing and while the husband left for work, Soma was locked inside the flat as a routine practice. At times the refrigerator didn’t have enough food and she was starving or having only water to fill herself.

No laptops, no phones and all were locked with passcodes with no access. Soma wasn’t that smart either at that time in a foreign country and once a week she could talk to her parents that too in front of her husband with the speaker on. She wanted to say what she was going through including the non-stop verbal and physical abuses but somehow stopped herself as her parents will be tensed. So all she could do was to keep tolerating everything including the violence. The scars in her body- knife cut injuries, burnt marks from cigarette butts are there reminiscent of a past that taught Soma so much. She’s seen it all at an age when her life didn’t fully blossom.

Days passed into months and months into years. Soma had her aunt in Tennessee and best friend in Nebraska at that time but she was disallowed from keeping in contact with them. After lot of persuasion she could visit her best friend once only and a night before she was gifted knife cut injuries on her wrist. Chicago to Lincoln was 1240 miles and young Soma travelled with the pain all the way. There she was taken to a nearby hospital where she was rigorously questioned by the doctors on the nature of injuries. She didn’t succumb to the questions and passed through successfully receiving first aid and prescription for medicines.

Life in US for next few years was similar. Just working like a maid at home, giving up to sexual abuse night after night and hoping against hope that things will get better someday sooner. On her return to India, she narrated her ordeal to her parents and her family stood by her and asked her not to go back. She wanted to listen to that advice but she feared what societal reactions would be. She knew this marriage would not last but she was scared to admit this to herself. She went back to her husband’s place and found herself again into a deeper rut, only difference being her mom in law joined her husband.

Ultimately Soma had to take that call all by herself and she did so. She had two battles in front of her- to file for divorce and to get a job to be economically independent. She knew that her father was retiring at that time and her younger brother was studying. She could in no way be a burden on the family.

Divorce was painful both mentally and financially. The whole process was exhaustive and draining her out. Not to forget the traumatic incidents which had already bruised her soul. But she could not afford to sit and rest. She had to take charge of her life head on and stand on her feet.

She got the break into a hospital which was also into its nascent stage. As they say there was no looking back from there. Soma immersed herself into work.. work and only work. Her only companion during those years was books. Slowly but steadily her efforts gained recognition and her work got highly praised.

During this professional journey, Soma has been fortunate to work with some great bosses who nurtured her potential, shaped her thoughts, empowered her enough to break the glass ceiling and taught her to dream again for a beautiful life ahead.

Its truly so that a new door opens up when one door closes. Her work kept her busy and she pursued education while working and successfully completed Post Graduation in Hospital Management followed by Medical Law and Six Sigma certification.

She is an active member of Women’s Economic Forum and All Ladies League, India. She is the State President of Healthcare Chapter of Women’s Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

In 2018, Soma was awarded as Exceptional Woman of Excellence and in 2020 she got The Real Superwoman Award.

Today Soma stands tall having worked in some of the leading hospitals of India and making a mark for herself where she is respected, love and admired by peers and junior colleagues.

She never got re-married though but lives with the family who stood by her in all these years while she restarted her life. Her life revolves around her near & dear ones, some amazing friends who are her pillars of support and her young niece Riddhima, her bundle of joy.

Today she stays in her own flat which is bought with her hard earned money…a home which she always craved for… to have that space of her own.

She enjoys being a solo traveller. Flying to her favourite destination Europe many time by now and still looks forward doing so again and again. The fear of meeting and seeing the unknown is gone now. Fear of stepping out of the comfort zone to unravel newer places, meet different people, soak in nature while getting lost in the process are few of the things she loves now to the hilt.

She has started a scholarship in the name of her father who has passed away recently, to provide support to those who are economically challenged. She also supports few NGOs who are care givers to senior citizens in old homes. These are all her individual efforts which make her feel contented.

Soma started from scratch and she believes in giving back as she values her roots and her humble upbringing.