“I TRADED MY LIFE IN AMERICA TO COME TO CALCUTTA AND OPEN THIS ORPHANAGE” – Dr. Michelle Harrison
(Digital link to the original Bengali article: https://aaroananda.com/social/article/7974741 )
An illustrious career as a physician and a corporate, Dr. Michelle Harrison left it all behind to come and become a support to orphan children in Kolkata, India. A fighter and a survivor of eighty-one, Dr. Michelle Harrison in talks with Madhurima Sinha Roy.
Despite having spent most of her life in the USA, Dr. Harrison has not been a stranger to ups and downs in life. Her growing up had been embroiled in a lot of turmoil and hardship. In the US she was a physician and had held high-ranking positions in multinational companies and organizations, along with having taught at internationally acclaimed universities. But apart from her illustrious professional career, she is also a single mother, a breast cancer survivor, and, above all, a social worker. She did not hesitate to sell off her savings in the States to come to Kolkata, where she founded Shishur Sevay, a lifetime, inclusive home for orphans, including those with disabilities. It was at this "home" in Behala that I met Dr. Harrison. She was draped in a saree with the traditional Bengali shankha and pola around her wrists, a testament to her oneness with the Bengali Hindu culture, despite her American origin. “When I started, we just had this ground floor. Now, the place has become a little bigger. The girls who live here were rejected for adoption by the society. Almost all of them have had traumatic pasts. And the majority have some amount of disabilities. I live here with my girls”, said Dr. Harrison. In the course of the conversation, I became curious to know about her life. In her words, she was “born in 1942, amidst the War. To a Jewish family. My grandparents left Russia to come to New York. They were both communists and were never quite accepted by the Jewish community! My grandmother was a welfare worker. My parents even received threats for their political inclinations. Consequently, we had to move from New York to a farm in New Jersey. I grew up amidst this huge political upheaval.”
She started her career as a physician in America and worked in South Carolina as a part of President Lyndon Johnson’s program “War on Poverty”. Her scope of work ranged from sanitation and nursing care to raising awareness about women’s health. “I opened a clinic in St. Helena as part of the community program. I used to go from door-to-door to raise awareness. I had specialized in family medicine but was also trained in psychiatry”, said Dr. Harrison.
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She had been Worldwide Executive Director for an international company. Taught at universities like Harvard and Pittsburgh. And authored several books. In short, Dr. Harrison had a career wrapped in gold. But then, what made her come to Kolkata? “Let me tell you another story. When my first daughter (my biological daughter with my husband with whom I had already separated) was around ten, I wanted to adopt another child. At first, the adoption agency I had applied to was going to bring me a child from Central America. But at that time in the US there was a huge demand for adoption. So, in the end, the agency wanted me to adopt a child from India. It was in 1984 that Cecilia, my second daughter, came home to me. I always tried to keep her connected with her culture and her roots.” Thus, in 2000, while suffering from breast cancer, Dr. Harrison reached Kolkata with her daughter Cecilia. “I used to tell myself that if I survived this then I had to be very strong. It was a miserable experience. But this experience also gave me a taste of freedom, freedom from all fears.” In India, Michelle learned about the dark side of the adoption world, the scams and trafficking. “there was no one to think about the orphans” – it was this thought that prompted her to start thinking about doing something for them. “I started this NGO in Kolkata in 2006. It is now 17 years old. The first time I had come to India was because of my work and I had gone to Mumbai. When I came here with my daughter we had first gone to Delhi. I made multiple trips to India from 2000 to 2005. Cecilia was then in college in America. In 2005, when I shared my wish of starting an orphanage with my daughter, she was rather surprised. I had realised that in this country many were concerned with the economy, trade, and laws. But there was almost no one to care for children selflessly.” However, starting an orphanage is no small feat and requires a considerable amount of resources. “I sold off my house and all my assets in the States to that end. It was a difficult choice but not an impossible one. This house in Behala is where I started this new journey. Possibly, the fact that I was a physician made it easier for me to take care of these children. Now there are fourteen girls who are under my care.” During the conversation, Dr. Harrison mentioned that she got married in India to an Indian who is now a good friend. “The shakha and pola around my wrists make me look like an Indian wife, which is a stabilizing picture for my girls here. Considering their difficult pasts, the presence of a Bengali mother and a Bengali wife is a reassurance for them. I even have safety pins attached to my necklace like most Bengali mothers!” said Dr. Harrison.
Dr. Harrison’s career as a physician in America spanned over 35 years, but after coming to India she did not find time to practice. She started Shishur Sevay with 12 girls who were brought from a government institution, under the guidance and directions of the government. To keep them attached to their culture and language she put them in Bengali medium schools. She also started Children’s Smart Centre for the children of the community. Apart from this, all the girls at Shishur Sevay receive various types of vocational training. Over the years the organization has received support from many well-wishers. “We want our girls to become self-sufficient and self-actualized women. They make jewelry, paint sarees with handprints, and do embroidery work, among other things. We wish to take part in an exhibition with their products very soon,” said Dr. Harrison while showing me a bag and a painting by her girls. Both of her daughters live in America. Both of them are well-established. During the conversation, it became more and more difficult to think of her as an 81-year-old. She still has plans to do a lot more. And seeing her zeal for life it won’t be long before she overcame all the hurdles.