Know About Sahithya Jagannathan Living Life On Her Own Terms

Sahithya Jagannathan’s story is one of bravery and self-confidence. In the traditional Tamil family she grew up in, she began challenging social norms very early. At 16, she broke it to her parents that she did not want marriage to be the basis of her future. Also at that time, actress Sushmita Sen’s legal victory to adopt as a single woman, which she was a part of, inspired Sahithya to see that motherhood and family do not always have to be a result of marriage. That was a turning point that shaped her independent thinking.

A Transformative Support System

Breaking out of the mold was difficult. What we did see was that when she went against it, like in her choice of wearing dresses, or in her quest for equal freedom as her brother, she met with disapproval within the family. But Sahithya’s mother was our rock for her. At the time, we didn’t know that my wife was fighting her own battles behind closed doors to give our daughter the world. That support gave Sahithya the backup she needed to go after what she wanted without fear.

An Unexpected Career in the Spotlight

Sahithya’s modeling career took off when a chance visit to a store prompted her to enter the Miss Chennai pageant. At first, she did it for the grooming and confidence. But success in that pageant, which came out of the blue, changed her direction. Also, which is not to be left out, she represented India at the World Miss University pageant, where she won over with her public speaking skills.

She went into Miss India 2014, acted in Tamil and Telugu films, and became a mainstay as a TV host and event anchor. With a journalism background, which also included writing and media work in addition to modeling, she did it all. For Sahithya, performance, which includes audience connection and stage energy, is what still fulfills her the most in her career.

Choosing Commitment Over Convention

A decade ago, Sahithya and her partner, actor and voice artist Cary Edwards, decided to live together instead of getting married, which they did for the sake of commitment over social approval. While their immediate families did, in the end, come around, the public did not. The backlash grew when they had twin children in 2021, which in turn had many online critics question the validity of our relationship and our choices as a family.

Despite the criticism, Sahithya was devoted to creating a home that is a haven for her kids, which, for her, goes beyond what the world puts out there.

Motherhood and Modern Challenges

Motherhood was a joyous journey for Sahithya, which at the same time brought to the fore social and systemic issues. In the hospitals that she went to for prenatal and postnatal care, it was assumed that she was married when, in reality, maybe she wasn't. At her workplace, there was no support structure for a mother like her who was breastfeeding, which was very hard for her. Also, after going back to work very soon after the birth of her child, she had to put up with judgment and criticism. But out of all that which could have brought her down, she rose above it all to use her platforms in the media to bring forward issues of better support for working mothers.

Raising Children Without Labels

As a parent of a young girl, in the which may be the context of my life, but that also stands on its own, without that, for this particular parent that I am talking about, Sahithya is very much against pushing gendered boxes onto her kids. She lets them pursue what they wish to, no matter if it breaks from what is put forth as normal. What this parent values is the growth of well-rounded, confident, and independent thinkers, which may or may not also be her personal mission in life, but here it is at the core of what she does as a mother.

A Message of Self-Belief

Through her radio show and public work, which is out there, Sahithya puts forth honest conversations that question social norms. She has a simple yet powerful message to trust in yourself and your dreams. Society may have what it thinks, but true fulfillment comes from living authentically.

Sahithya’s story is that we often pay a price in terms of criticism when we choose our own path, but that in the end, it is a life lived with purpose and freedom.