It is not every day that one gets to meet a shaman, the practitioner of the ancient art of healing. It is even rarer to meet a shaman who is a staunch entrepreneur at the helm of a successful business. But that is the reality for Samantha Kochharr, the managing director of the Blossom Kochharr group of companies, who wears both hats with admirable ease. Adding another feather to her cap, she has ventured into the world of writing and has published her first book, Arribada: The Arrival.
At the latest session of An Author’s Afternoon, organised by Prabha Khaitan Foundation at Taj Bengal, in association with Shree Cement Limited, with My Kolkata as digital partner, Kochharr, as “grief whisperer”, delved into her life as a practising shaman, her experience of running a business and the aporias of being a healer, with Shruti A. Juwarkar, Ehsaas Woman of Goa.
The journey of unbecoming
Shruti A. Juwarkar in conversation with Kochharr
How exactly did Kochharr, who had been a hairdressing expert in the beauty and wellness sector, end up practising shamanism? “It was my father's death that stopped everything. And then the whole process of unbecoming started — unlearning every belief, thought and concept. And once that happens, it’s an ongoing journey. The real you starts coming forward,” said the author. Not only was she confronted with the grief of her father’s passing, but she had to immediately take over his company, too. The world of business was at odds with her temperament and it started taking a toll on her health.
“I come from a background of movies and fashion shows. Suddenly, I found myself in a boardroom with figures, accounts, and a place where everyone's suited and booted. They were all men and they wouldn’t talk to me or look me in the eye. All that discomfort and the continuing grief led to me getting very sick. I was told I only have six to eight months left because acid had perforated various parts of my gut and throat lining,” confessed Kochharr. That is when a chance encounter with a shaman from Peru gave her a new lease of life.
‘You've been a shaman for many lifetimes’
Kochharr said that she had the option of leaving the life of a shaman but she chose to stay
When Kochharr tried to repay the shaman, she was informed that she would be asked to repay the debt at the right time. Eventually, this repayment was in the form of her joining the practice of shamanism.
“When I called him to repay my debt, his granddaughter informed me that he was dying and that he had chosen six people to pass on his lineage to, and I was one of them,” remarked Kochharr. Initially, she resisted the initiation for which she had to travel to Peru and stay for three months. But it was then that her guru (the aforementioned shaman) informed her that she had been a shaman for many lifetimes.
“He told me, ‘You can resist it (being a shaman) in this lifetime and not do what you’re destined to do. But you’ll take another life and you’ll do it again. Once you choose the shamanic path, you have to keep training, and we train you to a point where your presence itself will be healing. You just have to be and god will speak through you’….I had the option of leaving but I decided to stay,” added Kochharr.
‘Grief isn’t about pain and loss, it’s about how much you love’
It was also during this time that Kochharr realised that her “speciality” was grief healing. As a “grief whisperer”, it is her duty to help the soul be released when someone is dying.
“We help people who are in their last moments get to the point where they need to cut their chords with their family and then move towards the light. When they die and depart, there’s a phase where they need guidance. And then comes the other part of grief whispering, to the ones who are left behind, because most of us don’t understand death. Grief isn’t about pain and loss, it’s about much you love. When you love, you’re hurt,” described the author.
‘I was told that the book needed to be written’
Kochharr signing copies of her book, ‘Arribada: The Arrival’
Speaking of how the idea of writing a book came to her, Kochharr pointed out that it was while praying that she realised she needed to write the book. As a “channel”, she had to achieve a trance-like state through her prayers to be fully able to conceive the book.
“I was told that the book needed to be written. I would pray and then I had to write for an hour and a half after that. This book is something that the universal energy wants people to read, and sometimes it (the energy) finds a person, a medium through which it can write itself. This book came to me as a ‘download’ – something that I received from somewhere else and put down on paper. This trance-like state that I achieved through prayer also helped me to picture the Maasai village (in Africa) where much of the story takes place,” narrated Kochharr.
“Writing this book and praying was a means to stay calm during the lockdown, when everything was just falling apart,” concluded the author. The session came to a close with an engaging Q&A session with the audience followed by the felicitation of the author by Anita Gurbaxani.
Guests speak
Shruti A. Juwarkar
“It’s not my first time in Kolkata. Kolkata has been like a second home to me because my grandmother grew up here and my father studied here. I have always come here for Durga Puja as well as to spend vacations. But this is the first time, thanks to Prabha Khaitan Foundation, that I have experienced the cultural amalgamation of the city. The event itself was an enlightening one. Samantha’s experiences moved me.”
— Shruti A. Juwarkar, Ehsaas Woman of Goa
Esha Dutta
“Thematically, it was very different. We have dealt with healing and spirituality in the past but Samantha’s take was completely different. This is the first time that I’ve come across someone who is a grief whisperer. We all have our different ways of dealing with grief but the way she explained grief, death, life and the entire process was fascinating. I’m really looking forward to reading the book.”
— Esha Dutta, honorary convener of Prabha Khaitan Foundation’s Northeast Affairs
K Mohanchandran