She was trolled brutally for flying to Canada without her daughter. Now she’s speaking out

Last week, Manasa Banoth shared a video that showed her bidding a tearful goode to her three-year-old daughter at the airport. Manasa was flying to Canada, leaving her young daughter in the care of her parents in Hyderadbad.Manasa Banoth hits back at critics who slammed her for leaving daughter in India as she flew to Canada. (Instagram/@kitchentaless)As a single mother, she had little choice. Manasa, 28, told HT.com over a telephone call that she is currently pursuing higher education in Canada in hopes of building a better life for herself and her young daughter.The trolling she faced for the video has left an impact — but Manasa is determined to build a successful career for the sake of her daughter.Video shows heartbreaking goodeThe heartbreaking video, shared on January 26, captured her daughter weeping as Manasa entered the airport without her. “23 kg allowed… so I left my heaviest piece of my heart behind,” the Hyderabad woman captioned the video, which has gone viral with 2.8 million views on Instagram.Brutal backlash follows videoThe video instantly made Manasa the target of brutal backlash, as dozens of commenters criticised her for leaving her young child in India and flying to Canada alone.“Is any work or job so important that you leave your toddlers in another country just to work elsewhere? Please don’t tell me it’s a ‘dream career’,” read one comment under Manasa’s video.“Then why not take her with you? Single mother is just an excuse. Am too a single mother, but my daughter is always my side,” said another.“How sad that your child is less important than these materialic realities. This will be etched in your child’s heart forever and no Canadian PR passport will ever replace the days your child wanted to be with you,” a commenter said.Single mother defends decisionManasa told HT.com that she is forced to leave her 3-year-old daughter in India as she is studying in Canada. The 28-year-old is pursuing a Master’s in Internetworking from Dalhousie University, Canada.The Canada-based student said that she faced domestic violence in her short-lived marriage. After her daughter was born in March 2022, her husband cut off all contact with her.Manasa explained that after the breakdown of her marriage, she had been looking after her daughter without any help from her husband. Her parents, based in Hyderabad, supported her when she moved back in with them.From ₹40,000 job to Canada educationTo support her daughter, Manasa first looked for jobs in India. After much struggle, she found a position paying ₹40,000 per month as an HR professional. “I was working the night shift. My in-hand salary was around ₹35,000 per month. It was hardly enough to support myself and my daughter,” she said.Realising that she needed to earn more, Manasa began applying for higher education abroad. After facing rejections for a US visa, she turned her attention to Canada.In September 2024, she moved to Canada for a master’s programme at Dalhousie University. Her father is funding her tuition fee, but she works two part-time jobs in Canada to support herself.“I work at a coffee shop and then at a restaurant. I use this money for rent, groceries, utilities and other expenses,” Manasa explained.Why she left daughter in IndiaManasa explained that her husband’s consent is needed for their daughter to get a passport. Their divorce case is also underway.“My daughter is three years old. My ex-husband does not respond to any communication, and I am fighting this alone. They are restricting my daughter from getting a passport, so I am pursuing the matter legally. I have filed a case, and my lawyer has been appearing on my behalf. At present, we are seeking my daughter’s passport independently, without linking it to custody or divorce proceedings, as I was not living with him,” she said.Without a passport, her daughter cannot travel to Canada. Manasa, however, is hopeful of a better future.“I would like to land a job in Canada as a network engineer, or may be I could do something which matches my course as I’m doing masters in Internetworking,” she said.“I also do not want to rely on my father anymore, because he has already done so much for me, my ser, and my brother. He struggled to support our education, build our careers, and take care of our marriages.“I do not want him to have to shoulder the responsibility of my daughter as well. He has already sacrificed enough.“Now I feel it is my responsibility to earn and provide my daughter with the same opportunities and care that my father gave me,” said Manasa.