She is an expert in Tionghoa Malay literature, a psychologist and a columnist for Indonesian magazines including The Jakarta Post.
Her grandfather, an immigrant from Meixian, Guangdong, China, was afraid that his grandchildren would lose their identity as Chinese.
Fortunately for Sidharta, there was a female Mandarin teacher staying in her grandparents' house who could teach her.
Sidharta speaks German, Dutch, French, Mandarin, Hokkien, Malay, Indonesian and English.
When China became a Communist country, and Indonesia was declared independent, her grandfather's family had to choose between Dutch or Indonesian citizenship.