“Beauty is how you feel about yourself, not what you see in the mirror.”
27 year old Laxmi Agarwal is her own kind of beautiful. She is an acid attack survivor who has managed to carve her own identity in a ruthless world, and she remains unflinchingly true to her individuality. Her story will make your troubles seem smaller in magnitude and her brazen strength will leave you in awe.
In 2005, a 15 year old Laxmi had a regular and happy life. She had a loving family, few close friends, and an uneventful routine. Like every other girl, she had a few dreams of her own. She wished to grow up to be a singer and make her parents proud. Little did the innocent girl know of the bitterness in the world around. One of her close friends had a brother, in his thirties then (yes, double her age), who was besotted with her. He stalked her, harassed her, and pursued her against her wishes for a couple of months. Laxmi, out of a childlike fear, did not mention any of this to her parents lest they get upset with her. Eventually, this man (Guddu) made her a proposal for marriage via text message. To this, Laxmi did not make any response. A frustrated Guddu then concocted a vile plan with his brother Imran and Imran’s girlfriend, Rakhi. His aim was to assert his power over the girl and to ruin her dreams.
Amidst the bustling Khan market in Delhi, Guddu and Rakhi followed Laxmi closely and executed their plan. Rakhi assaulted Laxmi, pinned her down, and the two of them threw concentrated acid on her. Seething in pain and turmoil, Laxmi called for help but none of the passersby were humane enough to help her out. Eventually she was taken to a Government hospital, where her parents were called immediately. What followed was a painful procedure as the doctors attempted to save her body from more damage. Her eyes had to be operated on, her flesh was melting off her bones, and she felt the burn of her wounds every second.
Her ordeal did not end in the hospital though. The prejudices and gender disparity in the minds of those around her made her feel worse about herself. Her face and several body parts were terribly damaged- some beyond repair. Her wounds healed, but the physical and mental scars remained. None of her friends, relatives, or neighbours supported her in this harsh time. She survived purely on the support of her loving family.
When Laxmi saw herself for the first time, she wanted to kill herself. However, the thought of the grief this would give her parents and stopped herself. She knew she had to be strong for her family, just as they were being strong for her. It took Laxmi few years to accept her tragedy and her scarred body. She had to overcome many challenges pertaining to her position in society, but her biggest battle was against her own complexes and insecurities.
Due to her resilience and strength, she slowly but steadily overcame her obstacles. In 2006, she filed a PIL in the Supreme Court seeking orders on regulation of acid sale in the Indian market, which was a successful attempt. She got herself certifications in stitching/tailoring, beauty course, and basic computing. In 2012 though, another tragedy hit. She lost her father, who was her biggest support and also the sole earning member in the family. Her brother was also seriously ill. She started looking for jobs, but no one took her in because of her disfigured physical appearance. Laxmi speaks sense when she says that the acid is in our minds, in the minds of the society. She then decided to join hands with anyone who worked for acid attack survivors. She knew she had to help those who couldn’t help themselves. She wanted other girls like her to gain an identity, and reclaim control over themselves. She was done with her identity as a victim; now she looked forward to working for others like her.
She started her work as a campaign coordinator with the Stop Acid Attacks Campaign. Currently, she is the Director of this campaign. She heralded an initiative by this campaign known as the ‘Sheroes Hangout’ project (Agra, 2014). This project led to the realization of a café run solely by acid attack survivors, where people can come and enjoy some time off. The café also has some merchandise curated by these special ladies (such as kurtas, tops, decoratives), which the customers can purchase at reasonable prices thereby supporting the cause.
Laxmi champions the movement wherein the attack survivors are rehabilitated and provided hope for a brighter future. She has won many awards for her fruitful work through the past few years and earned recognition at many levels. She even gave an inspiring talk at TEDx Jaipur.
Laxmi is now the voice of her cause even at international levels. In fact, she was awarded the International Women of Courage Award in 2014 by Michelle Obama (then the US First Lady) herself. The same year, she started hosting a television show called Udaan on News Express channel.
The best part is that she is no longer alone in her journey. Laxmi found love in Alok Dixit, who works with her for her cause. They are both in a consensual live- in relationship and are very happy together. They are blessed with a daughter, Pihu, who is the light of their lives.
Laxmi teaches us that if we are strong within, no external force can break us down. One can accomplish all dreams, if the will is strong enough. We wish this beautiful soul the best in life!
“He changed my face, not my heart. He threw acid on my face, not my dreams.”
- Laxmi Agarwal
To know more about her work and/or support her cause, you can visit her foundation’s (Chhanv Foundation) page here.
