How
India acid attack victim found love
By Akanksha SaxenaBBC News, Delhi
·
22 January 2014
· : STOP ACID ATTACaxmi met Alok Dixit
while working on a campaign to stop acid attacks
Eight years ago, Laxmi's world turned upside down, and she began
hating men.
It happened on a scorching April day in the Indian capital,
Delhi, when she was on her way to a bookshop where she worked part-time as a
salesperson.
Someone came up behind her on a crowded street and tapped her on
her back. When she turned around, a man splashed some liquid on her face and
neck.
"It felt cold first. Then I felt an intense burning. Then
the liquid melted my skin," she remembers about the acid attack.
The offender was a 32-year-old man who had taken revenge on her
after she spurned his advances and rejected his proposals for marriage. Laxmi
was only 15 then.
"I hated men for a long time after that," recounts
23-year-old Laxmi.
'Hollow words'
"Love was a word that unsettled me. That idea of love, the
one that you get to watch in Bollywood films, haunted me. I would sing love
songs but the words were hollow. They didn't mean anything to me."
This was until she met Alok Dixit, a former journalist from the
city of Kanpur, during a campaign to stop acid attacks in India, and fell in
love with him.
Today the couple live together and run the campaign out of a
bustling, small office in a Delhi neighbourhood.
Some 50 acid attack survivors are engaged in the campaign. They
rush teams to meet traumatised victims, help them financially and offer them
other support. Laxmi is the face of this campaign.
"Alok was a breath of fresh air for me. I had been feeling
suffocated and burdened. I felt he was ready to share the burden with me,"
says Laxmi.
Image copyrightCOURTESY: STOP ACID ATTACKImage captionA picture of Laxmi when
she was 15
Mr Dixit, 25, who quit his day job to join the campaign, says it
was the "mutual respect and togetherness which blossomed into love"
with Laxmi.
"I have immense respect for Laxmi. She is a tremendous life
force. She chose to fight in the face of adversity when other victims like her
were discouraged by families or were reluctant to come out of their
homes," he says.
"She has instilled confidence in other young women who see
her as a beacon of hope. She has compelled them to come out of the closet and
face the world. Mind you, it's not easy for them to face people staring at them
which often reminds of the event that has altered their lives."
In the grimness of their everyday work, there is a certain
playfulness that Laxmi brings to the relationship.
"Alok used to dress up drably. I have made his wardrobe
more colourful. He watched the film Cinderella recently. He had never heard of
Cinderella before. I told him he was my prince charming," she says.
A question they have to face a lot these days is whether they
will get married.
"We will live together but won't get married. We are
fighting against social sanctions, be it marriage or the treatment of women in
our society. How can we be part of it?" Mr Dixit asks.
Laxmi, however, believes that the two will tie the knot some
day.
"I respect Alok's decision and I stand by it. But I
secretly hope that our love and friendship will gradually lead to
marriage."
It has not been easy for Laxmi to pick up the pieces, and find
love.
The attack left her face disfigured. She underwent several
painful surgeries that left her weak and her family penniless.
Last year, her father, who worked as a cook to support the
family of four, fell ill and died. Then her brother was diagnosed with
tuberculosis.
It is still a struggle to keep the home fires burning. Her
mother often runs out of money to buy cooking gas and water. Laxmi is the sole
breadwinner and her income is highly irregular as the acid campaign is
dependent on donations.
'Vulnerable'
But all this does not deter Laxmi from soldiering on in her
campaign.
Last year, acting on her plea, the Supreme Court directed the
state government to formulate a policy to regulate the sale of acid.
"I got in touch with other acid attack victims; I felt it's
just not right that acid is available so freely. Anyone can buy it off the
shelf. It makes women hugely vulnerable," she says.
Now, along with Mr Dixit and other volunteers, she has launched
a new campaign to raise awareness among people to intervene when such attacks
take place.
Image copyrightCOURTESY: STOP ACID ATTACKImage captionLaxmi says that Alok has
given her a 'reason to live a worthy life'
"Nobody came forward to help me when I was attacked with
acid that day. I remember asking for help from people who were present there
but no one came forward," she says.
"The acid blinded me and I was hit by passing vehicles on
the road. The indifference of people was disgraceful. If I were taken to
hospital in time, I wouldn't have suffered so many burns."
Laxmi says that Alok takes care of her health and is mindful of
her "special needs".
It is not easy to live with an acid attack survivor: Laxmi's
skin is susceptible to infections and she suffers from mood swings.
"There was a man who destroyed my life and there is another
man who is nurturing it. Alok gives me reasons to live a worthy life and grow
as an individual," she says.
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