How acid attack victim found love

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. 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. Laxmi 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.