Ritu Saini the survivor of an acid attack comes from the state of Haryana and had big dreams just like any other girl has. But all her dreams were shattered in one moment when one of her relatives decided to attack her with acid as a form of revenge. There were several instances when Ritu Saini felt like giving up on life but fortunately, her family stood behind her as her strongest support system. It’s so heartbreaking to even sit down and write this article but the inspiration she is to all of us deserves to be known and read by every person out there.
We, the people at Mad4India were tearful when we came across this story of hers and wish her all the best for fighting every battle that comes her way. More power to Ritu Saini. She is a fighter and I’m sure she’ll be doing wonders in the future, no matter what people say.
Ritu Saini – A little about our fighter and survivor of acid attack
Ritu Saini, a teenage girl of 17 years hails from Haryana and had an interest in volleyball. She was a 10th-grade student who wondered and was sad about the fact that she couldn’t play volleyball more than studying. Her love for volleyball grew when she was in 6th grade studying at Saini High School in Rohtak, Haryana. She had dreams of being a successful volleyball player in the future and she ensured that she practiced every day for the same. But a day, a man, and acid restructured her entire life in a few seconds.
When Ritu Saini’s life took an undecided turn
As I write about the incident, I feel my hands turning cold and words refusing to come out. Wonder what she had to go through being an acid attack victim. It was way more than what the word hard can express. It was just another normal day for Ritu Saini where she was on her way to go for her evening practice at Prem Nagar Chowk. The moment she reached the ground she saw two men on a motorbike approach her but she paid no attention to them.
And a few seconds later came her worst nightmare when the pillion rider splashed acid on her face. She fell to the ground screaming and crying in pain but the bystanders just stood there watching her in excruciating pain. It was her brother who came to her rescue. The incident took place on 23rd July 2012, after which Ritu Saini became scared of the color red, the color she was wearing on that day.
As said by Ritu Saini in an interview, everything had become dark and she writhed with pain and felt a burning sensation all over her body. She is sad that our society did not come to her help and stood and watched her sinking to the ground, yelling in pain. It is very sad to know. It is surprising how when people need the support of our society the most, they swiftly turn their back on them. And this is something that needs to change and so does the mentality.
Struggles after the acid attack
No, Ritu Saini’s struggle didn’t end there. Her neighbors who came over to check up on her left the place criticizing and demeaning her for the way she looked after the attack, which is unbelievable. She had also found out that the attack was planned by a 39-year-old relative of Ritu Saini who had given the order to another man for attacking her. He liked Ritu and wanted to marry her ignoring the age gap of 22 years. He had always talked about taking her away someday but she never played much attention to that. And as revenge for not getting what he wanted he planned an acid attack.
After around two months when Ritu Saini saw her face in the mirror, the first thought she had was to give up. She had gone through 14 operations that included plastic surgery, skin grafting, etc., but the initial days were more difficult than it may sound here. Every time she would eat, blood would ooze out of her mouth and she had difficulty drinking water and sleeping as well.
Receiving support from others gave her hope
The acid attack had drained Ritu Saini’s family financially and the amount of debt led to Ritu having mental health issues. She had soon come in contact with Chhanv Foundation and they had helped her recover both mentally and financially. As a part of the organization, Ritu has helped several people nationally and internationally. She has been a part of a famous documentary named Black Rose, Red Dress, and a movie called Chhapaak.
An NGO named Stop Acid Attack led by a Kanpur-based journalist, Alok Dixit who turned into a social activist connected with her and brought hope along. She moved to Noida and started working at the Sheroes Hangout Cafes in Agra. She has also been a showstopper for Disha Chadha at the Asian Designer Week 2017. What Alessia Cara said, “You should know you’re beautiful just the way you are and you don’t have to change a thing, the world could change its heart, no scars to your beautiful” is what I want to tell every survivor out there. Change is a thought process read about An art initiative by a duo that creates wonders from waste – The Wolf Jaipur by Ritu And Surya Singh
To know more about the Ritu Saini, please check – Instagram
If you were moved by the story of Ritu Saini, Read another similar story here: These special cafes run by differently-abled people are breaking the stereotypes and winning the hearts
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