Scars have been a part of my life since 2010. During my second year of college, I activated my ‘why should boys have all the fun’ mode and decided to zoom around the campus on a Scooty. Five minutes and a few metres later, I had my chin split open, along with grievous injuries on my arms and legs. I was confined to the bed for two months and, when I went back to college next, I was worried about marks of a very different kind.
Image Credit: The Girl on The Train, Reliance Entertainment Pvt Ltd
In all honesty, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to recover from those injuries. The stitches on my chin and arms looked gory, and I couldn’t look into a mirror even after they were removed. A decade later, my mirror and I are back in a steady relationship but there are still faded reminders of that horrific afternoon all over my body.
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During the initial phase, most people looked at me with sympathetic eyes, often pointing at my scars and asking a zillion questions. And I would narrate my near-death experience to quench their curiosity. I won’t lie, it did affect me but, thankfully, my parents and a few trusted friends never made me feel like a beaten up alien.
And, of course, the “Cosmetic surgery karalo” suggestion came up a hundred times. Some people even came up to me and said, “Thank God! Your face is fine.” Well… in my mind, I was just grateful and felt lucky to be alive.
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Honestly, though, even I thought of covering up the marks on my arms and feet, but with time the feeling faded along with some of the scars. I, however, never resorted to full-sleeve outfits to keep my scars to myself. I was cool flaunting them.
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My doctor was vigilant and prescribed me scar removal creams but, after six months, it was way too much of an effort. Meaning I wasn’t perfect even before the accident, so why try so hard anyway? As I grew older I realised perfection is just a concept.
With time, my scars have become a part of my being and, even for my wedding, I didn’t conceal the marks on my arms with any make-up or a three-quarter sleeved blouse. I didn’t because it didn’t even cross my mind. I was just my usual confident self on my biggest day and those marks were just a part of the package deal.
Image Credit: The Girl on The Train, Reliance Entertainment Pvt Ltd
The accident scares me even today but the scars don’t. I still thank my stars for surviving such a dangerous accident but have embraced my scars gracefully. I don’t make an effort to hide them. I have set them free and there are no inhibitions in my mind. After all, beauty is only skin deep and in the end, that’s all that matters.
Lead Image Credit: The Girl on The Train, Reliance Entertainment Pvt Ltd
