Fairytales do come true, although this story doesn’t quite have the same beginning. Thirteen years after Sonali Mukherjee was grievously assaulted with acid by a group of men, and thirteen dark years of pain, suffering and realisation, she finally found love.
The 30-year-old survivor tied the knot with an electrical engineer, Chittaranjan Tiwari, who had contacted her five months ago on Facebook, moved by Sonali’s courage and spirit to fight back. The two clicked instantly and fell in love. And pretty soon, Chittarajan, who had also helped Sonali by funding some of her treatments, proposed marriage.
Speaking to TOI from Bokaro on Friday, Sonali laughed and said, “Yes, life has come full circle indeed. My husband Chittaranjan is an electrical engineer from Jamshedpur who works at the Busan steel plant in Orissa. He saw me in a crime feature on television and was intrigued by my story. Nine months ago he contacted me through social media and we began speaking over the telephone. He part-funded my treatment from his salary as well. We met for the first time five months ago and he later proposed marriage.”
This is a lovely twist in a tale of pain and courage with the happy beginnings that Sonali and other acid attack survivors like her deserve – no less than any one of us.
But thirteen years ago, in 2003, it was darkness literally when a group of men, led by a spurned suitor stole up to the terrace of Sonali’ house at Dhanbad where she and her family were sleeping. Incensed by her rejection of his advances, the enraged suitor splashed acid on the face of a sleeping Sonali. She suffered 70 per cent burns and her sister was injured as well. The acid disfigured her face and left her partially deaf and blind. Her father was forced to sell his land, cattle and jewellery for over 22 surgeries that she underwent to regain her eyesight, speech and auditory faculties.
It angered her to see her attackers secure bail quickly. They now roam free. Distraught by the suffering, she had even begged the government to allow euthanasia, a request that was turned down. In 2012, she appeared on Kaun Banega Crorepati and won 2.5 million rupees along with her celebrity partner, Bollywood actress Lara Dutta.
Sonali still has a few surgeries and facial reconstruction that needs to be done. But life has definitely taken an upswing for her since she met Chittaranjan Tiwari. As for him, for all the times we have dissed this violent society for the brutality they inflict on women, this time, we respond with a rousing iDiva cheer, for his open-mindedness, for seeing beauty beyond the face and for vowing to stand by Sonali through thick and thin.
Image Courtesy: BCCL
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