Acid attack survivors fear another bout of trauma
Sheroes completed its twoyear contract with WCD department in March this year, after which fresh tenders were invited
Reshma, a mother of six and an acid attack survivor associated with the famous Sheroes Cafe, was a happy-go-lucky lady until Monday evening when a few ‘musclemen’ barged into the cafe and ‘threatened’ her and the other staffers to vacate the place, saying they were going to be the new owners of the cafe.
Some of them said the café ownership would be handed over to them in about 25 days by when the tender process for the place would be complete.
“We participated in the tender process along with three
other firms. The employees of one of the three firms reached the cafe on Monday and told the staffers that they (firm) would soon get ownership of the café,” alleged Alok Dixit, founder member of Chhanv Foundation that runs the café.
The incident shocked Reshma, who said it would be no less than pushing them back into the trauma and agony they had struggled come out from.
“This cafe is our life. I don’t know the veracity of their (musclemen) claim. But what I know is that this cafe gave me a new life and purpose to live after I suffered an acid attack,” said Reshma, who is employed here since 2016 — the year the café, run by Chhanv Foundation (Stop Acid Attacks), opened in Lucknow.
In 2013, Reshma’s husband had attacked her with acid on her private parts. She was then pregnant and a mother of five girls. It took almost three years for her treatment and to come out of the trauma. But another challenge before her was to meet the financial needs of her six children.
“It was then that the Sheroes Cafe came to my rescue and offered me a job,” said Reshma, who is kitchen in-charge.
She said the cafe’s closure or change of ownership could again bring misery to her family.
Along with Reshma, the 11 other acid attack survivors working at the café are in a fix over the fate of the joint.
This cafe is our life. I don’t know the veracity of their (musclemen) claim. But what I know is that this cafe gave me a new life and purpose to live after I suffered an acid attack
RESHMA, acid attack survivor
LUCKNOW/AGRA: The Sheroes Café, which is facing ownership uncertainty, made its mark in the City of Nawabs just because of the hard work put in by the acid attack survivors.
“It was purely our efforts that transformed Sheroes,” said Anshu Rajput, a survivor. The café, which was opened on the banks of the Gomti on March 8, 2016, has now become one of the most popular hangout joints, she said.
“I still remember the days when we used to work in the harsh summers. Despite our medical condition that doesn’t permit us to work in sultry weather, we nurtured the café as our baby. Now, if it is handed over to someone else, it would be a cruel joke for us,” said Anshu.
Sheroes completed its twoyear long contract with state women and child development (WCD) department in March this year after which fresh tenders were invited.
“We participated in the tender process along with three other firms. The employees of one of the three firms reached the cafe on Monday and told the staffers that they (firm) would soon get ownership of the café,” alleged founder member of Chhanv Foundation Alok Dixit.
“The unruly behaviour the firm’s men surprised us,” he said and suspected that the officials of the WCD department might have leaked the outcome of the tendering process even as a public announcement was awaited.
Dixit further claimed that other firms did not even fulfil the department’s criteria. “We are working for a social cause and fulfil the department’s norms. I fear the change of ownership may spoil the lives of the acid attack survivors working at the café.”
So far, he said, Sheroes Lucknow has changed life of around 25 acid attack survivors out of which 12 are still employed. He further said Sheroes Lucknow was Chhanv foundation’s second cafe after Agra that was opened in December 2014.
At present 10 survivors are employed in the Agra cafe, a portion of which was razed recently in a road widening drive.
The one-of-its-kind initiative to rehabilitate acid attack survivors in the state has also turned out to be favourite destinations for national and international celebrities.
Women and child welfare minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi, meanwhile, made it clear that Sheroes Cafe would continue to run, but with a new management.
“Government has bigger plans to rehabilitate acid attack survivors. We want them to run Sheroes or a similar kind of cafe on their own in future that will yield them a bigger share of profit, which they were not getting at present. Till the time the plan is executed, the government has decided to hand over the management to another person, with a clean image, to run the cafe,” said Joshi.
She said the government was also taking legal advice to convert the cafe into a cooperative as the government was not happy with the present management.
SEARCH IN AGRA FOR ALTERNATIVE SPACE
In Agra, acid attack fighters continue their search for an alternative space to run their
café, which faces threat of demolition at the current location in Agra.
Acid attack fighter and President’s Award winner Roopa awaits a concrete response after a letter written to the Prime Minister in this regard last month.
Meanwhile, the district administration has offered an alternative location, at Shilpgram, a kilometre east of Taj Mahal.
The nagar nigam team had demolished the front portion of the café on July 11th for widening Agra-Fatehabad road and placed a red mark at its gate.
In an emotional appeal through her letter dated 24th July 2018, acid attack fighter Roopa wrote: ‘You might not be knowing me by name but I had met you while receiving ‘Nari Shakti’ award in 2016 from the then President of India for project Sheroes Hangout run for rehabilitation of acid attack fighter women.’
‘We live under apprehension of total demolition of the café which is providing livelihood and treatment to eight acid attack fighters working therein. The Café is popular in Agra as ‘another landmark of love’ and many celebrities have been here. But with the apprehension of demolition, I seek your attention towards the issue,’ stated the letter addressed to the PM.
Ashish Shukla, director of ‘Chaanv Foundation’ – the NGO behind the Sheroes Hangout, said the responsibility for rehabilitation of these acid attack fighters is of the government.
“We only want that the government extends a helping hand so that they do not face problems,” stated Shukla.