The Sheroes Hangout, located near Taj Mahal, was started with the efforts of the survivors and a Delhi based NGO, the Chaanv Foundation. They named the café ‘Sheroes’ as a tribute to the courage of these ladies. As of now, five acid attack survivors are getting a new way for their life in the café.

“People call these survivors ‘becharis’. Today, they showed they are no less than anybody else,” Sapna Bhavnani, a member of the Stop Acid Attacks Campaign said at the inauguration of the café.

The café started to function after a successful trial that ran for a couple of months. Now, the café attracts a lot of tourists from the Taj mostly because of the graffiti created by one of the survivors. And it receives a positive response from most of the visitors.

Besides being a regular café, the two-storey will also house a reading section that will contain books mainly on women’s empowerment. Alok Dixit, founder of the ‘Stop Acid Attack’ campaign, also said that they will launch many more such cafes in cities like Delhi, Kanpur, etc. in the near future.

The café is a small yet brave step in giving the acid attack victims a better life and a status that is equal to other people. They are looked down upon as they themselves are the culprits. Things are changing, but slowly, and this café is definitely a laudable move in that direction.

(kenfolios.com)