Journalism of Courage
Days after Kafi — an acid attack survivor — topped her school by scoring 95.2 per cent in 10th standard CBSE examination, people from various quarters have come forward to help her, from Bollywood to politics.
Kafi was just three when three men threw acid on her as she was playing Holi in 2011, turning her blind. Despite the odds, she topped her school – the Institute for Blind at Sector 26 in Chandigarh.
“Today, our team went to Kafi’s residence. We have given her a small token of cash reward for her good marks. Also, the key thing is that we have decided that all financial expenses related to her studies in future would be borne by us,” Lubana told The Indian Express.
India Cares – a national forum to help the needy – has contacted with AIIMS doctors from department of plastic surgery and ophthalmology in Delhi for treatment of child’s eyesight and face.
Philanthropist Karan Gilhotra and Chandigarh Mayor Anup Gupta too have asked for Kafi’s medical reports for consultations from doctors in Delhi and other reputed hospitals in the country.
Expressing gratitude to the help coming her way, Kafi told The Indian Express “This is probably the second time, I have cried in happiness – the first was when I topped the school on Friday. I will live up to everyone’s expectations. I just want to thank people who are feeling my pain….”
After Kafi became blind in 2011, the next six years were an ordeal as her parents visited several hospitals across the country and drained their savings trying to get her treated. Over Rs 20 lakh was spent by her parents to get her vision back.
As Kafi’s family struggled to make ends meet and moved out of Hisar, where her father used to run an iron shop, the three male accused, who were convicted, walked out after two years of serving their sentence in 2018. In 2019, the victim’s father filed an appeal in the high court, but it is still pending.
However, on May 12, 12 years later, Kafi did her parents proud by topping her school. With the help of Braille, educational videos and other equipment, Kafi managed to understand the basics of all the subjects and studied hard to reach her goals.
“There are moments in your life when you feel it is all over. My parents did not lose hope and I want to show the acid attackers and everyone that irrespective of what was done to me, I am not worthless,” Kafi had said after the result. She is determined to accomplish her dream of becoming an IAS officer.
