Acid attack victim whose face ‘melted away’ in a horror ordeal gives birth to ‘life changing’ baby girl
Sonali Mukherjee's joy comes after a decade-long journey of physical and emotional pain which included dozens of reconstructive ops
ACID attack survivor Sonali Mukherjee whose face 'melted away' in a horror ordeal more than a decade ago has become the mother of a healthy baby girl.
Sonali gave birth via caesarean section at a private hospital in Bokaro, eastern India, the same town where she suffered the devastating attack 14 years ago.
The proud mother - who was blinded in the attack - and her husband have now called their 7lb new arrival 'Pari' or Fairy.
"We are blessed with a little fairy. I can't express my happiness and this is surely the happiest day of my life," said Sonali.
"Being a mother is really an amazing feeling and the moment I touched her face I was overwhelmed with emotions and I felt like I got my face back. Everyone is saying she resembles me.
"I can hear her cry and feel her. This is special feeling, although I can't see her but she has already brought light to my dark world."
Sonali, an aspiring psychology student was only 17 when she had her face severely disfigured and lost her eyesight after three men splashed a jug of acid on her face in revenge for spurning their advances.
What followed was a harrowing decade-long journey of physical and emotional pain which included at least 28 reconstructive surgeries.
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The three attackers - Tapas Mitra, Sanjay Paswan and Bhrahmadev Hajra - were arrested and convicted to nine years jail, but released after just three.
For a while Sonali gave up hope as her family struggled to fund her expensive treatment, prompting her to seek permission for euthanasia four years ago.
But she soon bounced back and in fact renewed grit and continued her struggle to change her life after a local charity highlighted her plight.
After hiding her scarred face from nearly a decade she appeared in a popular TV game show and won a three million rupees (£35,000) as prize money to fund her treatment.
This became a turning point in her life and made her the face of hundreds of acid attack survivors in the country and further help - both emotional and financial - started pouring in.
One of her well-wishers was Chittaranjan Tiwary who later became her husband.
Tiwary, an electrical engineer, had spotted her on one of the episodes of a TV crime show and persuaded her to meet him.
After a brief meeting, the two became good friends and Tiwary wasted no time in proposing.
The two married last April at an Indian court and later threw a party for 300 guests.
Tiwary said: "This feeling is beyond words. We were eagerly waiting for this day and its amazing we have a daughter."
"I will do everything to keep both mother and daughter happy."
And while Sonali's fight for justice is still on, the new mother says the birth of her daughter has began a new chapter of happiness in her life.
"This is the best day of my life. I wish to give her best of everything and hope she grows up safely and has a secure life," she said.
"Having this little girl is sort of divine justice for my devastators. They wanted to finish me but my daughter will outlive them.
"My life feels complete now. This is the best feeling after years of desperation and agony. I feel I have been rewarded for all the pain I had to endure."