From sharing centre stage on TV with megastar Amitabh Bachchan in 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' to marrying the love of her life, acid attack survivor Sonali Mukherjee's life story seems next to a fairy tale.
Attacked for resisting sexual approaches by three of her neighbours, Sonali who hails from Bokaro in Jharkhand had acid flung on her face in the year 2003, when she was 17 years old.
The attack left her partially deaf and blind and melted her eyelids, mouth and ears.
"I had won 25 lakh rupees out of which about 7-8 lakh rupees were deducted due to tax. The remaining amount was used for my treatment. Till now I have undergone 34 surgeries, and still have about 7 to 8 surgeries still left," says Sonali.
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Impressed by her courage and bravery, an electrical engineer, Chittaranjan Tewari also from Bokaro contacted her through social media and love blossomed between the two. The duo tied the knot on April 14, on the occasion of Bengali New year in Dhanbad this year.
There was once a phase in her life, says Sonali when she was fed up and had attracted attention with her plea for euthanasia.
However, now after marriage her life seems to be back on the track for the acid attack survivor.
"There was a time when I was completely broken. Life was miserable and I was suffering extensively because of my physical condition. My culprits were roaming around freely and there was no law to punish them. That's when I thought to end my life in a way to bring an end to my sufferings," recalls Sonali.