For acid attack survivor Sonali Mukherjee, her recent wedding holds testimony to the adage 'All's well that ends well.'
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.
Her father sold land and jewellery to provide for her reconstructive treatment and she managed to win Rs 25 lakhs on the TV show KBC along with a celebrity partner the former Miss Universe Lara Dutta.
"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.
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.
"The proposal for marriage came from Chittaranjan. It took me some time to decide. My husband was very impressed with my courage and he contacted me through the social media after which I consulted my family. It was very difficult for me to accept his proposal and I could not generate the trust," says Sonali.
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.
