Live to Heal a Life

For a longh time it seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there were always some obstacles in the way, sometime to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.

Surgeries and Healing

There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometimes lose sight of this force when there is suffering, too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways - Mother Teresa

Donate Skin - Save Life

Atijeevan relentlessly works towrads creating awareness among public to come out and register for skin donation.

Recognition

Struggle is proof that you haven't been conquered, that you refuse to surrender, that victory is still possible, and that you're growing - Jon Walden

Workshops and Skill Training

Its not enough to heal the suffering. A means of sustainance need to be found for complete rehablitation.

Burns Camp

Atijeevan joined hands with SIMS chennai to conduct a burns camp treating more than 20 patients through various reconstructive surgeries.

Monday 8 December 2014

Helping a Survivor through her Ordeal

Akayamma was attacked with acid in March 2014. We came in contact with her after a week through our volunteer. She comes from a very poor family and bearing the expense of treatment was not possible for her family. Since then we are trying to help her with all her surgeries and she has recovered remarkably. She was first treated in Victoria Hospital and later at St. Johns Medical College Hospital, Bangalore.
She underwent several reconstructive surgeries and was admitted to St. Johns Hospital for past two weeks. She got discharged from hospital on 6th Dec 2014. She is much better now but will require many more surgeries going forward. She is now looking at the next step and will be soon working with our social enterprise for supporting her livelihood.
Here are some pictures of her during last 6 months. Long way to go ....!

The picture above was taken just after the attack.

After two months of the attack. This is without any reconstructive surgeries.















 She is trying to wear the pressure Garment we provided.
 Just after her reconstructive surgery.
The latest picture after her discharge from St Johns.
















We would like to thank Vikash Malik, Gunjan Srivastava, Ashish Anshu , Adwait Parida, Chris Karthik, Arun, Dushyant Tomar, Shivani Rajput, Namrta Purwar, Nimisha Pandey, Ashish Mishra,Vikram Hgnis, Shewta Patil and all the volunteers for the help they provided which made Akayamma's recovery possible.

Atijeevan Empowers Kavita to Earn a Livelihood of Dignity

We are very proud to share that a Kavita, an acid attack ambassador with us is now earning her livelihood with dignity. She has learned to make paper jewelry through the training material we provided her. We also provided the raw materials for the same to get started. For last 6 months she has mastered the art and has exhibited her product all by herself in several Festivals/Fares in Lucknow and Delhi. She is a role model for her fellow survivors and her hard work proves that earning a livelihood with dignity in spite of being an Acid Survivor is possible.


Friday 18 July 2014

Announcing Atijeevan's parternership with Halabol!!


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We are glad to announce our partnership with Halabol. 
Halabol is a platform that gives NGOs/Campaigns/Individuals the opportunity to take that step forward and make the effort needed towards the change they wish to see. It allows them to deliver as an individual; motivates then to gather support, build their team of change makers and and even exhibits how they can join other teams to join other causes & issues surrounding our country.

 With tie up with halabol we will be able to reach more people and create better awareness about our campaigns against Acid Attacks. Atijeevan Page on Halabol portal can be found the following link. Atijeevan@Halabol 

Sanath Mane talks about his fight for acid attack victims


Sanath Mane, talks about his fight for the rights of acid attack victims and shares his thoughts on the issue

Acid attacks have been on the rise across the country and need to be tackled sensitively. For the last 14 years, Sanath Mane has been fighting for the rights of acid attack victims. He says, "This is an extremely sensitive and important issue but people are not taking it seriously. It is not just about getting the attacker behind bars, it is also about re-constructing the future of the victim."
Mane raises critical questions: How does the victim pay for the exorbitantly-priced surgeries? How will she earn a livelihood, as most people do not hire these victims? What about their marriage and future? He says, "We need to work towards making their lives normal instead of isolating them from all walks of life. The immediate problem that a victim's family faces is financial—they have to arrange money for the surgery.

Insurance companies should come up with policies, wherein they will cover the cost of cosmetic surgeries if a woman suffers an acid attack. In Europe, cosmetic surgeries are covered by insurance policies; why is it not possible for us to adopt the same here?"

Mane has written, suggesting the policy, to various cabinet ministers. He wrote the first letter in 2000 to the then Maharashtra governor, PC Alexander. He also wrote to Pratibha Patil, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, P Chidambaram, Shivraj Patil, Pranab Mukherjee and Rajnath Singh. He shares, "Out of all the letters that I wrote, only Dr APJ Abdul Kalam replied to me—he informed that the letter had been forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs."
"Another important aspect that we need to deal with is the easy availability of acid. This life threatening potion is available at a very low price in stores across the country. The government should set up a control board to restrict and scrutinise the selling of acid. Also, for sustainable livelihood, victims of acid attack should be provided government jobs—this will secure their future," says Mane.

It is not just about getting the attacker behind bars, it is also about re-constructing the future of the victim.

17 Traders Booked for Violating Acid Selling Norms

Inspections were conducted on 96 premises involved in stocking acid for business. Three premises have been sealed and penalty amounting to Rs.1.3 lakh were imposed on others

Within a fortnight after a minor in East Delhi almost lost his eye sight in an acid attack, the Revenue Department of Delhi Government conducted raids at several premises trading in acids and chemicals across the city.

The teams detected violations at 17 places. “Inspections were conducted on 96 premises involved in stocking acid for business. While three premises have been sealed, penalty amounting to Rs.1.3 lakh were imposed on others,” said an official.
Supreme Court guidelines

As per a Supreme Court ruling, buyers can sell chemicals only after the customers show their government-issued photo identity proof and purpose of purchase. The seller will be obliged to record the sale details and submit them with the local police within three days along with disclosing all stocks to the local sub-divisional magistrate within 15 days. Failing to do so could lead to a fine of Rs.50,000.

Moreover, as per the direction, acid should not be sold to anyone below 18 years of age.

Also, only non-harmful form of acid will be available over the counter. In laboratories, hospitals and other institutions where acids are used, a person will be placed in-charge of storing acid, and of compulsory checking of students and personnel leaving the institution

Tuesday 20 May 2014

Atijeevan's Appeal to the Society

Atiijeevan Foundation appeals to the society to come forward and help the acid attack survivors and join to contribute towards Atijeevan's effort to empower them. Link
Thanks Mr Rajshekar C.P. Setty for the video.


Tuesday 18 March 2014

Atijeevan's Exhibition on Ocassion of Womens Day

Atijeevan Foundation organized an Exhibition on the occasion of Women's day in Premise of L&T office Bangalore to showcase the products created by our Ambassadors ie Acid Survivors working with Atijeevan Foundation. These products include Furnishing items like Cushion Covers, Table Runners and Clothing accessories made with vintage fabric like Silk and Brocade and Paper bags created out of Old news papers. 
This event was very warmly accepted and we received lots of queries from people regarding Acid Attacks and Acid Attack victims. 

With this event we also tried to create awareness about Skin donation and its benefits. Many people appreciated our initiatives and pledged to join and assist us in our endeavors. Following are some of the pictures taken at the venue.

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Listen to the green shoots : Shradha Sharma

I grew up in Patna, Bihar. By the time I was in school, Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Chief Minister, and the Sadhu Yadavs and Pappoo Yadavs were in charge. Girls were looked at as a liability because dowries were rampant. We were four daughters with one brother. My father was in the merchant navy and my mother took care of us. Growing up, I was aware that ‘chaar beetiya’(four daughters) was either a taunt or a point of sympathy, “Oh God, you’ll have to get them all married. Kya kharcha hoga.” A descendant of Mangal Pandey (soldier involved with the First War of Indian Independence), my mother was progressive. Her father had been shot during the first Jai Prakash Movement. She grew up with her naniji (grandmother) because her widowed mother studied, entered the civil services, remarried, had another child and then brought my mother to live with her. But my mother felt like an outsider and was married at 16. She had a sense of pride but not the grounding that a girl can get from growing up with both parents. I think she had the five of us kids because we gave her structure. When the world was saying “chaar beetiya”, she would tune out and insteadurge us to do well. We were the father she didn’t have growing up.

I felt I had to take care of my mother; she should never feel we were a liability. I was a topper in class one and in the elocution and debate society. One day I returned from school with an award cup and my mother was so happy, she started jumping and dancing. That became the benchmark… how do I make her happy? Children are often asked, “Do you love your father or mother more?” I was obsessed with both. My father was the Santa Claus. He would return from his trips with chocolates. He was educated in England and was a topper too; and from him we learned about the world. Unfortunately, his parents forced him to marry early and he was not reconciled with it. Maybe it was the differences between him and my mother. It was the British Babu marrying the bhoomi ki beti.

As we were growing up, our father’s drinking disturbed us. He would break things at night in anger. We had this dreaded feeling that everyone in the neighbourhood was listening. Although we were also aware that our neighbours were enamoured by him - he appeared to them like a foreigner among Biharis.

Immersed in my studies, every day I thought: “How to be better?”

I wouldn’t be who I am without these moments. I look at youngsters today. For every decision they turn to their parents. I hear my peers talk about their marriage decisions, “Oh, my father rejected him” or “my mother rejected her”. I could decide for myself, and both my parents appreciated this ability to think independently.

THE CHILD AND HER DREAM

A few years ago, my mother died. I’ve not been able to come to terms with the way she passed away. Her kids, who were her anchor, were all in the metros while she was in Patna. She refused to move in with us and wanted to be with her husband.

One day I got a call, “Your mother’s sari caught fire while she was cooking, and she is badly burnt.” I flew to Patna to see her. She was in the hospital on ventilator support and the doctor told us, “The electricity might go out anytime, so just take the ventilator off or she’ll suffocate.” In a Bihari hospital, you feel like you’re in a movie.

We flew her to Mumbai on a Kingfisher flight; she was fully bandaged and the airhostess was crying. But I had to be strong because it was my mother. A month later, she passed away.

YourStory has become the voice of many startups in the country, but my mother didn’t get to see this. Sometimes people say to me, “You have an insane drive to grow YourStory”, but from childhood I’ve been working to create something for one person and now that person is not there. I have had to find a new meaning. YourStory is your story, because being valuable to others gives me a sense of purpose.

I once hired someone senior who wrote, “You’re a very hormonal woman.” It touched a nerve. I freaked out and then came to accept it. My hormones (although that was a male, narcissistic way of saying it) and my emotions are what allow me to work on YourStory the way I do. I had to also, most respectfully, throw the guy out. I think the opposite; that emotional quotient is very importance. IQ matters less.

My husband Gaurav and I met at St Stephen’s College. He was studying maths and I, history. His mother had cancer when I first met him. When his mother passed away, he didn’t have a place to stay. I asked him, “Why don’t you stay with me?” I rented a place in Delhi. This was revolutionary for a 19-year-old Bihari girl. We had a court marriage at 23 and today we’re 33. Our similar backgrounds and aspirations define us. I’m a louder version of him.

I would be lying if I said that our thirteen years together have been easy. There’s no work-life balance. I work all the time. Since YourStory began, staying with me is a traumatic experience for him. I’ve had a steady stream of upheavals at work, and there was the barren period after my mother. But he stood by me.

I would say he’s my equal.

Back when we were still unmarried, he told me, “I’m going to book a very big vehicle for you and we’ll go together… only us; it’ll be spacious and nothing like India has seen before.” And I thought, “Wow, what is it going to be?” He said, “I’m going to book an entire DTC bus.” In the construct of Dilli dikhawa, I found this refreshing.

When I was his girlfriend, he promised me, “I will give you the best in life.” And he went on to do that. He studied at IIM-Bangalore, was in the founding team at Nomura India and then worked his way to becoming a Director at Unitus Capital. At Unitus Capital, they said he was family. This defines our relationship. Our work gives us meaning. We both sleep well.

We’ll never work together because we appreciate our independence. I’ve seen what happens to the wife in husband-wife startups. At some stage, to save the marriage, the woman steps back or steps out. I am just beginning. YourStory is just getting started. We have the hunger to experience more as it grows.

STAYING THE COURSE

When I worked for a business news channel I came across many young entrepreneurs who’d say, “Why are you not listening to my story? Listen to me.” I saw the need to start something, but my colleagues felt there was no advertising currency in collecting stories of unknown entrepreneurs. However, I felt that if we don’t feature young entrepreneurs in their early days, how can we give them the confidence to know that what they’re doing is of interest?

I started YourStory as a blog at night while working with the channel. I knew how newspapers and TV channels work and applied those business practices to YourStory. With the exception of two people I asked to leave, everyone has stayed with YourStory since the beginning.

Vallabh was the first to join YourStory. I was in Mumbai, he in Bangalore. We spoke on the phone and liked each other. He was a college dropout. I asked him to write and he did.

One day Microsoft told us, “Hey, we’ll give YourStory a five-minute slot to speak before a large conference of entrepreneurs.” My mother was in hospital then and I asked Vallabh to do it. He bought a coat and formal shoes. It was his first suit. I was in the hospital and couldn’t send the money, and I wasn’t even paying him then. He called and said: “Shradha, I bought my suit and shoes and will make YourStory proud.” And then he practised his speech with me.

My mother remained in the hospital and I was out of my mind. Vallabh kept the site running. The day my mother passed away, I called and gave him the news. He didn’t know what to say. He was a young guy. He asked, “Are you okay?” And I said, “Yes.” And then I didn’t speak to him for a month and the site kept running. I wasn’t paying him. The first time I paid him a few months later, it was something like Rs. 1,500. Had he not been there, the site would have died a slow death.

For more information visit: http://yourstory.com/ or connect at https://www.facebook.com/YourStory.in 

Saturday 8 February 2014

Our Social Enterprise


 "Greed leads to a lot of misdeads and crimes, but the correct amount of ambition leads to a healthy life.Our belief does not lie on spreading the plight of the victims but the inspiring story of their success,dedication and courage.Struggles that bring out the best in you, change you and turn you into someone better, someone special. Our purpose is to build these and stories and narrate them to you woven u in beautiful colors and designs"
Through our Social Enterprise - We are trying our best to give the Survivors a Platform wherein they get a sustainable income and support themselves. These are the few products made by our acid attack survivors.From home furnishing, Dresses, Sarees, Clutches to paper bags, Help them , support them by buying these products.

Some of the products created by Acid Survivors are displayed below. To enquire more about these products and their prices mail us at  helpatijeevan@gmail.com.


Tuesday 14 January 2014

I Am Not My Face - An Initiative by Atijeevan

"I am not my face " It's an initiative by ATIJEEVAN FOUNDATION to show urban women showing solidarity to acid attack survivors and also to send a message to people who objectify women based on their physical attributes. By blackening their faces women send a dual message to survivors that we understand your pain and also symbolize that we are ashamed to live in a society where women are objectified. A society where the "Face" is seen as a mode to settle scores. Our message is simple "You can take my face, not my identity"