Three months ago, Lalita Bansi dialled the wrong number.
Or so she thought…
A fortnight after making the call, the Mumbai woman received a call back from the number.
On the other end of the phone was Ravi Shankar Singh, a CCTV operator from the Malad neighbourhood.
“We spoke and I fell in love with her voice,” he told The Hindu.
Lalita and Ravi continued their telephone conversations daily, and after a short time Ravi proposed.
But Lalita was concerned that her past could impact her future.
In 2012 Lalitha was attacked after she tried to stop a fight between her younger brother and cousin at a family wedding in her home town of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, and had acid thrown in her face. Since the attack, Lalitha has undergone 17 surgeries, and has another 12 scheduled for this year.
Lalita bravely informed Ravi about the incident, saying that she was an acid attack survivor. His response however, is enough to melt the coldest of hearts;
“I told her I was in love with her and would like to get married. Many couples fall in love with their partners’ face and eventually get divorced. With Ms. Bansi, I am not concerned about her face. She is a sweet person. I wish god blessed us for a lifetime.”
And so they were married this week at D’ Silva Technical College, Dadar, Mumbai.
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The wedding was organised by Acid Survivors Saahas Foundation. Lalita has been a member of the foundation since her attack. The ceremony also attracted the attention of other support groups who pitched in to ensure the wedding was an extra special one for the couple.
Arrangements were made for food, décor, banquet hall, honeymoon package, and the bride was even gifted with several Paithani sarees. Both the bride and groom wore outfits gifted by renowned fashion designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla
Truly a story of survival, courage and love!
“I’m not going to act like a hero and say it didn’t affect me. It did. I was afraid at first, but then I saw her smile… I realised that there was no one else I could marry.”
Read their love story: https://t.co/fBPLufaeXt#LetLoveBe #EkLadkiKoDekhaTohAisaLaga pic.twitter.com/s29hMI3BGU— Humans Of Bombay (@HumansOfBombay) January 26, 2019
You can find out more about Acid Survivors Saahas Foundation here.
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