Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], April 7: Eleventh Dimension Solutions (EDS), a MuleSoft & Salesforce specialist technology company announced their second woman to be gratified, Ms. Madhu Kashyap, an acid attack survivor under the ‘Women Empowerment Campaign’ #RecognizeThePowerWithin. Madhu Kashyap has been gratified for her fighting spirit, a woman who fought through all odds and became an inspiration for many. The idea behind the campaign is to recognize and gratify such women who have faced a lot of struggles and hardship in their lives and in spite of that, they stand tall in front of society and work tirelessly to make the world a better place for others.
The campaign started by recognizing the struggle and strength of Bindu Ba Zala, the first Woman who was gratified under the campaign #RecognizeThePowerWithin. She is a school teacher, guide, mentor, friend, and caretaker of an entire village in Gujarat.
Ms. Vidushi Jain, Brand and Cultures Lead of Eleventh Dimension Solutions (EDS) met with Madhu to know her story and gratify her personally for being a true fighter and a survivor. Madhu was merely 17 years old, when a vagabond guy, Vikas attacked her with acid. He used to eve tease her every day while she used to go for her Graduation College nearby to her house. He used to follow her, verbally abuse and stalk her. He would also pester her to talk and spend time with him, to which she clearly refused. Madhu’s mother fixed her engagement with a guy from a similar background and started prepping for Madhu’s marriage. But Vikas got to know about it and became extremely jealous and angry and asked to leave her ‘to-be-fiánce’ at once and come with him. When she refused to do so, the guy threatened to ruin her life. But when Madhu again refused him, the man’s so called ‘ego’ got hurt and the very next day, he approached her with a black liquid in a soft drink bottle which clearly was mistaken as a normal ‘cola drink’ and splashed acid on her face.
Madhu was absolutely shocked and taken aback. It was an extremely concentrated acid that made her skin and even the tissues under it melt. The guy ran from the scene and Madhu screamed in pain and fell unconscious due to the extreme agony and injuries that she received. She directly opened her eyes in the hospital and took over 9 months to recover, including multiple life-threatening surgeries. She still carries the permanent disfigurement of her face and neck from the attack, but now this is her identity and she has learned to accept it and savor it. But her ‘to-be-fiánce’ stood by her in this tragic event of her life. He went against his family and married her.
But her struggle was not over yet, it was almost impossible for Madhu to get a job or work with this face because our society believes in punishing the victim more than the culprit. Everywhere she had to face social discrimination and hatred because of her looks. Then one day she came to know about a Foundation called Chhanv. The foundation works for acid attack survivors and helps them in securing job, getting reintegrated into society, and becoming independent working women. Madhu was filled with confidence and hope once she became a part of Chhanv. At Chhanv she met other acid attack survivors like her, named Roopa, Reetu, Geeta and Neetu. Madhu never thought that there could be people like her, who have faced similar evil in their lives. Now Madhu is part of the Sheroes café, which is an initiative by the foundation, where the survivors work in the cafe, get paid for their jobs, and are given a platform to talk about their stories and share their life with people.
Expressing her deep gratification on the occasion of felicitation as the Second Woman to be recognized under the campaign #RecognizeThePowerWithin by Eleventh Dimension Solutions (EDS), Ms. Madhu Kashyap said, “I am highly obliged and thankful to Eleventh Dimension Solutions (EDS), for gratifying me and telling my story to the world. Acid attack is one of the most horrendous and gruesome crimes against women. It causes physical trauma, emotional, and psychological trauma and I know what it feels like. However, being an acid attack survivor I was determined not to let it break me down and what kept me strong and alive are the beautiful people in my life. My husband gave me unconditional support and stood by me like a pillar, my children motivated me to not lose hope, my mother and younger brother’s love and care for me, who worked tirelessly for my treatment. My brother gave up on all materialism in life to help me get good quality care for her injuries. They have been my lifeline and strength”.
She further added, “Chhanv has supported me when all doors were closed in my life. It was a ray of hope for me and many other victims. But I wantthe crime of acid attack to be completely eliminated from society and make this society so strong and powerful that survivors need not come to the cafe to find solace and rehabilitation”.
Talking about the gratification of the Second Woman to be recognized under the campaign #RecognizeThePowerWithin, Mr. Ranjith Shanmugam, Head of Sales – ANZ region said “The idea behind the campaign is to bring such selfless actions into the spotlight and share their stories to inspire everyone else out there to take a small step towards humanity. We want to recognize their tremendous contribution brought forth by Chhanv Foundation. They have supported these women psychologically and provided moral and financial support”.
Talking on the occasion when Eleventh Dimension Solutions (EDS), gave the award to the Second Woman to be recognized under the campaign #RecognizeThePowerWithin, Mr. Shankar Sree, CEO & Co-founder said, “This heartbreaking story of Madhu Kahyap is another instance of the agony of someone like her has to go through, being a victim of such horrific incident without any fault of her. Yet the resilience, grit, and courage of people like Madhu Kashyap Second Woman to be recognized under the give immense hope and meaning to victims of many similar incidents, to fight back, stand tall and make them count. We would like to recognize the contributions of Madhu Kashyap and Chhanv Foundation for the difference they are making to society in inspiring many such women.”
Talking on the occasion, Mr. Paramaguru Devendran, Co-founder & COO – Eleventh Dimension Solutions said,” The society should stop the marginalization of people like Madhu Kashyap and help them to live their lives like everyone else. The intention behind the campaign is to talk about the story of an acid attack survivor and create awareness that the victims of such appalling incidents can fight their way back and lead a wonderful life again. Acid attacks are still happening in some corners of the world and this has to stop. Let all of us start creating a world where such crimes never happen. Let’s responsibly build a World where Women experience Peace and Safety “.
Eleventh Dimension Solutions’ (EDS) leadership team Australia, specifically Casey Romero, Dhivakar, Harit, and Team India – Natraj and Purnima Nambiar are thankful to people like Madhu Kashyap is a strong and fearless fighter, who fought against many challenges in her life but never gave up. They are the living example of true fighters and an inspiration to many. While our future isn’t always certain, what is certain is the determination to stand for ourselves and work towards making this world a better place to live. We are proud to celebrate this tremendous story.
