Reshma Banoo Qureshi was attacked by her brother-in-law and his friends.
Though she cannot easily forget the unbearable pain she had suffered two years ago, the world is going to witness the smiling face of Reshma Banoo Qureshi walk the ramp at New York Fashion Week that starts early September.
The fashion week is going to be a completely novel experience for the 19-year-old girl from Mumbai whose life turned upside down two years back when she became the victim of an acid attack.
“I have seen fashion shows only on TV and once in a five-star hotel in Mumbai. I am so happy that I am going to be part of such a big show! I can’t thank Allah enough,” Qureshi told The Hindustan Times in an interview.
Qureshi’s brother-in-law disfigured her face with acid two years back in Allahabad. The incident happened at the railway station in Mau Aima when she went there to appear for her 10th standard exam.
The husband of her elder sister Gulshan poured acid on her face at the railway station. Her sister had been seeking a divorce from him being unable to bear his torture for dowry. He was taking revenge to hurt her sister and the family.
“I was there to appear for my 10th standard exam. My brother-in-law came with a few friends and threw a strange liquid on my sister’s hand. She screamed in pain and asked me to run. Before I could escape, two of his friends grabbed me by my hair, pushed me to the ground, tore my burqa and poured acid on my face,” Qureshi said.
Nobody came forward for her help though there were hundreds of people at the railway station. A stranger took Qureshi and her sister to their home on his bike and she was taken to a hospital only after seven hours.
Qureshi’s face was disfigured and she lost her left eye. She spent two months at a hospital in Allahabad where she didn’t get much medical attention. Her family took her to a Mumbai hospital where she underwent several surgeries. Her family had to borrow money from friends for the treatment.
“I was almost dead. I had become ill-tempered. I hated all human presence around me. I attempted to kill myself several times. I couldn’t bear to see myself in the mirror. Aisa mere saath kyun hua Allah? (why did it happen to me, God?), this question was tormenting me,” said Qureshi.
It was then Qureshi met Ria Sharma from the NGO Make Love Not Scars, that works for acid attack victims. Sharma launched a campaign to raise funds for Qureshi’s treatment.
Ria made Qureshi the model of her campaign #End AcidSale that won a Glass Lion and two Grand Prix on Day 3 at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2016, in France. The entry into the world of modeling gave a new breath to her life.
Accepting the invitation of FTL Moda, a New York-based fashion production house, Qureshi is flying to New York soon to take part in the New York Fashion Week.
Qureshi said that it was the influence of Ria that changed her life. She stopped covering her face after realizing that it was the attacker who should be ashamed, not her.
Qureshi wants to be like Ria Sharma and work for victims of acid attacks.
“Reshma is one of those human beings who prioritize others. Their intense desire to do something for others gives them strength. It was not easy to bring her out of her shell as the trauma that she suffered at a tender age was devastating. There are phases when she is very low. Whenever she feels like she will give up, I remind her that she has to fight for so many other girls, and she springs back,” said Sharma.