Anmol Rodriguez was two months old when her father threw a corrosive substance at her while her mother was breastfeeding her.
Her mother died from her injuries. Anmol survived, but lost sight in one eye and was left with scars that would require years of surgeries.
She spent the first five years of her life in a hospital in Bombay. No relative ever came back to look for her.
Then she went to a foster home, Shree Manav Seva Sangh. There, for the first time, no one looked at her solely because of her face.
University was different. The stares, the whispers, the rejection. She finished classes and went straight home, while others lived the social life she wanted too.
She left her studies for a while. A tutor helped her return, without pity and without fear.
She graduated and got a job as a software developer. Months later, she was removed from the position: her own coworkers felt uncomfortable with her face.
So she did the opposite of hiding.
She began posting her photos. Thousands of people responded, recognizing her confidence. Designers and brands sought her out. She walked runways, acted alongside Shabana Azmi in the short film Aunty Ji, and spoke at a TEDx event.
In 2017, she founded the Sahas Foundation to support other survivors of acid attacks.
The substance that disfigured her face did not manage to erase who she was.
It only forced her to prove it twice. 🕊️