Flawless skin, a perfect figure and a beautiful face — just a few things most of us would intuitively associate with a receptionist in some restaurant or cafe. The faces that have undergone several reconstructive surgeries will now host the people of Lucknow at their first of it’s own kind cafe and Reach-Out centre in Gomtinagar, Lucknow. Sheroes in deed the name of the cafe derives from a pun on
‘hero’. Managing the counter, taking orders and engaging their customers in delightful chatter, these women will inspire the most cynical with their tales of resilience. At Sheroes news chapter too, the ideas of beauty and importance of appearance are the talking point. In addition this space will be developed as a ReachOut centre for the state of Uttar Pradesh where the highest numbers of cases were reported in year 2014 (source: NCRB). There is a readers’ cafe, a performance space (built inside the cafe), an activism workshop, and an exhibit space, where works crafted by survivors are displayed. Farah, Aruna, Reshma, Sunita, Wasema and Rani. Six acid attack survivors, six incredible stories of lives shattered, but refusing to break. Of unimaginable pain and an indomitable spirit. All six are joining as a proud members at Sheroes’ Hangout cafe in Lucknow, the labour of love and commitment of a campaign that has a sole motive: Stop Acid Attacks, like the recent one in Agra. Our journey
In a country where survivors of such attacks do not dare to come out of hiding, or show their disfigured faces in public, this was a much needed step to crete an environment where all the stakeholders of the society come to discuss this lesser known crime against humanity. Invariably a premeditated crime, acid attack easily classifies as one of the most vicious forms of hateful revenge. SheRoes Hangout in AgraIn the heart of Agra, the town perennially flocked by tourists busily gawping at Taj Mahal, came up this cafe run solely by survivors of acid attacks. The cafe aims to remove the stigma surrounding victims of acid attacks and hopes to spread awareness of acid attacks by having survivors like Geeta, Ritu, Rupa, Neetu, Dolly and Anshu run it. Sheroes’ Hangout, was born to reintegrate acid attack survivors into society and celebrates its anniversary on 10 December.One of the objectives of SAA at Sheroes’ Hangout is to provide skills training in the subject that each survivor was interested in learning. The cafe also houses a library, a community radio hub and a boutique corner that showcases Rupa's work. The Taj Mahal may be one of the world’s top architectural wonders, but just a half mile away, a new destination is gaining attention: Sheroes’ Hangout. Sheroes Hangout only employs acid attack survivors. It was opened by the Stop Acid Attacks team with a mission to provide a safe space for survivors & community to come and discuss feminism and equal rights. Visitors to Sheroes’ Hangout always leave with a sense of fulfillment. It’s not only because of the cutting-edge coffee and delicious snacks the café serves. Opened in December 2014 in Agra, Sheroes’ Hangout started as a crowdfunding project by a group of acid attack survivors at Stop Acid Attacks, committed to ending acts of violence against humanity. Its “pay as you wish” contributions go toward the rehabilitation of survivors of acid violence in India. Our visitors are mostly people from around the world who hear about us in the news. They come here to see how acid attack survivors like us are coping with their lives.
