Laxmi Agarwal

Laxmi, once known as the acid attack survivor, is now known as just Laxmi, who is a mother, a symbol of courage, hope and love for life. She is a motivational speaker and a messenger for millions of social voices. She was 15 when she was attacked by her stalker with acid in 2005. He thought he would kill her dreams. Little did he know that she will bounce back and will strike a cord deep within people. As Laxmi says “Usne acid mere chehre par daala hai, sapnon par nahin” (He threw acid on my face, not on my dreams). Laxmi never stopped dreaming. She never gave up.

In her battle against acid violence, Laxmi began a campaign called “Stop Sale Acid against the unrestricted sale of acid and also to help acid attack survivors in their rehabilitation. The campaign has global support, and was awarded by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and UNICEF.