Laxmi Agarwal is an Indian acid attack survivor, a campaigner for rights of acid attack victims, and a TV host. She was born on 1 June 1990 in New Delhi, India.
Laxmi Agarwal was only 15 when she was attacked by her stalker with acid in 2005. He thought he will kill her dreams. Little did he know that she will bounce back and will strike a chord deep within people. As she says “Usne acid mere chehre par daala hai, sapnon par nahin” (He threw acid on my face, not on my dreams), Instead she never stopped dreaming and today, she is synonymous with courage and beauty around the globe.
Laxmi Agarwal received International Women of Courage award by US First Lady Michelle Obama in 2014. She was chosen as the NDTV Indian of the Year. She was also awarded by prestigious Mother Teresa Award in 2018. For her exemplary courage and contribution to society, she was honored on the famous show – “India’s Next Superstar” – where her life story was portrayed through an act. She has been invited by many corporates, schools, colleges and other institutions for motivational talks.
Today, Laxmi Agarwal is the face of several brands, including NIMAI’s new ‘Promise’ brand (a luxury fashion brand with a soul) and Viva N Diva (a clothing brand). She has challenged the stereotype by becoming the face of a fashion brand even after undergoing several reconstructive surgeries. She has helped more than 100 victims of acid attacks all over India by providing assistance with treatment, legal aid, counselling and rehabilitation and becoming the face of the unprivileged acid attack surviving women in India.
Laxmi Agarwal has now launched a new campaign “StopSaleAcid” to fight against the free sale of acid in India. More than twenty thousand persons have joined this campaign, which has been organized in more than six states till date i.e. Delhi, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Dehradun, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
In 2019, She was honored with the International Women Empowerment Award from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and UNICEF for her campaign of Stop Acid Sale. The movie Chhapaak is based on her life and stars Deepika Padukone in her role.
