Iulia Vantur, Amit Sadh, Sangita Jindal and many more attend ‘Utsahati’ by The Ladies’ Wing of IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry in honour of acid attack survivor, Laxmi Agarwal

What:  Iulia Vantur, Amit Sadh, Sangita Jindal and many more attend ‘Utsahati’ by The Ladies’ Wing of IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry in honour of acid attack survivor, Laxmi Agarwal

When: Thursday, May 10 (Afternoon Tea)

Where: Luna Gusta, The St Regis Mumbai

Thursday, May 10: All roads led to The St. Regis Mumbai for an event with a soul. Aptly termed as ‘Utsahati,’ which means ‘Encourage,’ The Ladies’ Wing of IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry felicitated one brave soul who has not only been a victim but also a crusader and a role model for women across the globe, Laxmi Agarwal. Laxmi was attacked with acid when she was in the 7^th grade, she rose like a pheonix from ashes to not only survive the attack but to ask fight for various causes and initiatives for the victims of acid attacks. Over the Afternoon Tea Ritual, unique to the St. Regis brand, guests partook in an enlightening afternoon of conversation.

Mrs. Nayantara Jain, President of The Ladies’ Wing of IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry felicitated Laxmi and affirmed that, “It is my honour and privilige to welcome Laxmi to the IMC Ladies’ Wing family. Her courage, determination, grit and passion is inspiring for each and every one of us here. With the increasing cases of violence against women, it is integral for us as a society to come together, educate our children, especially our sons on how to respect women. It is also important for us to avoid all forms of social stigma and be compassionate and only give love to victims of acid attacks. Change begins at home and I hope ‘Utsahati,’ will encourage all of us here to be a part of a change in mindset.’

The Guests of Honour for this one of a kind elegant afternoon tea were Dr Marshall Goldsmith, an American award winning author and World-renowned business educator and coach and Dr Huzaifa Khorakiwala, Exec Director of Wockhardt Limited, CEO of the Wockhardt Foundation,  a not-for-profit organisation which runs several programmes in health, education, water and sanitation across the country, benefitting & touching millions of lives every year.

Over a dynamic panel discussion with various stakeholders such as Iulia Vantur, Amit Sadh, Sangita Jindal, Malti Jain, Shreyasi Goenka, Prakruti Podar, Rajalaxmi Rao, Zeba Kohli, Mukita Jhaveri, Vanita Bhandari and more, Laxmi stated that, “When I was attacked, I was the one who was blamed. Society left me, from my extended family to so called friends, people were scared to look at me. I did not get a job at a call centre because they thought people would be scared in even speaking to me. Even thought the one who attacked me was a criminal, I was made to feel like the criminal. In fact, my attacker came out on bail in a month and even got married. It is a very painful life for acid attack survivors, because it is an attack on the entire family. I was a simple girl, with simple dreams but the attack changed my life. In a lot of ways, it made me who I am today, a confident girl who has no fears and I managed turning something ugly that happened to me, to a movement in support of acid attack victims. I urge everyone here to help rehabilitate acid attack victims, accept them, acceptance as a society is all they need to become invincible.”

Dr Marshall Goldsmith affirmed that, “Statistically, the average woman is a better leader than the average man. However, the average woman has one issue to deal with more than the average man, the desire to be the perfect everything to everyone. All I want to tell all women is that do not be too hard on yourself. Do not carry around too much guilt, do your best, do not blame yourself for what goes wrong, be honest and accept everyone for how they are, be it victims of acid attacks or any other victims, all everyone needs is compassion.”

Huzaifa Khorakiwala of Wockhardt Foundation stated that, “Women are the best multitaskers. A woman plays so many roles with such aplomb, be it mother, wife, daughter, CEO, working woman. And that is why, we require quick justice for women and we have to empower our women, especially the survivors of such henious crimes. We have to give them good employment opportunities, we have to show them love and acceptance, we have to fight for them and with them. The struggle that they have to face in their lives, we have to ensure that we can make their struggle ease and ensure that their life does not become anymore difficult.”

The event was moderated by Arti Gupta Surendranath, Chairperson of Awards Committee for IMC Ladies' Wing. Also present were actor in the popular show Breathe, Amit Sadh who affirmed some interesting views such as ‘For me, Laxmi Agarwal is not a victim. She is a gladiator and deserves to be lauded for all her efforts to fight for acid attack victims. The most important question for all of us present here is, how will be follow through? What will we do to improve lives of acid attack victims when we step out here? I believe it starts with a smile, a hug, a gesture that spells compassion and shows only love towards one and all.’ Singer Iulia Vantur looked resplendant as she greeted Laxmi and lauded her for her grit, courage and determination to fight against all odds. Iulia highlighted on the fact that acid attacks take place all over the world and one must think about the trials and tribulations life throws at the victims and help them merge into society, instead of doing the opposite. 

'Utsahati' by The Ladies’ Wing of IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry was organised in partnership with The St Regis, Mumbai.

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