30 years old Neehaari Mandali, survived to share her story with many people to inspire. She shows the light to burn victims to come out of the pain and helps for leading a glorious life.
With Inspirational Beings team, she shares her story. Here is short video on her life journey. To know her complete story, please read her full interview below.
I am from a traditional middle-class family and completed my BA in Political Science from Srikrishna Devraya University, Anantpur, Hyderabad, India. I got married when I was 20 years old with lots of dream under my wings but the trouble started in the very 2nd week of my marriage.
I was tortured, harassed and physically abused every day by my husband and in-laws. Unable to handle this abuse anymore, I decided to return to my parent’s house, I was 2 months pregnant then. My family didn’t support me, even after knowing all the incidents happened with me, as they succumbed to the social pressure of me returning to maiden place. My family was my last hope and there was no choice left to me than ending my life. I tried killing myself along with my unborn child to get peace and salvation from all the pain and suffering. I burned myself with Kerosene.
Despite incurring 55 % burns on my body, I survived. I undergone through 22 multiple surgeries to recover but once the storm had passed, I emerged out to be a much stronger person.
I learned a big lesson - The ultimate aim of winning a war is defeating your enemy’s thought process and not taking revenge by killing him/her.
I divorced my husband and started a new life, but I used to think a lot about the agony of burnt survivors as these people take such drastic decision because of adverse, unbearable situations and later when they survive, society looks at them as if they have done a big sin. In many of the cases, their economic conditions are not sound and they fight the battle on many fronts. As I started reading more about burn survivors, I came to know that I was not the only one but there are so many burn survivors struggling and they need a lot of emotional support to come back to normal life.
This is how I decided to fight for the IDENTITY of burn survivors in the society and started a trust named “Burn Survivor Mission Savior Trust,” (BSMS) in December 2014. BSMS Trust is all about helping and bringing off burn survivors back to life, giving them reasons, hope and trust about the future and making them emotionally sound.
Now I believe that “The wound is the place where the light enters you and enlightens you.
It was almost 4 years of struggle for me to prove to make everyone including my family to understand BSMS. Our Trust works to conduct several campaigns and projects on the awareness of reconstructive surgeries, setting up medical & surgical camps. We also conduct innovative activities for burn survivors to uplift their confidence such as bike rally and fashion shows-
I would like to mention about the support of Dr Hari Kiran who has guided me in this journey of looking beyond the horizon of my personal challenges and for creating a robust foundation for suffering souls.
What is your message to our viewers and to the young kids across the globe?
Burn survivors need motivation, strength, and support system of family, friends, and society which is one of the most important factors in a successful recovery from a burn injury. Be positive and hopeful to them, show empathy. Burn patients may be self-conscious about their appearance, try not to look shocked or afraid of them, though they are burnt physically, not mentally. They have every right to live on the earth as a normal human being. Please don't ill-treat and go on their physical appearance than merit.
What is your future plan?
I want to bring awareness in the society about burn victims and fight for the identity of burn survivors. As per The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, there are 21 categories of disabled people in India. We persistently request the government to consider burn survivors under this category and give them an identity.
We have been organizing free plastic surgeries campaigns since 2015. We have had three campaigns so far; in Hyderabad, Kerala and Hyderabad. The Fourth campaign will be in Hyderabad in April 2019 where we have planned surgeries for 25 needy burnt victims.
Though we planned 25 free surgeries in April 2019, we are getting enormous calls from the struggling families, from all over India. So far, more than 1,000 burn survivors from low strata of society have approached us for financial support on surgeries. We are dependent on public support to help them in getting back to life.
To support and Volunteer this Noble BSMS Trust
Address #2-156, Puligadda, Avanigadda Mandal, Krishna Dist, AP – 521121
Email: bsmstrust@gmail.com , neehaari.mandali@gmail.com
Contact No 917680974918/ 919447012543
Website: www.burnstoshine.org
This story is researched and supported by
Annanya Khetan
Rato Bangala Schoool, Kathmadu, Nepal
9th Grade Student