When her cousin attacked her with a bottle of acid over a minor argument five years ago, Lalita Ben Bansi thought that life as she knew it was over. Even after as many as 17 surgeries, she had scars from the attack.
Heartbroken, the twenty six year old moved from Azamgarh to Kalwa in Thane near Mumbai to script a fresh beginning.
It was through a wrong number that Lalita first spoke to CCTV operator Ravi Shankar. The 27 year old man soon fell in love with the lady on the other side of the phone call.
Shankar told Hindustan Times that he fell in love with Lalita immediately, but the challenge lied elsewhere. He had to convince his mother about the marriage. Lalita also needed to understand that she deserved love and the bliss and banes of marriage in spite of her injuries.
They are yet to decide whether they would settle in Mumbai or in Ranchi were Shankar owns a petrol pump.
Daulat Khan, president of Sahaas Foundation that works with acid attack victims, said that Lalita had met actor Vivek Oberoi at a function before, who had decided to pay for her surgeries. He is also rumoured to have attended her wedding.