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Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Against all odds: The story of Kafi, an acid attack survivor who topped her school
Seated with a gentle smile and unwavering confidence in a one-room apartment in Chandigarh is 17-year-old Kafi, a young woman whose story is a testament to the power of resilience and hard work. At just three years, Kafi's life changed forever when an acid attack by a neighbour left her visually challenged and her face disfigured. Fourteen years later, she stands tall as the topper at the Institute for the Blind in Chandigarh, securing 95.6% in Class 12 board exams. 'I never imagined that one day, despite all odds, my daughter would bring such pride and recognition to our family. I'm so proud of her,' says her father, Pawan Kumar, tears welling up in his eyes. The attack happned on Holi on 2011. 'Kafi was left just a piece of flesh. We could barely identify her organs. She lost her eyesight completely, and her facial features were severely damaged,' says her father. What followed was years of pain and hospital visits. 'The next six years were a nightmare. We spent most of our time at AIIMS, Delhi, for her surgeries. We wondered if she would survive a month or two. Her wounds took more than four years to nurse. People used to say, 'How long will you care for her?' says Kumar. Kafi still struggles with physical consequences, and visits to hospitals are frequent. 'As I grow, my skin, especially around my neck and throat, becomes tighter due to scars. My facial skin is very sensitive. I can't step out in direct sunlight,' she says. She talks about the limitations most people don't think about twice. 'It's disheartening when I realise I can't go shopping like others. I can't see what I'm wearing. I wish I could look in the mirror and see myself the way others do.' But it's not just the physical struggle that lingers. 'Children scream when they see me for the first time. Co-passengers stare with disgust. Some even ask me to cover my face. That hurts more than the physical scars,' Kafi says. 'But it only fuels my resolve to study hard, succeed, and lift my father out of poverty.' With no visual memories from her childhood and limited financial resources, Kafi turned to resources within her reach. A smartphone and audiobooks became her teacher. 'I listen to podcasts about success and positivity, follow cricket commentary, stay updated on current affairs, and focus on my studies. It helps me block out negativity. For a visually impaired person, it's a blessing in disguise, no distractions,' she says. She also enjoys watching the sport that unites India — cricket. 'I listen to the commentary on my phone and discuss every detail with my younger brother. I love the game because of Virat Kohli. I admire him a lot,' she says with enthusiasm. Asked how she envisions her favourite player, Kafi responds, 'I can't picture anyone visually, but I know him as the fittest guy, with an impeccable personality and amazing consistency. I admire how he balances personal and professional life.' Like millions of fans, Kafi too was heartbroken when Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket. 'I was so disappointed. He's just 36. Legends like Sachin Tendulkar retired from Tests only after leaving other formats. My mood only lifted the next day when my board results came,' she laughs. Despite her admiration, Kafi doesn't want pity. 'I want to meet Kohli only after I achieve something. I don't want anyone to meet me out of sympathy,' she says with conviction. Behind Kafi's resilience is the father who worked hard to see his daughter succeed. After the attack, Kumar left his ancestral home in Haryana's Hisar, sold his property, and relocated to Chandigarh to give Kafi a chance at a better life. In Chandigarh, struggles continued — from job hunting and securing school admission for Kafi to fighting a prolonged legal battle. Kumar says he even took up work as a sweeper. 'People mocked me. But I had no choice. I cleaned toilets for two years to give my daughter a chance to live.' Today, Kumar works as a contractual peon at the Mini Secretariat in Chandigarh and drives an auto-rickshaw at night. 'Having seen my two elder sisters suffer in their marriages, I feared having a daughter. And when she was born, I prayed to God: ' Bhagwan, yeh ek hi kaafi hai' (God, one daughter is enough). I didn't want her to suffer like my sisters did. So, I named her Kafi,' says Kumar, on how her daughter got her name. 'But the day I realised my daughter is a blessing and a fighter, I decided I'll do whatever it takes to support her.' It's my remorse for once wishing: Ek hi Kafi hai.' Meanwhile, for Kafi, no dream is too big. She plans to study Political Science at Delhi University and dreams of becoming an IAS officer. 'I will work harder to reach that position, and I want to get posted in the same office where my father works as a peon,' she says. Parveen K Dogra is Assistant Editor at and is based in New Delhi. ... Read More
News18
14-05-2025
- News18
CBSE 12th Results: 17-year Old From Chandigarh Who Lost Eyes In Acid Attack Scores Over 95%
Last Updated: CBSE 12th Results 2025: Kafi lost her eyesight after a neighbor threw acid at her during a family dispute, resulting in her permanent blindness. 17-year-old Kafi, who lost her eyesight at the age of three, has achieved an impressive 95.6 per cent in her CBSE Class 12 board exam results 2025 announced on Tuesday. Kafi lost her eyesight after a neighbor threw acid at her during a family dispute, resulting in her permanent blindness. After years of treatment for her severe injuries, Kafi enrolled in the Institute for the Blind in Chandigarh. The student from Hisar in Haryana used Braille, and audiobooks for her CBSE board exams, reported PTI. Kafi, who chose the humanities stream, studied for about two-three hours daily. Now she aims to become an IAS officer. Her father, Pawan, works as a peon in the Haryana secretariat, while her mother, Suman, is a homemaker. Both her parents had studied only up to Class 5 but they were determined to provide Kafi with the best opportunities to advance in her career. Kafi advanced from Class 2 to 6 only after her treatment was completed. In her 10th exams too, Kafi had achieved over 95 per cent. She had secured 95.2 per cent. This year, more than 93 per cent students cleared the Class 10 exam, while 88.39 per cent passed class 12. Girls once again outshone boys in both exams. 'The board will issue merit certificates to the top 0.1 per cent students who have scored the highest marks in subjects. The merit certificates will be available in the DigiLocker of the students concerned," Sanyam Bhardwaj, the CBSE's examination controller said. The CBSE did not announce merit lists in 2020 and 2021 after the board adopted an alternative assessment scheme since some or all papers were cancelled due to COVID-19. It permanently discontinued the policy in 2022. First Published: May 14, 2025, 21:22 IST
NDTV
14-05-2025
- NDTV
Chandigarh Teen Lost Eyes In Acid Attack, Scores 95.6% In Class 12 Boards
Chandigarh: Acid burned her eyes, not her ambition. Seventeen-year-old Kafi has defied all odds to score 95.6 per cent marks in her CBSE Class 12 boards, results of which were declared yesterday. Kafi was just three when a neighbour threw acid at her during a family dispute, blinding her forever. But the light of dreams refused to be put off by the darkness. After undergoing treatment for years for her serious injuries, Kafi enrolled in the Institute for the Blind in Chandigarh. Her father, Pawan, works as a peon in the Haryana secretariat and mother, Suman, is a homemaker. Both of them studied till Class 5 and were determined that their daughter would get every opportunity they did not. Kafi, then 10, went directly from Class 2 to Class 6 following treatment. "Initially, it was very difficult. But I kept studying and it became easier. My dream is to become an IAS officer. I study for about 2-3 hours daily," said the teenager, who chose humanities as her stream. She had pulled off an incredible feat in her Class 10 boards, too, when she scored 95.2 per cent. The family has been fighting a legal battle to seek justice for Kafi. "Our fight is on. I am studying hard so that one day, I can fight my case and get justice," the young achiever said. Kafi is not alone. The Institute for the Blind in Chandigarh has several success stories this time. While Kafi has topped the school for the visually impaired, Sumant Poddar has come second with 94 per cent and Gursharan Singh third with 93.6 per cent. As for Class 10 boards, Sunny Kumar Chauhan topped the school with 86.2 per cent, Sanskriti Sharma was second with 82.6 per cent and Nitika third with 78.6 per cent. According to authorities in the Institute for the Blind, a big challenge for visually impaired students is finding study material. Audio books and Braille books are rare and students largely depend on YouTube and other online platforms. Sumant Poddar said he did not follow a strict scheduled. "I studied when I felt like. I felt cricket with my friends when I could. Audio books and YouTube were a huge help," he said. Gursharan Singh said he had studied in the Hindi medium and that made it more difficult to get audiobooks. "I had to get others to record books so that I could study. But these hardships made me stronger," he said. The CBSE provides several exemptions to students with visual and other disabilities. These include a scribe facility, compensatory time during exams and flexibility in choosing subjects.
Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
With dreams of becoming IAS & winning Paralympics medals, specially-abled athletes shine in CBSE exams
On Tuesday afternoon, as 20-year-old fully visually impaired athlete Kashish Yadav asked her mother Raj Kumari and sister Mansi Yadav to check her Class XII CBSE result, Kumari would tell her daughter, 'Tu isme bhi acha hi karegi,'(you will do good in this too). A student of the Institute for the Blind, Sector 26, who had won a total of five medals, including gold in the girls' 400m, 800m, and 1500m events, apart from a gold in the 4x400m relay and a silver in the 4x100m relay in the 23rd National Athletics Championship for the Blind held in Nadiad, Gujarat earlier this year, scored 92.4 per cent (Arts) in her Class XII exams. The Ambala resident, who wants to be an IAS officer, told her mother to make some more space in the cabinet for her academic achievements. 'My parents Om Prakash and Raj Kumari have always encouraged me to give my best in whatever field my interest lies. When they sent me to the Institute for the Blind, Sector 26, in 2018, I was also fascinated by sports and picked up sports under coach Rakesh the past four years, I have been studying late nights with the support of our teachers while I trained in the evening at the Sector 7 Sports Complex. I want to be like the former UT excise and taxation commissioner, IAS Rupesh Kumar, who was also the director of our institute suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a kind of vision loss, and is currently posted in Jammu and Kashmir,' said Yadav, speaking with The Indian Express from Ambala. Yadav had won five medals in last year's nationals, too. The 20-year-old also wants to compete in the Paralympics for India and idolises Paris Paralympic bronze medallist Simran Sharma. 'I want to win medals for India in the Paralympics too. Our coach Rakesh Sharma, apart from teachers Anu Tandon, Nirmala and Rekha, and our chairman Dinesh Kumar Kapila have always encouraged us to balance studies as well as sports,' said Yadav. Yadav's classmate Abhishek Kumar, who too is fully visually impaired, had won three medals, including a silver in the 4×400 relay and a bronze each in the 5000m and 800m in the national meet at Nadiad. Kumar hails from Dagla village in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. The 12th standard student lost both his parents Rashpal Singh and Kamlesh Kumari at a young age. Raised by his grandmother Kaushalya Devi and uncle Sudarshan Singh and aunt, Kumar had scored 90 per cent in Class X and 79.6 per cent (Arts) in Class XII on Tuesday. 'I was too young when I lost my parents, but my grandmother and uncle always encouraged me to study and sent me here. I had scored 90 per cent in the tenth exams, and the medals in the 2022 nationals motivated me a lot. I am inspired by Milkha Singh sir,' Kumar had told this paper earlier this year. 'Abhishek has never lost hope amid all the challenges he faced. To see him get good marks is special news for the whole school,' said coach Rakesh Sharma. Another student of the institute, Tanisha, who is partially visually impaired, scored 67 per cent in Class X results. The 18-year-old, whose father Anil Kumar is a postman in Chandigarh, had won gold in the girls' 1500m and the 4x400m relay, a silver in the 4x100m relay, and bronze in the 400m and 800m events in her category at Nadiad. 'I always dreamt of winning medals on the athletics track, and scoring a good percentage in the tenth exams is a special feeling. I want to win medals for India in the Paralympics,' says Tanisha Another student of the institute, Tanisha, who is partially visually impaired, scored 67 per cent in Class X results. The 18-year-old, whose father Anil Kumar is a postman in Chandigarh, had won gold in the girls' 1500m and the 4x400m relay, a silver in the 4x100m relay, and bronze in the 400m and 800m events in her category at Nadiad. 'I always dreamt of winning medals on the athletics track, and scoring a good percentage in the tenth exams is a special feeling. I want to win medals for India in the Paralympics,' says Tanisha. Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
Indian Express
14-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Institute for the Blind students ace the results
Sanjay Kumar Chauhan stood first with 86.20 per cent marks, Simranjit Kaur second with 82.60 per cent and Neetika stood third with 78.60 per cent among 13 visually impaired students, 7 girls and 6 boys, from the Institute for the Blind, Sector 26, Chandigarh, appeared in the Secondary Exam conducted by the CBSE for the academic year 2024-2025, the results for which were declared on Tuesday. Similarly, Kafi stood first with 95.6 per cent of marks, Sumant Poddar second with 94 per cent, and Gursaran Singh third with 93.6 per cent among 16 visually impaired students from the institute who appeared in the CBSE Senior Secondary Exam. The institute authorities expressed their immense pleasure, stating that all visually impaired students performed very well and scored high percentage marks. They said against all odds, and inspiring many visually impaired, the students stood tall, as they overcame several challenges, and worked hard, using Braille as well as the digital mode to make their dreams come true. The Institute for the Blind functions under the aegis of the Society for the Care of the Blind, Sector 26, Chandigarh, and has 173 students from Classes I to XII.
