Feature
‘Sheroes’: Disfigured faces but figuring out life
The victims, mostly women, are isolated from their families and society at large. Once their faces are disfigured after the attack, they are unacceptable in the Indian society and many are forced into an existence as the living dead.
Photo: Ritesh
For Farah it is a new beginning of her life, which was previously filled with a tragic incident. Rather, she is now completely at peace with the pain that life has inflicted on her.
In 2012, an acid attack on her by her cousin, whom she rejected, cut short a budding career and ended her dream. But regaining the confidence to lead a normal life does not come so easily to the victims of acid attacks in India.
The victims, mostly women, are isolated from their families and society at large. Once their faces are disfigured after the attack, they are unacceptable in the Indian society and many are forced into an existence as the living dead.
Farah says, “In such cases it is the girls who are left to suffer and also reprimanded for inviting such attacks”. But she did not lose heart; she wanted to live in the society standing tall with confidence. She later adds, “When I was insulted by neighbours and other relatives, I felt even stronger and made a resolute to break the jinx.
Sheroes Hangouts is an attempt to give livelihood to these victims and engaging them with the society, and not hiding in their homes. The first of its kind in India, the cafe, is run exclusively by survivors of acid attacks.
Abhay from administration department of Sheroes tells, “Sheroes is not a café rather it should not be thought like this. It is an attempt not only to provide jobs, but also to bring the acid attack survivors closer to mainstream society and to change the mindset of the people. It is to remind people that the victims have been attacked not because of their fault and a café is such a place which is visited by people of all age groups, and hence it is easier to develop a soft corner in their minds for the victims and sensitize them to the issue.” The café was started last month on International Women’s Day
“Despite support from my family, I was feeling uneasy, left out, and isolated. My life got a new meaning when in 2014 I joined the Stop Acid Attacks campaign. I started living life afresh,” says Ritu, another victim employee. “. When I joined the campaign, everyone offered me a red dress. I had stopped wearing red as I was attacked when I was wearing the colour. We celebrated by cutting a cake. That time I realized I have to do something in life. Not everything is lost. Now I manage accounts for Sheroes,” she told AajKiKhabar.
Ritu believes that it is very important for men to realize the pain of an acid victim and, through the cafe, she and women like her want to narrate the suffering of the victims.
“I never felt that anyone should be hanged to death or that anyone should get a life term in prison for the crime committed against me. I feel that when the culprits come out of prison, at least they should realize that they have made a mistake and make sure that such incidents don’t take place in our society. No one should be attacked that way,” she says.
Cafe Sheroes, thus, is not just a hangout; it is an open home for India’s acid victims. The name Sheroes itself derives from the word ‘heroes.’ Women like Ritu, Sonia, Laxmi, and many others are the real ‘sheroes,’ who have not let tragedy, blunt their outlook on life.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
