Colors of Courage: Attacked with acid as a baby, Anmol’s sheer grit saw her make it as a model and influencer

Anmol Rodriguez was all of two months old when her father attacked her mother with acid while she was breastfeeding Anmol. Her mother succumbed to the horrifying incident but the brave little girl, somehow managed to survive. She was left with a disfigured face and even lost an eye to the crime. Looking back, she recalls, “I was in the hospital for 5 years because nobody from my parent’s side came to take my responsibility. The hospital staff and nurses raised me and looked after me very well and thereafter, sent me to the orphanage for my upbringing."

The woman who is a social media influencer today, speaks of her childhood at the orphanage and recollects fond memories of the time that was full of fun and positivity. “There were no challenges back then. I was, in fact, a very bright kid and we were taught there to focus on studies. I was amongst the favorite kids having a very jolly nature,” she beams. The volunteers and the workers there made sure that she was raised in a loving environment without any discrimination.

But life took a turn for Anmol when she stepped into the college. “Since my childhood, I have been a people person. I am an extrovert and staying amongst people is my thing. But I realized in college that nobody wanted to stay friends with me, because of my face. That broke me.” 

She reveals that she experienced bullying and mockery after which she fell into depression. It was then that a teacher- Kiran Gandhi made her realize her worth and gave her a new perspective towards life. “My tutor told me that if I still follow my passion and aim, and became what I want to be, one day the society will see me as a hero.” Anmol did exactly that and focused all her energies into achieving all she desired and passed university. She recalls cracking her first job interview in the first go.

But life wasn’t a smooth ride for Anmol. She was fired from her first job within a span of two months. “Initially, I was happy because I myself never felt good about the fact that people are staring at me. All this was very new to me because in my orphanage nobody really ever made me feel that way. I didn’t know the value of money then. But then they fired me because my colleagues couldn’t bear to look at my face which was causing them distress.”

This left a deep impact on her personal life. Both mentally and financially, it was hard for her to keep going, but she never quit. “I kept going for interviews but nobody gave me a job because of my face, even though I was eligible for those. It made me think that if I wasn’t born with this face, maybe, my destiny would have been different."

At that moment, she was completely skeptical about how to go about life. But one fine day, things changed when created a Facebook account and started posting pictures of herself. “When I started using social media, my account was private because my friends were afraid that people might troll me because of my face. But what lay ahead pleasantly surprised me. A person from Rotaract club contacted me for a social media campaign where they aimed at showing an acid-attack survivor.” 

“I’d always loved clicking myself on camera, but usually, for most for acid- attack survivors it is quite difficult to face the camera and accept themselves. So, seeing my confidence, they decided to shoot me for the video. That I believe was the turning point of my life,” she admits. What followed was a flurry of hope, as words of encouragement and positivity flooded in from people online. She was approached for several modelling gigs and with Instagram, she also forayed into content creation.

But that doesn’t mean she never got hate comments or criticism about her appearance. She reveals, “One time I had been to Goa and I wore a short dress. When I posted the image on social media, I got the worst comment of my life, ‘aise kapdhe pehenti hai, isilie iske sath aisa hua hai’. That was very disheartening for me.” But Anmol refused to let such trolls affect her. She acknowledges the time she was depressed during college and says she has become more mindful about her identity now. 

“If you take care of your mental health then you can grow in your life. When I was in depression during my college days my tutor really helped me to get out from that phase. People should prioritize self-care. They should opt for therapies if required. That is how they will become more self- aware and appreciate themselves."

What’s interesting is that Anmol has also worked for an NGO where she helped other acid- attack victims. Being a survivor herself, she understood the difficulties that arose in a victim’s life. She’d get in touch with women leaders and politicians to arrange work opportunities and workshops for girls like her on ground level scale. She admits, “If they see me as an example that if I can do it and face the world, then even they can. Even I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I have made it on my own. I used to boost their confidence psychologically and help them with employment needs by making use of their skills which they had left behind.”

What makes Anmol extraordinary is her zeal to never give up. She still keeps her fight going and moves past all the stereotyping. “According to me, beauty is accepting yourself. I never thought of myself to be ugly. But when I saw people talking about my face then I used to again look at the mirror and question myself, what wrong do they see in my face? Accepting and loving yourself is the true beauty. I don’t want to be anybody’s inspiration because I am a survivor but rather seek for inspiration from my journey to take a stand for yourself,” she urges.

Speaking of love and matters of the heart, this dauntless belle admits she desires to have a partner who has a calming presence by her side. “I am very sensitive.  I would want my partner to be by my guardian who is supportive of my decisions. He should show me the right path because till date I have been taking my life decisions, and I don’t know whether they are always right or wrong. I would want a parent-like guidance from my life-partner who should be protective and understanding of my decisions,” she signs off with a smile.

ALSO READ: Colours of Courage: Single mum battles societal stereotypes to raise her daughter with dignity