Pragya Prasun

Indian founder of NGO supporting survivors of acid attacks

Pragya Prasun

Prasun receives the Nari Shakti Puraskar award

Born| circa 1983

Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India

Nationality| Indian
Occupation| activist
Known for| recipient of the Nari Shakti Puraskar award

Pragya Prasun (born c. 1983) is an Indian activist who survived an acid attack and set up the Atijeevan Foundation. The organisation has supported more than 250 other survivors and in 2019, she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar (lit. "Woman Power Award") awarded the Government of India in recognition of her work.

## Life

[edit]

Pragya Prasun was born circa 1983 in Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India, the eldest of four children.[1][2] Her father worked for Coal India and the family moved to Varanasi.[2] Prasun married her husband in Varanasi in 2006. Twelve days later when she was travelling to New Delhi by train, a jealous former suitor attacked her with acid as she was sleeping.[3] Fellow passengers including a doctor helped to care for Prasun before she was taken to a hospital with 47% burns.[4] The perpetrator was arrested when he tried to attack Prasun again the next day and was handed a prison sentence of four and a half years.[5] After nine surgeries, Prasun built a family with two children and runs a catering business. She also began to help other survivors.[4]

## Atijeevan Foundation

[edit]

Prasun set up the Atijeevan Foundation in 2013. It is a non-governmental organisation which helps survivors of acid attacks, funding surgeries and other treatments for people recovering from an attack.[3] Every year in India there are more than 100 reported acid attacks, mainly on women, but Prasun believes the real figure exceeds 1,000.[4][6] As of 2019, the foundation had supported more than 250 survivors.[3] Surgeries are carried out at hospitals in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai.[1] The Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai pledged in 2018 to support the group by offering free hair transplants.[7]

## Awards and recognition

[edit]

President of India Ram Nath Kovind presented a 2018 Nari Shakti Puraskar award to Prasun in 2019, in recognition of her work. This award is given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment.[8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Chakravorty, Joyeeta (3 April 2019). "Meet Bengaluru's acid attack survivor who is an inspiration to many". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
2. ^ a b "Pragya Prasun Singh – Acid Attack Ambassador". Bossgirl. 24 February 2020. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
3. ^ a b c Nath, Sayantani (16 September 2019). "Attacked With Acid at 23, Mom of Two Gives 250+ Survivors a Fresh Start at Life!". The Better India. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
4. ^ a b c Kannadasan, Akila (6 March 2015). "Looking at the face of courage". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
5. ^ Rao, Sunitha (24 April 2017). "Acid attack survivor is a mentor: Acid attack survivor is a mentor, healer for others like her". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
6. ^ "Why acid attacks are on the rise in India". DW. 8 June 2016. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
7. ^ "Free hair transplants for acid attack, burn victims at Chennai's Stanley Medical College Hospital". The New Indian Express. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
8. ^ Service, Tribune News. "President confers Nari Shakti awards on 44 women". Tribune India News Service. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.

* v
* t
* e

Nari Shakti Puraskar recipients

1999|

* K. V. Rabiya
* Chinna Pillai
* Kinkri Devi

2013|

* Manasi Pradhan
* M. Venkaiah
* Bina Sheth Lashkari
* T. Radha K. Prashanti
* Vartika Nanda
* Seema Sakhare

2014|

* Rashmi Anand
* Nanditha Krishna
* Laxmi Gautam
* Neha Kirpal
* Latika Thukral
* Sailakshmi Balijepally
* P. Kausalya
* Swaraj Vidwan

2015|

* Lucy Kurien
* Saurabh Suman
* Basanti Devi
* Suparna Baksi Ganguly
* Meena Sharma
* Priti Patkar
* Uttara Padwar
* Polumati Vijaya Nirmala
* Vasu Primlani
* Sujata Sahu
* Jyoti Mhapsekar
* Sumita Ghosh
* Anjali Sharma
* Krishna Yadav
* Shakuntala Majumdar

2016|

* State of Rajasthan
* Chhanv Foundation
* Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP)
* Sadhana Mahila Sangha
* Shikshit Rojgar Kendra Prabandhak Samiti
* Tripunithura Kathakali Kendram Ladies Troupe
* Amruta Patil
* Amala Akkineni
* Anatta Sonney
* Anoyara Khatun
* B. Codanayaguy
* Bano Haralu
* Deepa Mathur
* Divya Rawat
* Ilse Kohler-Rollefson
* Janki Vasant
* Kalpana Sankar
* Kalyani Pramod Balakrishnan
* Mumtaz M. Kazi
* Nandita Shah
* Pallavi Fauzdar
* Pamela Malhotra
* Qamar Dagar
* Reema Sathe
* Ringyuichon Vashum
* Sangita Iyer
* Smita Tandi
* Sumitra Hazarika
* Sunita Singh Choken
* Subha Varier
* Tiasa Adhya
* V. Nanammal
* Zuboni Hümtsoe

2017|

* Gargi Gupta
* Sindhutai Sapkal
* Gauri Maulekhi
* Navika Sagar Parikrama
* Malvika Iyer
* R Umadevi Nagaraj
* Thinlas Chorol
* S. Siva Sathya
* Bharti Kashyap
* Beti Zindabad Bakery
* Mittal Patel
* Sabarmatee Tiki
* Jayamma Bandari
* Syamala Kumari
* Vanastree
* Lizymol Philipose Pamadykandathil
* Chirom Indira
* Urmila Balawant Apte
* Deepika Kundaji
* Purnima Devi Barman
* Anita Bhardwaj
* Ambica Beri
* Pushpa Girimaji
* Avani (organization)
* Shrujan
* C. K. Durga
* Rekha Mishra
* Mehvish Mushtaq
* Karuna Society for Animals and Nature
* One Stop Centre, Raipur
* Millet Network of India
* State of Punjab
* Madhu Jain
* Jetsun Pema
* M.S. Sunil
* Sheela Balaji
* Anuradha Krishnamoorthy and Namrata Sundaresan
* Gita Mittal

2018|

* A. Seema
* Anshu Khanna
* Anu Malhotra
* Anuradha N. Naik
* Chetna Gala Sinha
* Darshana Gupta
* Kollakkayil Devaki Amma
* Didi Contractor
* Gowri Kamakashi
* Hekani Jakhalu
* Ipsita Biswas
* Iti Tyagi
* Kagganapalli Radha Devi
* Kalpana Saroj
* Lalita Vakil
* Madhuri Barthwal
* Manju Manikuttan
* Meenakshi Pahuja
* Mini Vasudevan
* Munuswamy Shanthi
* Neelum Sharma
* Nomita Kamdar
* Pamela Chatterjee
* Pragya Prasun
* Priyamvada Singh
* Pushpa N. M.
* Rahibai Soma Popere
* Rajani Rajak
* Reshma Nilofer Naha
* Rhea Mazumdar Singhal
* Ruma Devi
* Seema Mehta
* Seema Rao
* Shivani Verma
* Smriti Morarka
* Snehlata Nath
* Sonia Jabbar
* Sujatha Mohan
* Sunita Devi
* Twinkle Kalia
* Urmi Basu
* One Stop Centre, Lucknow
* Millet Network of India
* Qasab-Kutch Craftswomen Producer Co. Ltd.
* Social Welfare & Nutritional Meal Programme Dept, Tamil Nadu

2019|

* Arifa Jan
* Avani Chaturvedi
* Bhageerathi Amma
* Bhawana Kanth
* Bina Devi
* Chami Murmu
* Kalavati Devi
* Karthyayani Amma
* Kaushiki Chakroborty
* Mohana Singh
* Nilza Wangmo
* Padala Bhudevi
* Rashmi Urdhwareshe
* Sardarni Mann Kaur
* Tashi and Nungshi Malik

2020|

* Anita Gupta
* Ushaben Dineshbhai Vasava
* Nasira Akhter
* Sandhya Dhar
* Nivruti Rai
* Tiffany Brar
* Padma Yangchan
* Jodhaiya Bai Baiga
* Saylee Nandkishor Agavane
* Vanita Jagdeo Borade
* Meera Thakur
* Jaya Muthu, Tejamma (joint)
* Ela Lodh
* Arti Rana

2021|

* Sathupati Prasanna Sree
* Tage Rita
* Madhulika Ramteke
* Niranjanaben Mukulbhai Kalarthi
* Pooja Sharma
* Anshul Malhotra
* Shobha Gasti
* Radhika Menon
* Kamal Kumbhar
* Sruti Mohapatra
* Batool Begam
* Thara Rangaswamy
* Neerja Madhav
* Neena Gupta

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