At first glance, Sheroes Hangout Café in Viman Nagar looks like any other lively café. Customers chat over coffee, staff welcome visitors with warm smiles, and handmade products line the shelves. But, behind every smile here is a story of extraordinary resilience.
Opened in Pune on June 4, Shero’s Hangout is not just a café. It is a rehabilitation initiative where acid attack survivors from across India are rebuilding their lives through employment, education, skill development and most importantly, social acceptance.
Run by survivors themselves, the outlet employs 12 women and three men who have survived acid attacks. They have come from states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Odisha, West Bengal and Maharashtra. Many were attacked after rejecting marriage proposals, following family disputes or due to personal grievances. Most people spent several months in hospitals, underwent multiple surgeries and then faced the difficult journey of rebuilding their lives.
The initiative has its roots in the ‘Stop Acid Attacks’ campaign launched in 2013 by social activist Alok Dixit and his colleagues following the nationwide discussion on gender-based violence following the 2012 Nirbhaya case. Later, as a result of this campaign, the first such café opened in Agra.
Speaking to HT, Dixit said her interactions with acid attack survivors showed that medical treatment alone was inadequate to help them restart their lives.
Launched online on International Women’s Day in 2013, the campaign gradually evolved into a support network for survivors. Through its experiences, the organization identified two major challenges – employment and social acceptance. This resulted in the launch of the first Sheroes Café in Agra in December 2014.
Today, Sheroes Cafés operate in Agra, Noida, Lucknow, Delhi and Pune, while the organization works with around 100 survivors through various projects.
“Pune was chosen because of its strong educational ecosystem and employment opportunities. However, awareness about rehabilitation assistance for survivors is limited in Maharashtra,” Dixit said.
He emphasized that Sheroes is much more than a food business. The organization supports survivors through medical treatment, legal aid, counselling, education and vocational training. It has partnered with hospitality institutions including Taj Hotels to provide professional training and career opportunities. Housing and support systems are also provided for survivors associated with the initiative.
However, Dixit believes that the most important part of rehabilitation is social acceptance. Many survivors continue to cover their faces because they fear people’s reactions, he said.
“Rehabilitation cannot happen without the participation of society. Medical treatment and counseling are important, but survivors also need acceptance, respect and opportunities to participate fully in everyday life,” he said.
The name ‘Sheroes’ reflects this philosophy – combining ‘she’ and ‘heroes’ to celebrate survivors as courageous individuals rather than victims.
The women and men working at Sheroes are not limited to serving customers. They handle food preparation, customer service, administration and financial management.
The café also serves as a learning centre, offering classes in English, computer skills, communication and other life skills.
Visitors can also find handmade products made by survivors, including tote bags, paintings, sketches, candles, bracelets, key chains, diaries, and pottery. Many of these skills were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic when cafes were closed.
These products are sold under the ‘Gift a Story’ initiative, allowing survivors to earn income while sharing their journey with customers.
For Ritu, now a floor manager at Sheroes’ Viman Nagar outlet, the job brought a sense of purpose that she once thought impossible.
“When I first came here, everything was new to me. I didn’t even know there were different types of spoons,” she recalled.
Through professional training sessions, including those supported by Taj Hotels, he gradually learned customer service, communication skills and café management.
He said, “The skills I learned here changed my life. This place opened up a completely new world to me, like a newborn baby seeing the world for the first time.”
Ritu was only 16 years old when a relative attacked her with acid after she rejected his marriage proposal. Since then, he has had 16 surgeries, lost one eye and has limited vision in the other.
“What happened next was a long and painful journey. I had to undergo multiple surgeries, suffer breakdowns, and spent years trying to rebuild my life. My left eye is now artificial, and my right eye has very limited vision. Today, I am exhausted from the surgeries. I am grateful for the recovery I have achieved.”
He said that Sheroes helped him gain confidence and move forward. “The attack changes every aspect of life, but here I found people who understood my struggles and helped me rebuild my confidence,” he said.
He also appreciated the response of Pune residents. “The support from Punekars has been tremendous. The people here have welcomed us with warmth and respect and that means a lot,” he said.
Another employee, Julie, was only five years old when she became an acid attack survivor. She recalled that her father, unable to accept her mother’s remarriage after their separation, attacked her in what he believed was his former wife’s sleeping area. Instead, the acid attacks Julie and her stepfather. Her stepfather later died from his injuries.
“I was screaming and crying. No one around us knew it was an acid attack or what to do immediately,” she said.
Today, Julie dreams of becoming a model and actively shares content on social media.
Yet social stigma remains tragic. He said, “Sometimes parents see us and ask their children to look away. It hurts. We are also human beings.”
Working at SheRoes has helped her gain confidence and connect with other survivors, she said. He said, “Our life does not end with the attack. We can still dream and achieve our goals.”
Manini, originally from Odisha and now working with Sheroes Hangout, said an acid attack when she was 15 years old changed her life. She said, “There was a boy who wanted to marry me, but my family did not agree to the proposal. Later, he married another woman, but he kept telling me that he would marry me when I became an adult.”
According to Manini, the situation worsened when another family came to them with a marriage proposal. “When he came to know about it, he became angry. One day, he came to our area, broke a street lamp, threw acid on me and ran away. A police case was registered against him,” she said.
The attack left him uncertain about his future. “For a long time I thought my life was over. I didn’t know how I was going to move forward,” she said.
She later joined Shero’s Café in Agra, where she found support and a new sense of purpose. She said, “Working at Sheeros gave me a new life. I learned many new things here, gained confidence and became independent. Earlier I thought everything was over for me, but now I feel there is still a future ahead.”
Manini said being surrounded by fellow survivors helped her realize that recovery is possible. “Here, we encourage each other and learn together. This has given me hope and strength to start again,” he said.
Apart from rehabilitation, the organization conducts awareness campaigns through street plays, public dialogues, fashion shows and other outreach activities.
Its efforts have received national and international recognition, including the International Women of Courage Award presented by former US First Lady Michelle Obama in 2014 and the Nari Shakti Award in 2017.
For customers, Shiros may start with a cup of coffee. For the people who work there, it represents a huge thing.
It is a place where survivors learn skills, earn a livelihood, continue their education, support each other and slowly regain the confidence that violence once tried to take away.
Every meal served, every handmade product sold and every interaction with a customer helps challenge the stigma that surrounds acid attack survivors.
In a city known for its educational institutions and youthful spirit, Sheroes Hangout is offering something beyond food and beverages – a reminder that dignity, opportunity and acceptance can change lives.
