India

• e-mail enquiries to: Burns Centre
• Link to the Surya Medical Trust Burns Centre Web site
  

Burns- a simple five letter word but hazardous to the life of the persons associated with it! Burns has created an adverse effect on the lives of many burn survivors. Life has been a living hell for burn survivors, as they have to face speculation and a lot of humiliation and discrimination from the society.

In India, we lack a group, which can give mental and financial stability to the burn survivors. They usually have to depend on their close ones for encouragement. But what must a person do if the close relatives of a burned patient give up on them? There are many reasons for a person to give up or rather ignore a burn victim. The reasons being mainly the cost of the treatment and the time taken for the treatment, which actually increase the costs. Other reasons are the disfigurement of the body and the ugly scars, which are left behind. Also the pressure and speculation of society isolate a burn victim and his family.

The burn 'victims' (mind you not patients) usually have to deal with their traumas alone. There are a very few burn survivors who have the support of their relatives and come out of their mental shock easily. Not all of them face discrimination, as they are fortunate enough to meet the 'right' kind of people. There are a lot of them who isolate themselves as the so-called society though sympathetic but do not accept any kind of ugliness. It becomes difficult for them to find a desirable job despite of their qualifications. The female victims face the worst kind of discrimination. The unmarried young girls do not get any good suitors and the family members usually create a mental pressure on the girl hence not letting her know how precious life is. The fate of the married girl is much worse. Her husband refuses to accept her back due to her disfigurement. Even if the husband accepts after much cajoling she is verbally and physically abused. The plight of mothers with a burnt face is still bad, as her own children get afraid of her face. At times like these, these ladies need to talk out their grievances and need some kind of support to pursue their lives normally.

India is a country with a lot of rural villages. The number of uneducated people in India is high. The major burn victims are from these areas. These factors make things difficult for people who want to reach out to these socio-economic backward classes. The people who actually want to make an effort to reach out to these people do not know how to go about it as there is no way they can contact the patients after they are discharged. The burned patients after being discharged are left alone to face life and its pitfalls. Not everybody can come out of the trauma of burns.

This is where the Burns Survival Group comes into picture. Presently there are few members in this group. Every member has seen and experienced the after effects of burned 'victims'.

• Dr. Sunil Keswani, an eminent Plastic Surgeon & the main coordinator of the group.
• Mr. Lalit Tirathdas Jham, a fellow burn survivor who has made a success of his life.
• Dr. Maya Kirplani, a practicing psychiatrist
• Dr. Sanjeev H. Vathkar
• Colonel N. R. Sinha
• Mr. Surendra Rao. Technical consultant
• Miss Jamuna Furniturewala
• Mrs. Mridula Prakash
• Miss Shirin Juwaley
• Miss Aparna Prabhu
• Mrs. Santosh Chawla
• Dr. Abdul
• Dr. Ayub

Aims & Objectives of the Group:

The main objective of this group is to give support to the burn survivors. The aim of the group is to provide counseling to the burn patients and their relatives. To help them through their trauma and support them as much as possible. To have group discussions to ease out ones mental stress and gain encouragement from other fellow burn survivors. To provide a list of various Trusts for medical relief and lists of blood banks. To keep in touch with the burn survivors through correspondence and newsletters which can answer all their queries. To create a website for easy access of information associated with burns. The website will have information on the advances made in treatment of burns in the medical field, names of hospitals that specialize in burns, lists of trusts and blood banks, names and contact nos. of members for any kind of assistance. To educate children and adults on the hazards of burns. To hold seminars and show movies on burns in schools. To educate adults through media. To create an awareness in the general public through newspapers, newsletters, magazines, on the various activities of the Burns Survivor Group and steps taken by the group to improve the present situation of the burned victims.

The Burns Survivors Group cannot stand on its own. What we need is a lot of volunteers to help in the various activities of the group and a lot of funds to carry out the tasks of the group. The group will have its own entity but it needs financial help from various organizations to take form. The goal of the Burns Survivors Group is to get enough funding to help the burned 'victims' without any limitations.

By Shirin Juwaley & Aparna Prabhu

My Story, By Shirin Juwaley.

I was married on Valentines day in 1998 to a very supposedly handsome and well settled boy. He was 28 yrs of age and had a degree of Electrical Engineering from a well-reputed college in Bombay. On my wedding night I was struck by horror when I realised my husband was a real beast. I was at last to realise that my husband was a sex maniac. My marriage was doomed & all my dreams shattered. After 2 months of turmoil & frustration I asked my husband for a divorce which he refused to give. My mother supported me and I started living with her. After much talking my husband agreed for a divorce but at a price of Rs. 1 lakh as compensation. I refused to give such an enormous amt for no fault of mine!
One fateful evening on the 28th of May''98 I was returning from work at around 8:30. My husband was waiting for me in my building and as I entered he mercilessly threw acid right on my face and ran for his life. Since he had planned the whole incident he very shrewdly escaped the country and flew to Kuwait that very night due to the loop holes in our police force.
I was hospitalized for good two months. The days in the hospital were the worst days of my life. My face was all in plasters and I could not see clearly due to all the dirt that accumulated in my eyes. My sight was miraculously saved though my both eyelids were burnt. Since my eyelids had shortened I could not sleep well. I took my state in my stride because I thought I would get alright in a matter of six months. Its been two years now and my face looks nowhere to a normal one. In these two years there has been a lot of financial loss and worst of it my mother had to face all my troubles. My aged mother had to do a lot of running around for my medical relief and blood donation.
This was the time I realised that we needed someone who could give us all the proper details without any hassles and educate us a bit more about my state so as to expect the unexpected. I needed all the moral support and love of strangers to get on with my life.
Today my husband is roaming scot-free while justice is yet to be meted out to me. My in-laws have not bothered to come and visit me nor they have supported my medical expenses. Today my widowed mother supports me and we are fighting life together. Despite of our difficulties we believe we will emerge as winners someday. I will look beautiful again and lead a normal life again.

My only advice to my fellow burn survivors is - 'Never give up! Life is too precious' & 'Every dark cloud has a silver lining.'

My Story, by Aparna Prabhu.

I am a B.Com graduate with a Diploma in Hotel Management. I had a well-secured job as a Tele marketing Exec. In a well reputed company. Life was rosy and beautiful for me until I met with my fate. I had an admirer (who was no more than an uneducated roadside Romeo) who professed his love to me. I naturally did not pay any heed to his attentions. He was attracted to me for past nine years and I took all the precautions to avoid him. Despite of my reluctance he stalked me everyday. He followed me everywhere and literally harassed me.
One sunny day I was going to work, which is a five-minute walk from my home. My 'Romeo' followed and proposed marriage to me and said he would keep me very happy; I ignored him totally and walked off. Suddenly he threw the crude acid on me from behind and I started burning all over. I ran to my office screaming. My colleagues were stunned looking at me and just stood there helplessly. They then helped me to a hospital at my suggestion. The onlookers on the street caught that creep and the police arrested him.
My trauma in the hospital began and I did not know what to expect. The only thing I knew was that my life would not be the same again. I was full of questions when I was hospitalized. I did not know whether the treatment would be painful? Whether I would ever get normal again? How much would all this cost? I was more pained because of the trouble and tension I was putting my family through. All of this for no fault of mine!
Today I have come out of my mental shock with the support of my family & friends. I have become a little wiser and confident in facing the harsh realities of life. My parents yet have to reel out from their mental and financial loss.
I am angry at the society, though being aware of the hazards of burns, sit back and do nothing about it. There is a need for such a group that can help burned victims and their families.

To all my burn survivors I would like to say, "Life is too beautiful to ignore it."

"You will never find a stronger willed person than the Burn Survivor, for they have suffered the worst injury to the human body anyone can endure and survived.(By Gary R. Graham)

You can contact the support group by e-mailing: Shirin Juwaley