Pragya Prasun

Pragya Prasun (born ) 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

Pragya Prasun was born circa 1983 in Dhanbad in Jharkhand, India, the eldest of four children. 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. Fellow passengers including a doctor helped to care for Prasun before she was taken to a hospital with 47% burns. 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. After nine surgeries, Prasun built a family with two children and runs a catering business. She also began to help other survivors. As of 2019, the foundation had supported more than 250 survivors.

Awards and recognition 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.