New Delhi: Lady Shri Ram College’s residence hall has reopened after four years of renovation, bringing 100 upgraded rooms back into use for around 150 students. the reopening has opened doors to students whose lives are shaped by financial hardship, disability and long commutes.The college, which receives around 700 hostel applications from first-year students each year, has also expanded accommodation for second- and third-year students with disabilities.Among them is second-year political science student Kafi Chaudhary, an acid attack survivor who spent her first year in a paying guest accommodation. Visually impaired after the attack, she said the move had eased her financial and emotional burden.When Kafi walked into her hostel room this week, it was “Ia huge relief financially. Beyond that, the hostel facilities are far better than what I had in a paying guest accommodation,” she said. Now, settled into her room, Kafi can focus on pursuing her long-held dream of becoming an IAS officer. “It feels great. The food is almost like home, and the facilities are really good. What stands out is how accessible the hostel is for persons with disabilities. There are ramps throughout the building, and room numbers are in Braille,” she said.Her journey to Delhi University has been marked by extraordinary resilience. In 2011, during Holi celebrations, Kafi was attacked with acid when she was three years old. The assault left her blind and set her on a long road of medical treatment and reconstructive surgeries. “I underwent some treatment immediately after the attack, but the doctors told me that further reconstructive procedures could only be done after I turned 18. Now that I’m 18, I’ve undergone two minor surgeries this year, but it’s still a long journey ahead,” she said.Yet, neither the attack nor the years of treatment changed the future Kafi sees for herself. The dream she spoke about as a schoolgirl — to study at Delhi University and one day become an IAS officer — remained intact.The journey, however, has been about more than rebuilding her physical health. . “I wasn’t able to interact much because I had this inferiority complex. There were incidents where people screamed after seeing me,” she said.Delhi University helped change that perception. She found a campus where students were more aware of disability and more accepting than she had expected, she said.LSR principal Kanika K Ahuja said the reopening is significant not just because of the upgraded infrastructure. “The renovated hostel is much more than a building reopening. It means that many students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, OBC, EWS and PwD categories now have a safe place to stay,” she said.She added, “Last year, Kafi wrote to me repeatedly asking for hostel accommodation. I even explored whether we could arrange for a place for her elsewhere, but it wasn’t possible. When we decided to open hostel admissions for second- and third-year PwD students, I immediately remembered her and asked that she be informed so she could apply. Today she has finally moved into the hostel, and seeing her so happy has been deeply satisfying,” Ahuja said.
