Apart from all the glory that is being brought to the country with athletes like Duty Chand and Hima Das, there’s another area India has been making its mark on – the world of beauty pageants.
At the recently held international Miss Deaf World competition, 21 year old Vidhisha Baliyan has won millions of hearts by getting crowned the top crown.
Making her the first Indian to win the title, Baliyan – who hails from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, got emotional as the crown was placed on her head during the ceremony finale in, Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Congratulations ❤️ Vidhisha Baliyan on winning Miss Deaf World Pageant, she becomes the First Indian to win the title … She is former International tennis Player and also represented India in the Deaflympics. She was chosen the winner among 11 finalists from 16 participating countries in the final… . …. Follow : @pageantmirror … #Pageantmirror #missdeafworld #vidhishabaliyan #pageant #love #india #uttarpradesh #missworld #missuniverse #missdeaf #missdeafindia
Vidhisha is totally deaf on one ear, and has only 10% hearing left on the other.
Here is what she was quoted as saying by Indiatimes:
“I was inspired to participate in the pageant to gain confidence and develop my personality. Through this platform, I also want to motivate the deaf community to focus on the talent they have, and not be upset about what they don’t have.”
Welcome home #vidhishabaliyan a 21-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh, became the first Indian to win the Miss Deaf World 2019.. #missdeafworld #missdeaf2019 #missdeafsouthafrica #pagentshow #winner #proudmoment #vidhisha #missdeaf #missdeafindia
Baliyan had previously represented India as a tennis player in the Deaflympics, winning a silver medal at the ceremony.
This is one of the many feathers she has successfully placed on her hat.
Congratulations.