21 Year Old Vidisha Baliyan Becomes First Indian To Win Miss Deaf World 2019

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. This was the case of 21-year-old Uttar Pradesh state resident Indian girl Vidisha Baliyan who made Indian proud by not only winning the crown of Miss Deaf World 2016 but also becoming the first Indian to do so.

The Miss Deaf World 2019 beauty pageant competition was help at Mbombela in South Africa. Vidisha Baliyan defeated 11 beauty queens participating from the 11 different countries all over the world.

Israel's Miss Deaf World 2018, Assia Uhanany passed on the crown to India's Vidisha Baliyan following a glittery ceremony in Mbombela, South Africa. For the finale, Vidisha donned a beautiful high-slit intricated gown with matching danglers. For the talent round, the talented diva stuck to her roots and performed Tandav, a vigorous dance form by Lord Shiva.

Vidisha who is also a Shiva devotee started dancing at a young age. Talking about her performance she said, "Since childhood, I loved dancing and I used to write down the lyrics in my notebook since I couldn’t hear them. Subtitles didn’t exist then. And this chance to perform on a global platform was a culmination of all my dancing practices since childhood. Thanks to His blessings, the title of Miss Deaf World was bestowed on me"

Holding the trophy Vidisha Baliyan said, "Admiring my dream-come-true trophy and moment. Earlier I felt surreal but now I think life prepared me every step of the way for this. For everyone who thinks ‘less’ of disabled people and pity them, please know that disability is simply a condition and not a “problem”! And God grants grace for every challenge we encounter. And people who are disabled have acceptance of things in life because our expectations are less. I have noticed that people feel scared to feel happiness fully thinking that it might slip away later. But what’s life if we don’t savor moments completely?"

After winning the crown Vidisha Baliyan wrote Heartfelt Note on her Instagram and said, "While being crowned as miss Deaf World would be etched in my memory for a lifetime, the win was extra special to me for many reasons. As a hearing-impaired child, from not hearing the doorbell to being ignored by people, I’ve seen it all. But after seeing a meteoric rise in my sports career as a tennis player who earned the 5th rank in ‘Deaflympics’, tennis became as important as breathing. And then life’s another blow - a severe back injury left my hopes fractured. Unable to see a reason to live, I didn’t give up because of the strength my family gave me.

And in time, I was shown another way - Miss Deaf India. A novice to the world of beauty and fashion, I learned what was needed and won the title. I am blessed with quality - if I put my mind to something then I don’t measure efforts or time, I give it my all. Whether it’s dancing, basketball, swimming, tennis or yoga, I never slack in my efforts.

Maybe as a disabled child, I learned to overcompensate by my hard work to overcome my ability to listen properly. By the grace of the universe, after the Miss Deaf India contest, we crossed paths with Wheeling Happiness, an NGO who empowers disabled people. Thank you for each person who contributed to this victory. The crown is ours", Vidisha added.

For the unaware Vidisha Baliyan is a modeling student at Asian Academy of Film & Television (AAFT) said, 'Winning the title is just the beginning of the dream.' From being ignored as a hearing-impaired child to getting the country its first-ever crown, Vidisha shared her roller coaster journey briefly in one of her Instagram posts. She thanked every person who contributed to this victory. 'The crown is ours', she further added

Seen here with her mom, Vidisha captioned this photos as 'There is no one who deserves the crown more than my Mom! I love you, mom. Sometimes trying to explain something doesn’t do justice to the emotion. All I can say is, ‘ I am everything, thanks to you’.