Meet Vidisha Baliyan, the first Indian to be honoured with Miss Deaf World 2019 crown

Ever believed in second chances? If not then hearing Vidisha Baliyan's story will definitely make you rethink your life all over again! The 21-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh's Muzzafarnagar city who is differently abled has quite a story from her town to making India proud on the International level.

Vidisha Baliyan, if the name doesn't already ring a bell, was part of an event as big as Olympics. She had represented India in the Deaflympics and even won a silver medal. She was a well-known tennis player who was passionate about the sport.

That journey however came to an end for Vidisha post her back injury. She found strength and support in her family and Paralympian Deepa Malik along with Deepa's daughter Devika, who have co-founded the Wheeling Happiness Foundation.

A teary-eyed Vidisha shared her journey in a very special post which read:

“While being crowned as Miss Deaf World would be etched in my memory for 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 learnt what was needed and won the title. I am blessed with a 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 learnt 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 to each person who contributed in this victory. The crown is ours.”

Here, take a look at her post:

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Vidisha Baliyan (@vidishabaliyan_missworld2019) on Jul 22, 2019 at 10:19am PDT

Hosted in South Africa, Vidisha took on 11 finalists from 16 countries competing for the crown.