Deshna Jain, a 20-year-old girl who hails from Madhya Pradesh, has won the title of Miss India Deaf 2018 and will represent India at the international pageant in Taiwan.
Deshna will represent India at the 8th Miss and Mister Deaf International pageant at Taipei city, Taiwan from July 8 to July 16.
A student of Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy, Deshna Jain won the Miss India Deaf title at the seventh edition of the competition earlier this year in Jaipur. She competed against over 80 people from 20 states across India.
The contest included a ramp walk in traditional and western attire followed by a talent and question and answer round.
"I am honoured that I will represent India at the international forum. It is a moment of immense pleasure and pride for me. I am geared up to give my best performance at the international pageant. The path to success especially for people like me is not an easy one but I am determined to bring a difference in the lives of people.
"I would like to thank my parents, especially my mother who always believed in me, supported me and encouraged me to chase my dreams," she said in a statement.
Deshna belongs to Tikamgarh, a small town in Madhya Pradesh. She came for her studies to Bhopal at the young age of three and has been staying away from her family since then.
She wants to make a meaningful difference to society by being a face and the torchbearer for the hearing impaired people. Her larger goal in life is to work for the betterment of young girls like her who can be trained, counselled and coached to study and build a career.