The women were beauty and grace personified as they walked the ramp at Bidyut Bhavan. So what if they could not hear?
On International Women’s Day, 13 hearing and speech-impaired women took part in Miss Deaf Bengal, a beauty pageant for unmarried hearing and speech-impaired women aged between 18 and 25. It was organised by the Society for the Deaf.
“We have participated previously in such events across India with four representatives from Bengal: two in the Mr Deaf and two in the Miss Deaf category. When these participants shared their pictures with friends, it sparked a desire among others to walk the ramp too. So we organised this event today to allow many more to fulfil their ambition. The response was great, from across Calcutta, Hooghly, and Nadia,” said Shibapada Chakraborty, chairperson of the Society for the Deaf and former principal of the Salt Lake CF Block-based Ideal School for the Deaf.
The women, appeared dressed in vibrant Indian, Western, and Indo-Western attire, walking solo and in groups.
Disha Jana of Beleghata was finally judged the winner, scoring 95 while Pragya Kashyap was the runner-up, scoring 90. Tithi Saha from Ultadanga secured third place, scoring 85. All three were crowned by the judge, fashion designer Mayuri Banerjee, and received certificates and cash prizes of Rs 3,000, Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,500, respectively.
Disha is a college student who is also undertaking sign language teacher training. “Disha lost her hearing after contracting measles at the age of one-and-a-half. She always wanted to walk the ramp but never had the opportunity before this,” said her mother, Subhra Jana. “Our whole family is overjoyed by her crowning. She has won national-level prizes in drawing and painting, and she is also a skilled table tennis player. We hope she continues to excel in all areas.”
Pragya, the runner-up, is a Class X student. She had long wanted to join a fashion show, and though her father was initially dead against it, he relented this time as the event was being held in Calcutta. She wants to become a model.
Tithi, the second runner-up was encouraged to join by her sister. She loved the experience and now wants to pursue both painting and modeling.
Banerjee, the judge for the event, was deeply impressed by their performance. “I trained them for just 10 minutes, and they grasped my instructions meticulously, delivering remarkable performances. Their ability to walk with rhythm and style without hearing the music or following the beat was extraordinary. They proved that they can compete with mainstream models if provided with proper training,” she said.