Despite stiff challenges, Somya Thakur is going to represent India in Miss Wheelchair World 2022 Contest next

Mona

“While people see me as a wheelchair-bound girl, what they don’t see at first glance is my will,” says the petite, pretty girl Somya Thakur. An HR professional with a private company in tricity, Somya is balancing her passion with her job. She is, in fact, going to represent India in Miss Wheelchair World 2022 Contest next!

Wearing a sparkling crown, Somya has been waiting for this stint for a while. The pandemic played spoilsport and the opportunity finally came through Jadina Taka Foundation, which is holding the Miss Wheelchair World 2022 Contest in Rosarito, Mexico in October. Somya suffers from loco-motor disability due to which her leg muscles are weak and she cannot bear her body weight. This ailment consigned her to the wheelchair. Despite the odds, Somya completed her education; she is an MBA from Panjab University.

Without many transport options available for a wheelchair-bound, Somya banks on her mother to take her around. “I wouldn’t have been able to complete my education or work had she not rallied behind me.”

Being strong

Somya idolises former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen; she says, “She is a woman to reckon with. I love how she carries herself.” If pandemic has been hard for everyone, it was harder for her as an accident left her bedridden. “I have worked really hard to be where I am. The accident left fractures in both my knees, I almost lost hope that I would be able to pursue my passion. But then I pulled myself together and spent the last two years healing myself,” she smiles.

Somya is also General Secretary of the Positive Abilities Rotaract Club under the aegis of Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik. She is into social activism and often delivers motivational lectures.

Miss Wheelchair World 2022 is going to be her first international exposure. Before this, she has been a part of other events, including the longest ever wheelchair fashion show, an attempt at breaking the Guinness World Records, at Chennai. She has also been the runner-up in Miss Kozinoor India contest in 2019. She wishes to win the crown at Mexico where participants from 30 other countries will compete. “I want to wear something Rajputana to honour my traditions. I wish to collaborate with a designer and hope to find a team to help me through this.”