The Purple Fest 2023 played host to the 10th annual Miss and Mister Deaf India 2023 beauty pageant at the Gera School (TGS) Auditorium, Old Goa.
Organised by the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, the All India Deaf Arts and Cultural Society (AIDACS), and the Goa Association of the Deaf, it was a celebration of the beauty and talent of deaf youth in India and a highlight of the festival.
Vinita Shirodkar was declared the winner of Miss Deaf India 2023. Khushboo Patel and Sujatadevi Passiwas were awarded the first runner-up and second runner-up awards respectively.
Rajesh Bhanushali was declared the winner for Mister Deaf India 2023, and the first runner-up prize was won by Harsh Chouhan. Parth Narula came third in line as the second runner-up was.
The Mrs. Deaf lndia 2023 winner was awarded Varsha G along with Sheetal as the first runner-up and Sadiya Bandodkar as the second runner-up.
All participants showed exceptional talent in fashion sense and modelling. They were all trained by Abrar Naik, Director of AB Production Goa. The Judges for the event were Nehal Patil, Mister Grand International, 2022 and Sachi Sawant, Miss Teen Goa 2022, along with Abrar Naik, Choreographer and judge for the event.
Prizes in 10 special categories were declared by Pt. Vikas Sharma, National President, Disabled Helpline India, and Zamir Dhale, the Purple Ambassador for DeafBlindness.
It provided the deaf youth community of India with a national platform to showcase their talent and venture into the mainstream fashion industry. It also opened the doors for them to pursue any other dreams in such a field. The winners eventually participate in the Miss and Mister Deaf International, Europe, and Asia pageants; states a press release.
The dignitaries for the event included Dr. Deviya Rane, MLA, Poriem Constituency and Chairman of Goa Forest Corporation. The Guest of Honour, Subhash Phal Dessai, Hon’ble Minister for Social Welfare, Guruprasad Pawaskar, State Disability Commissioner, Sandhya Kamat, Director of Social Welfare, Taha Haaziq, Secretary of office of the State Commissioner of PwD, Rajkumar Punjabi, President AIDACS, and others.
