Breaking barriers, India's Rajalakshmi on Monday won the 'Miss Popularity award' at Miss Wheelchair World 2017 pageant in Poland's Warsaw.This is three years after she won Miss Wheelchair India in 2014.
Rajalakshmi, who hails from Bengaluru, is a dentist by profession. She was forced to take the wheelchair after she met with a road accident 10 years back.
The road accident led to a spinal cord injury forcing her wheelchair-bound for life and moulding her life in a different direction.
Instead of losing herself, she pursued her interests in psychology and fashion and eventually she won 2014 Miss Wheelchair India.
Of the several passions Rajlakshmi has in life, modelling is one of them, and it is something she truly enjoys and has worked hard to achieve.
"But being on a wheelchair and getting into modelling remains a question mark," she states.
She is also the chairperson of her organization S J Foundation, which works for the causes of the disabled.
A polish organisation had organised the beauty pageant for the first time in a bid to break the social perceptions about disabilities people.
The event featured contestants from countries including Brazil, Canada, France, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia and the United States.
Aleksandra Chichikova from Belarus has been crowned the first ever Miss Wheelchair World.
Around 24 contestants took part in the pageant. The event was organised by 'The Only One Foundation', which was founded by two disabled women.
