Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar felicitating Vinita Shirodkar at her residence in Kancholewada-Morjim. Captured by : Nivrutti Shirodkar
PERNEM
Ever since she won the Miss Deaf India 2023 beauty pageant as part of the Purple Fest in the State a few days ago, Vinita Shirodkar of Kancholewada-Morjim has been flooded with people from different parts of Pernem who have been congratulating her on her achievement.
On Saturday, Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar visited Vinita at her home and congratulated her for her achievement, which brought pride to Morjim in particular and Pernem taluka in general.
Besides providing her with some financial assistance, Arolkar also offered her a job in his office and assured to make every effort to get her a government job on priority.
On realising that there is no proper road in the area, leading to Vinita’s house and 12 other houses, and the existing pathway only has access to a two-wheeler, Arolkar promised to discuss the matter with the landlord and work towards a 3-metre wide road for the houses.
A delighted Morjim Sarpanch Surekha Shetgaonkar said Vinita had brought honour to Morjim at the state and national level.
“All her hard work and perseverance paid off and we are so proud of her. Vinita will be felicitated by the panchayat at a special function on January 26,” said Shetgaonkar.
A student of Sanjay School at Porvorim till HSSC, Vinita did not want to be away from her mother and as a result, did not complete her graduation but learnt typing and pursued a computer course the next year. She also participated in various competitions and won prizes at State and national level in various fields like dance, education, drawing and sports.
Vinita’s mother began running a food kiosk in Morjim to support the family following the demise of her husband and while she struggled to raise her two daughters and a son, she never blamed destiny for having a differently-abled elder daughter.
Hailing from an economically weak family, Vinita was aware of her mother’s hardships to support their family and is now in search of some job.
Vinita is now excited to showcase her talent in dancing outside India, as she will participate in Miss and Mister Deaf International, Europe and Asia pageants.
One of the judges at the event, Miss Teen Goa 2022 Miss Sachi Sawant, who incidentally also hails from Pernem taluka, congratulated Vinita on her success
“I saw a lot of potential and dedication in her. At the contest, we had contestants from all over India, and we didn’t know from where Vinita was. She has won the title for Pernem and we are proud of her,” said Sawant.
