Hoshiarpur girl honoured with India UK Achievers Award

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

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Hoshiarpur, January 29

Pratishtha Deveshwar, a 23-year-old girl from Hoshiarpur, has done the country proud in the United Kingdom. An alumna of the University of Oxford, she has been honoured by the UK Parliament with the India-UK Achievers award.

The honour recognises the contribution of the most impactful Indian alumni of British universities in 75 years of the independent India. Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha Raghav Chadha and celebrity actress Parineeti Chopra have also received the award for their outstanding contribution to society.

Addressed british parliament

• Pratishtha Deveshwar, in her speech at the UK Parliament, shared her inspirational story with the parliamentarians. She was welcomed with a thunderous round of applause
• As the first-ever wheelchair-bound person from India to study at the University of Oxford, Pratishtha has spoken in front of thousands of people, including policymakers, CEOs and ministers in her mission to build a more inclusive world

Pratishtha Deveshwar, in her speech in the UK Parliament, shared her inspirational story with the UK Members of Parliament. She was welcomed with a thunderous round of applause in the House. From speaking on the streets of New Delhi to international United Nations events, she is now one of the youngest and most vocal disability rights activists in India.

As the first-ever wheelchair-bound person from India to study at the University of Oxford, Pratishtha has spoken in front of thousands of people, including policymakers, CEOs, ministers and activists, in her mission to build a more inclusive world.

Pratishtha has also been selected for the Oxford Global Leadership Initiative by the Oxford Character Project. Pratishtha’s father is the Deputy Superintendent of Police posted in Hoshiarpur.

Her father Manish Sharma, who is currently there with her in the UK, while talking to The Tribune over the phone, said that it was a proud moment for the family as Pratishtha had brought laurels to the family by overcoming her difficulties.

He said Pratishtha spoke for 25 minutes in the UK Parliament and her speech was praised by the MPs there. In the speech, she had dwelt on her journey from the Cambridge School in Hoshiarpur to Oxford University in UK. She even got emotional as she remembered her alma mater.