Chennai: Donning a black and white dress and moving across in a wheelchair, Pavithra Jayshankar, a resident of Chitlapakkam and a polio survivor took everyone by surprise by being part of the Guinness World Record attempt of doing ramp walk for 48 hours.
The multi-faceted person runs her own YouTube channel called ‘Justbelieve’, where she uploads videos about adaptive clothing and her lifestyle.
In an interview to News Today, the model recalls how she felt nervous like anybody else, while doing the ramp walk for designer Shalini, who introduced her to adaptive clothing.
“I have always had passion for modelling. We did a show at The Confluence, ECR on 23 December, 2018. It was a surreal moment for me and I enjoyed doing it,” said Pavithra.
While talking about adaptive clothing, she says, “It is all about making us feel more comfortable in an attire. My designer makes saree in the form of a gown. It is easier for us to wear it that way. Many people don’t know about this, so I use my YouTube channel to spread awareness about it.”
Her YouTube video contents also deal with retrofitting cars according to each other’s needs and driving a four-wheeler irrespective of their physical challenges. Pavithra briefs how adaptive cooking has made her day-to-day activities simpler. She has uploaded videos of her cooking on the floor to let others know about easy cooking methods.
Speaking about her struggles overcoming polio, she says, “It was really horrible. I had to face a lot from my childhood, but I didn’t realise much about my physical challenge until I became a mother. Being a differently-abled person, bringing up a child and also focusing on your career is the real test.”
She mentions about how the city’s accessibility is giving a hard time for her even though her family is supportive in all of her ventures. “We have a wheelchair but we don’t have proper ramp or platforms for us to move around. Many theatres and shopping malls don’t have a disabled-friendly restroom. Washroom is a basic thing for any human being but in the city, only Satyam cinemas has a proper washroom for us,” she claims.
Other than modelling, Pavithra also tries to do her bit for the welfare of differently-abled. She and other members from the Tamilnadu District Network, a social activist group, have petitioned and forced officials to place temporary wooden ramps at the Elliott’s Beach, Besant Nagar, for specially-abled people to reach the beach.
For details contact Pavithra Jayshankar at 9884444313.
Article by Sureka Rajasekar