Pratishtha Deveshwar, First Wheelchair-user From India To Study At Oxford

A final year student of Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, Pratishtha Deveshwar is going to Oxford. She scripted history by becoming the first wheelchair-user from India to study at the United Kingdom's prestigious University.

Sharing the good news with her friends, the student wrote on Twitter, "Thrilled to share that I'll be pursuing a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Oxford!" Pratishtha further said, "From the ICU where I fought for my life, to being the first wheelchair-user from India to get into Oxford-it has been a rollercoaster ride! I want to thank you all for your support".

Thrilled to share that I'll be pursuing Masters in Public Policy from the University of Oxford!
From the ICU where I fought for my life,to being the first wheelchair-user from India to get into Oxford-it has been a rollercoaster ride! I want to thank you all for your support!❤ pic.twitter.com/1K4t1D1jYM

— Pratishtha Deveshwar (@iiampratishtha) June 15, 2020

Pratishtha is originally from Hoshiarpur and she stays at the college hostel in Delhi, all by herself. On June 15, she received the Certificate of Offer from the University of Oxford and shared it on her social media. She will start at the university in September this year to pursue her Masters in Public Policy.

What You Should Know

• Pratishtha Deveshwar, DU student, will be the first wheelchair user from India to study at Oxford University.
• She met with an accident when she was 13.  The accident left her with a broken spinal cord and paralysed her from the chest down.
• Pratishtha booked a seat at Oxford and will be a student of Public Policy. Her classes start in September.

From DU to Oxford

As per reports, Pratishtha broke her spinal cord in a car accident at the age of 13. She was travelling from Hoshiarpur to Chandigarh at that time. After the accident, she was paralysed from the chest down. She also revealed that after the accident, she realised "the only way to overcome her tough life was through proper education."

Talking about overcoming the challenges, she recalled, “I stayed in the ICU for around four months and 3 years post the surgeries, I was completely bedridden because of which I was home-schooled. I scored 90% above in both class X and XII boards. I always knew that I could overcome my situation only with education," Education Times reported.

“I always knew that I could overcome my situation only with education. So, after 12th, I told my parents that I don’t want to live inside the four walls of my home anymore; I deserve better. I applied to LSR, and got admission! That changed my life,” she told HT.

Also Read: Harleen Kaur Visually Impaired Student Scores 96.6% In Class 12

Deveshwar is excited to start this new journey but she expressed her disappointment as well. “On one hand, I am thrilled to be able to make history but on the flip side, it is also just disheartening to realise that before this, no wheelchair user from India was given this opportunity. I intend to start a YouTube channel while I am at Oxford, for marginalized people with disabilities, to share my learnings and let them experience a world they've never seen,” she expressed to ET.

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh congratulated Pratishtha and wrote on Twitter: "The indomitable will & spirit of Pratishtha Deveshwar of Punjab are truly inspiring."

Congratulations, Pratishtha!

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