Hearing impairment is no barrier to success for Pune model

With a passion for modelling that could not be deterred, Maitraya Kotecha, a hearing impaired boy from Pune, with sheer determination, is on the threshold of making a successful career. 
Steadfast with a desire to participate in a beauty pageant, Kotecha, was the 1st runner-up at Gladrags Manhunt in 2011, creating history by perhaps being the first hearing impaired beauty pageant winner in the country. He also won the Citadel Mr Pune title at the beauty pageant held in October last year.

It was also a breakthrough for Ritika Ramtri, Maitraya’s coach, who runs the Tiara Pageant & Model Training School in the city.
“As a coach, I spent a year in training Kotecha for the  contest. It was imperative for me to understand his problem and make necessary adaptations within the training programme in order to allow him to flourish,” she said.

To overcome communication challenges and restrictions that hearing loss may impose, Kotecha is zealously supported by his mother Malti Kotecha who acts as a translator for her son, using sign language and then translating same in Hindi or English language for others to understand.    

Expressing himself through his mother in sign language, Maitraya said, “I want people to look at me with positive attitude and trust my hard work and passion. I know that today’s world is competitive and determination and hard work must go hand in hand to achieve success in any field.”  

Talented Maitraya also aspires to branch out into other career avenues such as modelling for ads, fashion shows and try acting. “My inspiration is Stephen Hawking who despite being diagnosed with motor neurone disease has overcome the severe disability and went on to become one of the greatest scientific thinkers of all time,” he said.  

Maitraya’s mother said that the industry must not sympathise but respond positively to her son’s efforts and hard work. Maitraya looks forward to entering the beauty pageant at international level. He has studied till standard X and wants to complete his graduation in art stream. As a young boy he is also interested in painting and sketching.

With hearing loss of 95 and up decibels, Maitraya’s mother said that he became hearing impaired at the tender age of 5 months from meningitis, which damaged the nerves in his ears.   
Maitraya’s father, Sanjeev, is into share trading. His mother who worked in an engineering firm, left her job to devote time to her son. Maitraya lives with his parents in Sambhajinagar.