SahityaMitra Hema Parikh shared true life-story of Elizabeth Velasquez 'Lizzie Beautiful'

Gives message about the importance of inner beauty more than the outer one

SahityaMitra Hema Parikh shared the true life-story of Elizabeth Velasquez 'Lizzie Beautiful' with SahrudayMitras of NavKaushalya in Vadodara. The session started with an 'Omkar', a shloka and a prayer.

Hema began the session by making the Sahrudays listen to a song sung by Lata Mangeshkar, 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram', then posing a question, "According to you (Sahrudays) what is beauty?" Hema then taking the reference of Lata Mangeshkar said that she looks and dresses simply, but, her beauty is in her voice. The Sahrudays then state their views on beauty, like, true beauty lies in one's character, of being good at heart, thus all agreeing that the inner beauty is more important that the outer appearance.

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Hema began her narration of the story of Elizabeth Velasquez from the instance where she was dubbed the "World's Ugliest Woman". Then showing a picture of Lizzie, she told the story of how Lizzie had a rare, previously undiagnosed and non-treminal genetic disorder which prevented her from gaining weight. But this, instead of deterring her, motivated her to speak out against bullying.

Velasquez then went on to become a motivational speaker, activist, author and YouTuber. Lizzie in the later years thanked the person who had dubbed her the "World's Ugliest Woman", 'cause because of that she could find her true 'beautiful' self.

Post narration a video clip was shown of Lizzie's life. In the end, the Sahrudays were asked to draw and colour what beauty was according to them.

The Sahrudays realised that true beauty doesn't just mean looking beautiful but being beautiful from within - in speech, in thoughts and in behaviour.