Bullying in school or workplaces is never okay and must be counteracted.
But for little Pooja bullying was a daily occurrence, because she was born with red hair, light skin and green eyes, something which is extremely unusual in her home country of India.
But Pooja would definitely have the last laugh – and 20 years later, she’s a true beauty.
Pooja Ganatra was a healthy and happy baby, who was playful and curious about everything around her.
But there was one thing that made her, at least in the eyes of many others, different. Pooja was born with red hair, freckles, light skin and green eyes.
Was bullied – but stood up for herself
At school Pooja was bullied every day because she didn’t look like everyone else.
Even Pooja felt like she was different. In school she was often left out by the other children and was called names that made her run home and cry.
As the years went by, Pooja’s self-confidence got worse and worse. She didn’t feel beautiful. But in the long run, she was going to be the winner in life.
One day, Pooja described her experience on a Facebook post, published on ‘Humans of Bombay’. She built up the courage to be herself no matter what everyone else thought, and she decided to leave her home country to discover the world.
“I love myself”
Pooja tells how, in other parts of the world, people called her beautiful.
“Slowly, I realised that looking different could actually be a gift— no one would ever forget me,” Pooja writes on Facebook page ‘Humans of Bombay’ and continues:
“I take pride in standing up for myself and not letting anyone put me down. Now that I love me, I always dress my best and bring out my biggest smile for anyone that stares! I no longer wonder if people are judging me because of my appearance…I’m too busy being in love with myself to worry about all that!”
