Pooja Sharma alias Pooja Sharma Rekha is a familiar face to Mumbai Locals.She entertains the passengers with her dancing skills and blesses them. She creates an aura of positivity around her with her beauty and grace.
She is a famous transgender person who frequently travels on the 7.40 Churchgate-to-Virar ladies’ express train for begging. Pooja became famous for her beautiful appearance along with her performances.
Pooja Sharma Rekha
She looks like Bollywood actress Rekha in her style, accessories and makeup. As a result, she is called Junior Rekha. Initially, people thought she was there for a shoot, but now they eagerly anticipated her arrival. When she arrived, the passengers dropped their seats and surrounded her, and when it came time to hand her the coin, they hurried. She only asks for one rupee coin per passenger as it is her duty. Her main concern is their happiness. They lovingly called her One Rupee Deedi, Pooja Ma, Positive, and all.
Childhood
Pooja was born into a middle-class family in a small village near Kolkatta. Her family prioritises work over children’s education. Despite being a boy at birth, she likes more feminine things. The boys of her age abandoned her since she used to hang out with girls all the time and was interested in their games. Everyone understood she was different as she grew older, which disturbed her parents.
Miseries
Society did not allow her to live freely. Some gave her candy and ice creams and sexually assaulted her, and ruined her childhood. She experienced all the negative aspects of being a girl in public. She was even subjected to gang rape. She could not tell anyone what was happening to her because of fear and shame.
Life Changing Meeting
As she grew older, she met some trans people in her uncle’s shop where she worked. When she interacted with them, she felt happier than ever before. She was invited to a dance rehearsal, where she performed brilliantly. Thus they invited her to Mumbai.
Life In Mumbai
When she reached Mumbai, it was like entering another universe. She joined their community and when her Guru asked her to choose a way of life, she first decided to beg at traffic signals instead of begging on a train, blessing children or engaging in an immoral profession. However, she felt uneasy while working in the evenings there. As a result, she went to work at a nearby railway station.
Social Media Star
She entered the train wearing her gorgeous attire. Her looks and dancing made others believe that she was on a film shoot. As days passed, she realised how excited everyone was to see her dance. Everyone got close to her and started taking videos. Once Pooja knew her dance videos were popular on social media. But she only had a small phone in her hand and thus got another one as a gift. Pooja thus becomes a celebrity on YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms. She has 353k Instagram followers and 26.6 k YouTube subscribers.
Inspiration
Pooja was influenced by the Bollywood actresses like Sreedevi, Madhuri Dixit, and Rekha. Pooja claims that Rekha Ji is the epitome of beauty and elegance, and she sincerely worships her. Madhuri Dixit is her dancing idol, and she performs all of her songs.
Identity Crisis
Pooja was often ridiculed in public. Moreover, she was never addressed by the name her parents had given her. They called her Hijda, half-female and all. She had been searching for her identity ever since. From Pols to Pooja Sharma and now Pooja Sharma Rekha However, the solution was not discovered until. But she was content enough to see the attitude of people today.
Hunger For Love
Pooja is getting enough love, respect and consideration now. But she was in a state where no one approached or stood close to her. Even her relationship, which she considered valuable and for which she had transformed her life from Pols to Pooja, did not last. Today, everyone is attracted to her. Pooja only seeks the love of others. For Pooja, the train is her oxygen, and it is what has made her who she is today.
Message
Through her deeds, she encourages people to live life to the fullest and spread happiness. Pooja continually implores everyone not to despise individuals who are similar to herself and consider them as if they don’t need money from anyone. They only want love, respect, and acceptance from society.
Pooja was different from her childhood, endured numerous miseries and was made fun of by her society. When she was a grownup, she moved to Mumbai, joined her community, and chose her way of living. She is seeking her path of happiness through her dancing and singing and collecting each coin. Those who approached her badly came today and waited for her blessing. Pooja, who has suffered for thirty years, is now a celebrity who was busy as the chief guest of many events. She is the brand ambassador of Ohoojaipur. Pooja also works for the empowerment of the transgender community and works with dance studios, events, and Instagram personalities. She is an inspiration for having the courage to face life’s bitterness, which she transformed into beautiful smiles and recreates for others.
Credits and References
https://theglobalhues.com/meet-pooja-sharma-rekha-the-transgender-dancing-queen/