A teenager from an underprivileged community in Mumbai has become an overnight sensation after being chosen as the face for a luxury skincare brand.
Maleesha Kharwa, 15, has lived her whole life in a makeshift shanty in Bandra in the financial capital of India, but a chance meeting changed everything.
She has now appeared on the covers of fashion magazines including Vogue and Cosmopolitan and has recently been chosen as the face for Forest Essentials, an Indian skincare brand, for their teenage products campaign.
The young model has earned a massive fan following on social media – more than 318,000 followers – where she posts snippets from her personal and professional life and tries to inspire others.
“My life has changed,” Ms Kharwa told The National. "Before I was not on posters, newspapers or on TV channels but now I am all over the world. Everyone recognises me and asks me for selfies. I feel proud of myself.
“I always wanted to become a model. I started dreaming of becoming a model when I was five years old. I am very happy. I dream of becoming a supermodel one day."
Many on social media have drawn comparisons between her and the main character of Oscar-winning 2008 Hollywood film Slumdog Millionaire that portrays the rags-to-riches story of a boy from an Indian shanty town.
From shanty town to poster girl
Ms Kharwa was born to Gujarati parents in Mumbai. Her father works as a clown at children’s events to support the family.
It was three years ago when she serendipitously met the Step Up 2: The Streets and Grey’s Anatomy actor Robert Hoffman – and she says he changed her life.
Hoffman was in Mumbai to shoot a music video when he met the young model through an acquaintance.
The actor then set up a crowdfunding page to help with her education and fuel her dreams of becoming a model.
“I was fascinated when I met her, she was sitting on a mattress in a makeshift tent. She was so striking,” Hoffman told The National.
The actor helped Ms Kharwa with a profile video and posted it on social media. She soon started getting noticed and landed her first modelling assignment with a magazine.
“We made a profile video of her and audition opportunities started coming,” Hoffman said.
The recognition has helped the young girl transform both her and her family’s life.
With the earnings from modelling assignments, Maleesha has bought a one-room flat in a tenement in the city.
“Earlier, we did not have proper electricity, we had to go far to fetch water but now we have a power connection, there is a ceiling fan, we have tap water," she said.
“The municipality would often demolish our huts but now we have a safer roof over our heads. My father is proud of me."
Breaking barriers
Ms Kharwa’s journey is not only extraordinary due to her socio-economic background but also because she is slowly eroding the myth that only light-skinned girls are considered beautiful in India.
The country has an obsession for fair skin – even though the majority of the population is dark-skinned – perhaps a hangover from the colonial period. A woman’s beauty is often measured by her skin tone.
The World Health Organisation found skin-lightening products take up 50 per cent of the skincare market in India and firm StrategyR estimate the global market for such lighteners will be worth $15.7 billion by 2030.
But Ms Kharwa wants to encourage young girls like her to embrace their natural beauty.
“I see beauty in everything," she said. "Many people think that only light skin is beautiful … I just think it is silly. It is not how I see the world. Beautiful faces are nice but beauty is more important on the inside. I love my complexion and I feel perfect.
“I am very happy that I can share the message that there is no proper rule for girls and women to follow. They can do whatever they want to do. I am happy that I can inspire other girls and tell them that they are special."
Other than modelling assignments, Ms Kharwa has plans to start a platform called Maleesha People. where she intends to interact with similar children and encourage them to dream big.
“All people, women and children should know how to chase their dreams,” she said. "This is why I wish to help with our idea of the Maleesha People. I can help people like me who deserve to dream and make the world better."
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
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Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
