Advertisement

Woman, 24, born to Indian parents is shunned because she has white skin, ginger hair, freckles and green eyes

<em>Pooja Ganatra has white skin, freckles and ginger hair despite being born to Indian parents (Caters)</em>
Pooja Ganatra has white skin, freckles and ginger hair despite being born to Indian parents (Caters)

A businesswoman born to Indian parents is being shunned and bullied because of her ginger hair, white skin and freckles.

Pooja Ganatra, 24, has been shunned because her flaming red hair, deep emerald eyes and snow-white skin has made people think she is diseased.

The proud Indian was born and bred in the bustling city of Mumbai to “typically Indian” parents who thought her freckles were a birth defect – and have no idea where her unusual looks come from.

Her appearance has made her feel like a foreigner in her own country – with Indians staring, commenting and asking for pictures – and led to her being rushed to hospital over fears she had a skin disease and even told she couldn’t wear sleeveless tops at while studying at university.

<em>The proud Indian was born and bred in the bustling city of Mumbai (Caters)</em>
The proud Indian was born and bred in the bustling city of Mumbai (Caters)

Pooja, who runs her own clothes manufacturing business, said: “When I was born, my family had never seen anyone who looked like me before because they all have brown skin, black hair and brown eyes, like most Indians.

“Everyone in my neighbourhood was absolutely fascinated by me and were all very curious as to why I looked so different.

MOST POPULAR ON YAHOO UK TODAY

‘Miracle dog’ survives after jumping off 30ft bridge in Glasgow into rocky riverbed
Tourist group slammed after building makeshift cooking stove from Great Wall of China bricks
Russia is planning to expand its nuclear arsenal to 8,000 bricks
Volunteers patrol London parks after six swans are found ‘stabbed and beheaded’
Britain’s favourite Quality Street and Roses have been revealed ahead of Christmas

“When my freckles started appearing everywhere when I was three, because none of my relatives had ever gotten freckles before they didn’t know what they were.

“I was rushed to the doctors because everyone thought it was a birth defect or skin disease.

“I was always the odd-one-out at school, and was routinely bullied.

<em>It is a complete mystery to Pooja and her family why she looks the way she does (Caters)</em>
It is a complete mystery to Pooja and her family why she looks the way she does (Caters)

“People would always come up and ask ‘what are those spots on your face? Why do you have so many marks?’ It was a real mental challenge.

“Even in my first year of university, I was pulled aside and told not to wear sleeveless shirts because they were ‘too eye catching’ with my white skin.

“There was no rule against sleeveless clothing and every other girl dressed like me, yet I was singled out.”

She added: ”When I get into taxis cab drivers start speaking to me in English and are shocked when I answer them in Hindi…

<em>The 24-year-old said people think she is diseased (Caters)</em>
The 24-year-old said people think she is diseased (Caters)

“When I was in America people wouldn’t believe me when I told them I’m Indian. Even the customs officer at the airport had to look twice at my passport and asked me if I’m really from India.”

While her father Rajesh, 51, has darker skin and looks “typically Indian”, her mother Hemaxi, 46, also has slightly lighter than average skin and has a few freckles, although none on her face.

But it is a complete mystery to Pooja and her family why she looks the way she does.

Considering India was colonised by different countries and ruled by the British for over 100 years, the 24-year-old said there is definitely a possibility her ancestors were from the United Kingdom.

<em>Pooja says she has embraced her looks after years of being shunned (Caters)</em>
Pooja says she has embraced her looks after years of being shunned (Caters)

Pooja added: “I’d love to get a DNA test one day to discover more about my ancestry because I don’t know anything about it.

“I have no idea why I look the way that I do but a test into my genes could explain a lot.”

Despite being bullied and shunned throughout her life, Pooja said she now fully embraces her unique looks and feels much happier in her own skin.

She said: “Natural beauty is the most gorgeous thing a woman can wear…

“I don’t care anymore if people stare at me or judge me because of how I look. I’m too busy loving myself to notice.”