Lucknow: She is not destiny's favourite child. Lady Luck never guided her through the troubled times and Santa Claus never visited her one-room tenement in Lucknow. Yet Poonam shines brightly every Friday and Saturday when Zee TV's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa music show goes on air.
As her powerful vocals enthral the maestros and she gets standing ovation from the audience, her mother Shivratri sits with a motley group of neighbours before the television set and sheds tears of joy. Her daughter, currently in Mumbai, also remembers to cry after every performance.
The story of Poonam Jatau is no ordinary story. Poonam was born six months after her father passed away. Her mother since then has been working as a domestic help to earn a living. "When I went to work, I would leave Poonam in my mother's care and whenever she howled; my mother would play the transistor to keep her engaged. That is how I think she developed a sense for music," recalls Shivratri.
While her mother went from house to house doing menial jobs, she made sure that her daughter went to school. "When Poonam was in class 11, we had no money to continue her education. Then Poonam started working at a local PCO for Rs 600 a month. I did not like her working there but there was no other way," she says.
Despite these hardships, Shivratri recognised her daughter's exceptional talent in music and coaxed her to enrol herself in the Bhatkhande Music University.
Poonam honed her skills as a singer there and also sang with local orchestra groups at weddings, jagratas and other such events. "We have seen the worst times.
There were occasions when we went without food for more than two days at a stretch. Once we ate a chapatti made of husk to overcome the pangs of hunger and that day I decided that I would never let this happen again — come what may," says Poonam.
Though Poonam, who is now among the nine finalists of the talent show, has already started getting offers for songs from music directors and has found a mentor in Ismail Durbar, she is determined not to leave her mother and Lucknow. "I cannot imagine my life without my mother. As it is, it is tough being without her in Mumbai and I am waiting for the day when I can return to be with her again. Whatever I am today is due to my mother's blessings. I will do my work in Mumbai but home will always be Lucknow. Today, I may have been given a complete makeover — with a new hairstyle and designer dresses and jewellery — but at heart, I am still the same Poonam that I used to be," she says.
Poonam, incidentally, has adopted a girl called Simran. "Simran was barely one month old and had a severe problem with her eyes when I adopted her. Today, when I am in Mumbai, Simran — who is eight years old now and extremely beautiful — looks after my mother who is suffering from asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure," says Poonam.
Shivratri is now looking forward to being in Mumbai when her daughter sings for the finals in the show. "Aap sab ki dua chahiye mujhe Poonam ke liye — aur kuchh nahin chahiye," she says as tears roll uncontrollably down her weather-beaten cheeks.
Meanwhile, Lucknow is also cheering Poonam's grit and determination. Her neighbours have pooled in their resources to print posters and banners that urge every Lucknowite to vote for Poonam. Local cable operators are making an appeal for Poonam through tickers on the screen.
Special prayers are being offered in churches and Gurudwaras for her success in the finals. Havans are also being organised in temples and school children are wishing for her success.
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