Chance encounter transforms girl from Mumbai slum into teenage model, internet influencer

Maleesha Kharwa, 15, a model and Instagram Influencer, takes a selfie next to a bus terminal in Mumbai, India, September 11, 2023. REUTERS/Hemanshi Kamani

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Three years ago an inquisitive American tourist wandered into a waterfront slum in Mumbai and met a tiny, smiley girl.

Maleesha Kharwa is now 15, still tiny, and with the same winning smile, and her family still has hutment on a shoreline strewn with garbage, but they now also rent a one room apartment, with its own toilet and running water, just a short distance away.