Poonam Yadav

She had struggled in her life and then finally had come to Mumbai to make it big in the world of singing. She was the finalist in Sa Re Ga Ma PA Challange 2007.Poonam Yadav (born in 1981) was a finalist on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 who hails from Machli Mohalla near Sadar Bazar in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Yadav was eliminated on 28 September and attained 4th place in the competition with public votes. Poonam comes from an underprivileged family of UP living with her mother, who brought her up. Her father died while her mother was in the second month of her pregnancy. Poonam described her emotional encounters with life during her upbringing and her struggles and has attributed those to her standard of becoming tough and compromising with life. She attended Sanskrit Pathshala Kanya Inter College in Lucknow. At the age of 26, Yadav left her home and came to Mumbai to participate in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007. Before participating in SRGMP C2007

During the show, it was noticed that Smriti Zubin Irani, one of the most famous television actors was her big fan and prodded her supporters to vote for Poonam, as her life story was an inspiration for millions of underprivileged girls across the nation.

Also the Minister of Railways, Laloo Prasad Yadav, had praised Poonam's dedication and noted her mother's contribution to Poonam's upbringing and humble style of singing. Yadav also promised her that if she is unable to succeed in the singing arena, he would get her a job at the Indian Railways.