HarrisonHinson2: made new bio basic info

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{{Short description|Indian social worker (born 1996)}}{{Infobox person
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1996|7|7}}
| birth_place = [[Shahdara district]], [[Delhi]], [[India]]
| occupation = Social worker
| years_active = 2022–present
| known_for = Cremating unclaimed bodies in Delhi
}}
'''Pooja Sharma''' (born 7 July 1996) is an Indian social worker who since 2022 has performed [[Funeral|funeral rites]] for unclaimed bodies in [[Delhi]], for which she was named one of the [[BBC]]'s [[100 Women (BBC)|100 Women]] of 2024.

== Biography ==
Sharma was born into a middle class [[Hindus|Hindu]] family in [[Shahdara district|Shahdara]], Delhi, [[India]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2024-12-04 |title=Who Is Pooja Sharma, Indian On BBC's 100 Most Inspiring Women List |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bbc-100-women-2024-list-meet-pooja-sharma-who-has-performed-last-rites-for-over-4-000-people-7167905 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250701152846/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bbc-100-women-2024-list-meet-pooja-sharma-who-has-performed-last-rites-for-over-4-000-people-7167905 |archive-date=2025-07-01 |access-date=2025-09-06 |work=NDTV |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Dhillon |first=Amrit |date=2024-02-13 |title=Last rites for Delhi’s forgotten: the woman who cremates strangers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/feb/13/delhi-india-unclaimed-bodies-last-rites-woman-cremations-for-strangers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329065902/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/feb/13/delhi-india-unclaimed-bodies-last-rites-woman-cremations-for-strangers |archive-date=2024-03-29 |access-date=2025-09-06 |work=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> She obtained a [[bachelor's degree]] and then a [[master's degree]] in [[social work]], and worked as a [[HIV]] counsellor at a government hospital.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Gupta |first=Ridhima |date=2024-02-05 |title=Delhi Woman Ensures Final Rites for Unclaimed Bodies - Pooja Sharma |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/delhi-woman-ensures-final-rites-for-unclaimed-bodies-pooja-sharma/articleshow/107394292.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250212025800/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/delhi-woman-ensures-final-rites-for-unclaimed-bodies-pooja-sharma/articleshow/107394292.cms |archive-date=2025-02-12 |access-date=2025-09-06 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-01-27 |title=Delhi Woman, 26, Has Performed Last Rites Of 4,000 Unclaimed Bodies |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/delhi-woman-26-has-performed-last-rites-of-4-000-unclaimed-bodies-4941183 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311000917/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/delhi-woman-26-has-performed-last-rites-of-4-000-unclaimed-bodies-4941183 |archive-date=2024-03-11 |access-date=2025-09-06 |work=NDTV |language=en}}</ref>

Sharma performed her first funeral rites following the death of her brother Rameshwar, who was shot and murdered on 12 March 2022. Following his death, Sharma's father fell into a coma, and there were no other male family members to perform funeral rites, prompting Sharma to do it herself. Following this, Sharma decided to leave her job and to perform funerals for unclaimed bodies of her home city of Delhi.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2024-12-03 |title=BBC 100 Women 2024: Who is on the list this year? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-4f79d09b-655a-42f8-82b4-9b2ecebab611 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250811225656/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-4f79d09b-655a-42f8-82b4-9b2ecebab611 |archive-date=2025-08-11 |access-date=2025-09-06 |website=BBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Kumar |first=Sanjay |date=2024-12-17 |title=Serving the forgotten: Delhi woman performs last rites for city’s abandoned dead |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2583404/world |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225030710/https://www.arabnews.com/node/2583404/world |archive-date=2024-12-25 |access-date=2025-09-06 |work=Arab News |language=en}}</ref>

By 2024, Sharma had performed over 4000 funerals, primarily of migrant workers from other parts of India who have died in Delhi and whose next of kin are unknown.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> She collects unclaimed bodies from mortuaries and hospitals around Delhi and performs last rites for them including making a shroud and performing prayers. Sharma performs primarily Hindu funeral services but will do rites from other religions if the religion of the deceased person is known, including burying [[Muslims]] at Islamic cemeteries.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Akhtar |first=Shakeel |date=2024-12-16 |title=पूजा शर्मा : हजारो बेवारस मृतदेहांवर अंत्यसंस्कार, कोणत्या घटनेमुळे झाली सुरुवात? |url=https://www.bbc.com/marathi/articles/clyk2ggrj2yo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250701144459/https://www.bbc.com/marathi/articles/clyk2ggrj2yo |archive-date=2025-07-01 |access-date=2025-09-06 |work=BBC News Marathi |language=mr}}</ref> Sharma performs an average of eight funerals a day.<ref name=":4" /> Monthly, Sharma collects the ashes of cremated bodies and transport them to [[Haridwar]] to scatter them in the [[Ganges]] during [[Amavasya|Amasvasya]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite news |date=2025-04-25 |title=Delhi’s Pooja Sharma Crowdfunds Farewells for Abandoned Souls Via True Hope Foundation |url=https://therajasthanreport.com/delhis-pooja-sharma-crowdfunds-farewells-for-abandoned-souls-via-true-hope-foundation/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250906211004/https://therajasthanreport.com/delhis-pooja-sharma-crowdfunds-farewells-for-abandoned-souls-via-true-hope-foundation/ |archive-date=2025-09-06 |access-date=2025-09-06 |work=The Rajasthan Report |language=en}}</ref>

Sharma is not paid for performing funerals and estimated that it cost around 120, 000 [[Indian rupee|INR]] a month; she received financial support from her grandmother and her father in addition to using her savings and selling her jewellery. In 2023, Sharma established a non-governmental organisation, Bright the Soul Foundation, that in addition to performing funeral rites for unclaimed bodies provides support to marginalised communities including abandoned children, the elderly, and the destitute.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2024-12-04 |title=Aruna Roy, Vinesh Phogat, and Pooja Sharma among BBC's 100 most inspiring women of 2024 |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Dec/04/aruna-roy-vinesh-phogat-and-pooja-sharma-among-bbcs-100-most-inspiring-women-of-2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205034723/https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Dec/04/aruna-roy-vinesh-phogat-and-pooja-sharma-among-bbcs-100-most-inspiring-women-of-2024 |archive-date=2024-12-05 |access-date=2025-09-06 |work=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Clarice |first=Melita |date=2024-12-04 |title=Pooja Sharma: The Indian Changemaker on BBC’s 100 Women List |url=https://wepro.digital/article/bbcwomen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250906203819/https://wepro.digital/article/bbcwomen |archive-date=2025-09-06 |access-date=2025-09-06 |website=WePro Digital |language=en}}</ref>

Sharma has received resistance from priests and the community due to the taboo around women performing funeral rites; she reported being considered to be an [[aghori]] by some people, and her fiancé ended their engagement due to his family accusing Sharma of being a [[chandala]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Jha |first=Neeraj |date=2024-03-27 |title=खुद्दार कहानी- लावारिस शवों का अंतिम संस्कार करती हूं: शादी टूट गई, ससुराल वाले बोले- ये चांडाल है; इसके साथ आत्माएं चलती हैं |url=https://www.bhaskar.com/bhaskar-khaas/positive-story/news/delhi-pooja-sharma-struggle-story-unclaimed-bodies-antim-sanskar-132778479.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250701145930/https://www.bhaskar.com/bhaskar-khaas/positive-story/news/delhi-pooja-sharma-struggle-story-unclaimed-bodies-antim-sanskar-132778479.html |archive-date=2025-07-01 |access-date=2025-09-06 |work=Dainik Bhaskar |language=hi}}</ref> Sharma stated her interpretation of the [[Vedas]] did not prohibit women from performing funeral rites.<ref name=":6" />

Sharma has 350, 000 followers on [[Instagram]].<ref name=":0" /> In 2024, Sharma was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women for that year.<ref name=":3" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Pooja}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1996 births]]
[[Category:People from Delhi]]
[[Category:Indian social workers]]

Pooja Sharma (social worker) - Revision history

HarrisonHinson2: made new bio basic info