When she took away her own support, Pooja Sharma became the support of the helpless. She was born on July 7, 1996 in Delhi. In 2022, her elder brother was brutally murdered in front of her eyes due to a small argument. No one came forward to help her. She alone took her brother to GTB Hospital in Delhi where doctors declared her brother dead. Pooja Sharma performed the last rites of her elder brother by tying a turban on her head.
Pooja Sharma did not break down but stood firm in front of difficulties like a rock. She decided that she would support those who are underprivileged or are let down by society. She started helping senior citizens, patients of HIV/AIDS, Rape victims, women’s battling Cancer, Brain Tumor, TB, and other diseases.
She founded Bright The Soul Foundation, which provides food, clothes and medical aid to the needy. Items are provided free of cost. Pooja also cremates the unclaimed dead bodies handed over to her by the police and hospitals. The bones of those unclaimed dead bodies are then taken for immersion in Haridwar on the new moon day of every month where she also performs Pind Daan.
Over the past few years, she has performed the last rites for thousands of unclaimed bodies in India’s capital city. She has faced resistance from priests and her community since the role has traditionally remained reserved for men in the Hindu faith. Despite the backlash, she has performed funerary rites for people from different faiths and religions to give everyone the dignity they deserve in death.
