Death and dying, Delhi, Global development, Hinduism, Homelessness, India, Poverty, Religion, Social exclusion, Society, South and Central Asia, Voluntary sector, World news
Last rites for Delhi’s forgotten: the woman who cremates strangers
Pooja Sharma has dedicated her life to providing a dignified end for thousands of unclaimed bodies lying in mortuaries in India, though she pays for it herself – and it ended her engagement
On an overcast, blustery day, with cars honking in the distance, a young woman covers a dead body with a shroud. With a helper, they place it on a bamboo stretcher and carry it up the steps of Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan crematorium. Once at the furnace, she gives it a gentle push to move it inside and bows her head in prayer.
Pooja Sharma repeats the process for three other bodies. The people are unknown to her – unclaimed bodies for whom she performs the last rites.
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