Who is Deepak Sharma
Deepak Sharma, born on 8th September 1960 in Modinagar, has seen many phases from corporate life to fulfilling dreams of giving back to society. Deepak quit his corporate career in 2013 after working 31 years in corporate like NTPC, ABB, ALSTOM POWER, BSES, TATA POWER, AND TATA TELESERVICES LIMITED, to contribute and support as a volunteer at Udayan Care an NGO since 2009, a 28-year old NGO with focus on girls’ higher education and women empowerment. Currently, he is a Trustee in Udayan Care holding several operational responsibilities. In a recent book, he summed up his volunteering journey: “WINGS TO FLY”
Insights
My guest on the blog today is Deepak Sharma, Trustee at Udayan Care a 29-year-old NGO present in 15 states and 36 cities in India. Volunteer since 2009 making young lives shine. Author-“WINGS TO FLY“, Philanthropist, BNI Member Noida region. Sharma’s life story serves as a case study for those in the social development arena and corporate executives interested in giving back to society. To explore more of my author interview series visit the “Meet The Authors“ Section of my blog. Let’s dive into a perspicacious dialogue exchange with Shri Deepak Sharma.
Q. Can you share a brief overview of your book “Wings to Fly” and let readers like me know what inspired you to document your journey?
Deepak: WINGS TO FLY is about my 14 years of volunteering journey with a 29-year-old NGO UDAYAN CARE. The book has a lot of success stories about out-of-home children and young adults whom I and my wife have mentored as parents over the years. A lot of my friends pushed me to write this book as they strongly felt that my story needed to be brought out in the form of a book that may inspire others to follow in my footsteps.
Q. What key messages do you hope readers will take away from reading “Wings to Fly”?
Deepak: Think and act beyond self. One message could be that one should define a clear purpose in life once he/she has attained the age of 55/60 years with a responsibility towards the society we live in.
Another message could be that we all have come empty-handed in this world and should practically plan to go empty-handed. My motto in life is “Learn, Earn, and Return “.This philosophy is practically captured in my book as well with action by an 81-year-old mother.
Q. In “Wings to Fly,” you have discussed your experiences at Udayan Care. Can you highlight one specific story that you believe encapsulates the essence of the book?
Deepak: There are several success stories narrated in the book. There is a chapter as well on Greatest Success stories in the book which covers a story of a young girl and a young boy. Please read it to get the story in more detail. Apart from that there are several more success stories captured in the book.
Q. How do you hope “Wings to Fly” will impact its readers, especially those interested in volunteer work and social causes?
Deepak: In my view, the readers after reading the book could possibly look at life in a different way. Even the programs we run at Udayan Care have giving back as one of the messages to society. The book can possibly motivate its readers to volunteer in order to give back to society in a way they like the best. The book is full of anecdotes and real-life stories of youngsters which I am sure will push individuals to do something meaningful for society.
Q. While writing the book, did you uncover any personal insights or reflections about your time at Udayan Care that you hadn’t realized before?
Deepak: All along I have been acknowledging that a lot of support has come from my large number of ex-colleagues and friends from corporate where I worked. Since my NGO Udayan Care is also expanding, One insight that I always continue to explore is expanding my network. I have joined a couple of professional groups as a result of which I am getting good all-round support.
I would not have gotten to know about so much suffering is there in society if I had not become part of Udayan Care. Thanks, Udayan Care for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I never would have thought of becoming a Trustee in Udayan Care in 10 years after starting as a part-time volunteer in 2009.Another insight for me.
Q. Can you tell us about a pivotal moment or realization from your personal journey that played a significant role in shaping your perspective on education and women’s empowerment?
Deepak: There was a certain moment in 1996 when I was 36 when I realized that I have to live beyond myself and define a clear purpose in life. I decided that for the nation to become a developed nation, one of the most important paradigm shifts will be imparting higher education for girls leading to women’s empowerment.
Q. As an author, what challenges did you encounter while narrating your experiences in “Wings to Fly,” and how did you approach overcoming them?
Deepak: In fact, I have the habit of writing a diary. So over the years, I had a lot of important events and success stories of children and young adults recorded in my diary. That proved to be very handy while writing the book. So I hardly faced any challenges while writing the book.
Q. What aspects of your personal story do you believe resonate the most with readers, and why?
Deepak: One is that many of the readers are currently working in corporate like the way I used to work 10 years ago. Like I found a purpose in life at 53, possibly a few of them could also make a decision to give back to society at the appropriate time in their life. To me, the last 10 years have been the most fulfilling.
Q. How has the process of writing “Wings to Fly” affected your own understanding of the power of storytelling and its ability to drive change?
Deepak: My book WINGS TO FLY is full of real-life success stories of young adults overcoming their traumatic past. Definitely, as per the many reviews of the book on Amazon, the readers have found it very inspirational and motivating. So possibly more and more individuals decide to redefine a more meaningful purpose of life once they cross 55 years of age.
Q. In addition to your experiences at Udayan Care, what other sources of inspiration or influences guided you in writing “Wings to Fly”?
Deepak: My late father was and will be my biggest inspiration ever. I have dedicated the book to his memory. So the book is truly guided by his different ways of giving which I had observed during my childhood and adulthood. I have captured that in the initial chapter of the book.
Q. As a trustee at Udayan Care, what specific initiatives or projects have you been involved in, and how have they evolved over time?
Deepak: As a Trustee and part of the Udayan Card Board, I am involved in all strategic planning and decision-making- be it an expansion of current programs, starting of new projects/programs, fundraising, manpower planning, building a network for Udayan Care, etc.
Q. What role do you believe Udayan Care plays in addressing the challenges related to girls’ higher education and women’s empowerment in today’s society?
Deepak: Over the years Udayan Care has been focusing on girl’s higher education and women’s empowerment. Towards this vision, we have been expanding our reach over the years. Today our presence in 15 states and 36 cities itself speaks volumes about the success of women empowerment related programs in Udayan Care.
Q. Can you discuss any personal growth or insights you gained while working on your book and revisiting your memories of volunteering at Udayan Care?
Deepak: From a part-time volunteer in 2009 to a Trustee now has all been the result of my key involvement in the organization’s strategic planning along with close involvement in day-to-day operations across programs. I definitely see it as a personal growth for me.
Q. How do you see Udayan Care evolving and adapting to changing societal needs and other advancements in the coming years?
Deepak: It is very important for any organization to adapt itself to a changing environment. Definitely with so much technological advancement, we too are redesigning/ reworking the ways we need to be more effective and efficient while running our programs. Over the last 5-6 years we have done a lot of Advocacy work with International organizations like UNICEF along with different state governments to carry our vision and mission of Alternative care to the next level.
Q. What advice do you have for individuals interested in joining Udayan Care’s mission and contributing to its efforts towards education and women’s empowerment?
Deepak: My simple advice is for the individuals to visit our NGO website www.udayancare.org and have a basic understanding of our programs. Also, they can connect on 9212100026 [WhatsApp] or write to me at deepak.sharma@udayancare.org. I will be more than happy to guide them for the next steps towards volunteering to lead to inner satisfaction and peace.
Q. How do you use social media as an author? How can reading enthusiasts reach/contact you?
Deepak: I am quite active on LinkedIn and FB. I am trying to use it to the best of my personal capacity to create more awareness and branding about my 29-year-old NGO Udayan Care. Whatever I am today or about the book is all because of Udayan Care. So I am honestly indebted to Udayan Care for this wonderful opportunity I got in 2009 to start volunteering. In the end, I will urge and request my readers to buy and read the book. Every rupee earned by the sale of the book will go towards the cause of my NGO.
Links & Foot Note
Additionally, you can also go through my Author-Interview Series -> Here
Author Contact: Deepak Sharma
My Handle: Kiran_Kumar_Adharapuram
You can also explore my Non-Fiction Section -> Here
You can also explore my other works -> Here
It’s good to have a purpose in order to give back to society but I personally think having a purpose from a younger age say maybe 25 gives you a reason to live better.
Udayan Care’s commitment to evolving with the changing times is commendable. Embracing technology and advocacy partnerships can drive their mission forward effectively.
People come empty handed and go back empty handed. I so wish if the world could see this hard fact it would have been a beautiful world to live in. I hope the book would inspire many folks to give back to the society.