Punjab: Deepak Sharma, a resident of Punjab, tragically lost his son Mayank Sharma in a road accident. The immense shock from the loss of his son made it difficult for him to recover from the grief. Gathering some courage to continue living, Deepak Sharma took an oath to save lives of other road accident victims. His organization Mayank Foundation is dedicated to spreading awareness about road safety. 

The incident

Deepak Sharma lives in Firozpur, Punjab, On 7 October 2017, he received the tragic news of his son’s accident. Recounting the accident, he shared that his son, Mayank, had a passion for playing badminton. That day, he was heading for practice, and he was hit by a bus on the road, where heavy vehicles were prohibited. The bus, in violation of traffic rules, caused the untimely loss of the child. After six months of this devastating incident, Deepak’s family found some stability. 

Deepak Sharma’s background

Deepak Sharma’s early life was full of struggles. Despite both of his parents being visually impaired, his father persevered to ensure that his children received a good education. Following his graduation, Deepak established an academy to provide coaching to children. Later, he secured a job and became a government teacher. His wife took charge of the academy.

Mayank Foundation

After the loss of his son, Deepak began isolating himself, and his friends expressed concerns about the risk of him falling into depression. He received support from his wife and daughter during this difficult time. Recognizing the importance of healing, Deepak channelled his grief into establishing the Mayank Foundation in the memory of his late son. His friends came out to support the cause. The foundation’s mission revolves around creating awareness about road safety. The team distributes reflectors and helmets, while also conducting campaigns to educate people about traffic rules. 

Social work 

Gradually, people learned about the Mayank Foundation and provided support by contributing funds. Reflectors and helmets are distributed on special occasions. In winter, a campaign was launched to install reflectors on vehicles. During the pandemic, the foundation prepared and distributed 32,000 food kits to ensure that no one went to bed hungry. Additionally, masks and hand sanitizers were also provided to sanitation workers. 

Scholarships

Deepak Sharma launched the Pratibha Girls Scholarship campaign. The initiative awards scholarships of Rs 10,000 to girls who excel in their class 10 and 12 board examinations from government schools. In memory of Mayank, a badminton championship was also launched. Additionally, Deepak runs an environmental awareness campaign, and has planted over 2000 saplings so far.