Lighting futures through education, How Dheeraj Sharma turned hope into opportunity

Sharma took on the financial responsibility for their schooling, college fees, and study material, and in several cases, even supported their living expenses so they could continue their studies without interruption.

For a common man like Dheeraj Sharma, 40, change begins in smaller and quieter acts which light a spark in someone else’s life. Over the past 15 years, Dheeraj has supported the education of nearly 70 underprivileged children, ensuring that poverty never stood between them and a classroom.

Dheeraj Sharma. (HT Photo)

The children came from homes where even two meals a day were uncertain, where parents worked as daily-wage labourers or domestic workers, and higher education was an unimaginable dream. “Some of them reached out through our student networks, others through friends. But what connected them all was their determination to learn despite every obstacle. I couldn’t turn away from that kind of courage,” Sharma said. Without taking help from charity drives or campaigns, in 2005 Sharma took the responsibility to ensure the education of these children.

Sharma, a businessman and National President — Nationalist Youth Congress (NYC) took on the financial responsibility for their schooling, college fees, and study material, and in several cases, even supported their living expenses so they could continue their studies without interruption. He followed their progress like a mentor, helping them choose subjects, guiding them through job interviews, and celebrating every small achievement along the way.

“Helping them study was about fulfilling a responsibility. If anyone has been fortunate enough to get an education and build a life, they owe it to society to open that door for others,” Sharma said.

Today, many of those children are graduates, teachers, lawyers, and professionals — some are the first in their families to earn a steady income. They often return to share their success stories, thanking Sharma for being the first person who believed in them. But he insists the real credit belongs to them. “They are the changemakers,” he says. “They didn’t give up. All I did was make sure they didn’t have to walk that journey alone.”

For Ritika Sharma, 26, who now works as a manager with a multinational company in Gurugram, the support was life-changing. “There was a time when I thought I’d have to drop out after Class 12. Sir paid my college fees and told me to study without worrying. That one act changed my entire life,” she said.

25-year-old Ankit Kumar, now a lawyer practising at the Gurugram district court, remembers studying under streetlights in his village. “I didn’t even have money to buy books,” he recalls. “Sir not only helped me financially but kept in touch throughout law school. He treated me like family.”

For Pooja Ranjan,aged 22, who now teaches at a government school in Haryana, Sharma’s intervention came at a critical time. “When my father lost his job, I thought my education would stop,” she says. “He stepped in quietly and paid my tuition for three years. Today, I teach children who come from backgrounds like mine. It feels like I’ve come full circle.”

For Sharma, education has always been the foundation of transformation. His journey began in Pune in 2005, when as a college student, he founded the Organisation for Social Service and Transformation (OSST), a youth initiative that connected thousands of students to social causes. The experience, he says, shaped his belief that “education and social consciousness must go hand in hand.”

Through the Nationalist Youth Congress (NYC), he continues to advocate for youth empowerment, employment, and equitable education, urging young Indians to see service not as an obligation but as a way of life.

As India’s education gap continues to widen between privilege and poverty, stories like these are grounded, humane, and deeply personal. Sharma’s efforts may not make headlines every day, but for the 70 children whose futures he helped secure, his impact will last a lifetime.

“Every child deserves the chance to dream,” he says. “If you can give that chance to even one person, you’ve already changed the world a little.”

(Dheeraj Sharma is a Gurugram resident who travels to Pune for work)