Late Retired Corporal Sharad Dangwal jee was born in a farmer family in Dehradun in 1950. He was always an athletic child and wanted to join the air force from a very early age. After completing his education from Kendriya Vidyalaya in Dehradun, he enrolled in the Air Force and went to Chennai for his training. He completed his training in 1970 and had to immediately participate in the 1971 War with Pakistan. He was awarded with the Sangram Medal for the valor and grit he displayed during the war.
He was a part of the NAT squadron and was posted in multiple locations throughout his glittering career like Chennai, Siliguri, Baldogra, Srinagar, Saharanpur, finally settling in at Pathankot from where he retired in 1990 and hung his boots.
Sharad jee was always very close to his family and he took voluntary retirement from the Air Force so that he can tend to his ailing father who was not keeping very well. Always passionate about fitness, he encouraged two of his sons to take up sports and stay fit. He wasn’t one of those typical parents who pushed their kids to focus only on their studies. He wanted his kids to be better human beings and focus remained on fitness and health.
As fate would have it, unfortunately he lost his wife in 1995, when his sons were 8 and 11 years only. Since then he took care of both his sons alone and gave them the love of both a mother and father and motivated them to do well in their lives and become exemplary citizens of India.
Sharad Dangwal jee was very well respected in his community and had very good relationships with everyone around him.
He contacted Covid recently and had successfully fought and won against it too. But due to post Covid complications, he had to be admitted in the hospital again where he breathed his last. On the morning when he took his last flight to the heavenly abode, Sharad Dangwal jee wrote a generous cheque in favour of Shaurya Naman Welfare Society who were fighting tooth and nail in Uttarakhand hills providing relief material and educating villagers about Covid.
Because of his contribution Shaurya Naman was able to set up a fully functional maternity ward in Community Health Centre (CHC), district Kirtinagar. This maternity ward will be able to help 15-20 panchayats in its vicinity. This maternity ward is equipped with all the latest equipment and facilities. This maternity ward will continue to help families in this village for many years to come.
In the honour of Late Retired Corporal, the maternity ward was named as Late Shree Sharad Dangwal Maternity Ward.
This poem aptly describes the life of Shree Sharad Dangwal jee and he will forever be remembered fondly by his community.
An old man going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm vast and deep and wide,
The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
The sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day,
Yon never again will pass this way;
You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build this bridge at evening tide?”
The builder lifted his old gray head;
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followed after me to-day
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been as naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”
Farewell brave Corporal Sir, for your legacy will live and inspire forever
Shaurya Naman 