I have been sitting with this for a while, wondering how to put into words what a person like Vasudeva Sharma means, remembering a friend, honouring his journey, and putting words to a bond that is beyond words, not just to the world of child rights, but to people like me who have walked alongside him for so many years.

We met more than three decades ago. Both of us were much younger, carrying big dreams and maybe too much idealism, but also a kind of fire that pushes people into social work and keeps them there. I first knew him at CRY, where he was Regional Manager. I didn’t know him well then – only that whenever he spoke about children, something shifted in the room. He didn’t talk about “issues” or “beneficiaries.” He talked about lives. He had names, stories, small details nobody else noticed. It left an impression on me.

Life has its way of bringing the right people together. Through the late Dr. Padmini, the spark behind Child Rights Trust, the three of us found ourselves sitting at the same table, dreaming of something that didn’t exist yet. That conversation became CRT. If someone asks me who really held the institution together, I will say, without hesitation — it was Vasu. He didn’t just help form an organization. He built a space where children were recognised as people with rights, not as helpless recipients of charity. It was a dream of late Dr. Padmini and her family’s generosity.  It sounds simple, but it changed everything.

Over the years, CRT has dealt with some of the hardest, most uncomfortable issues in our society; early marriage, adolescent pregnancies, maternal deaths among minors, and the legal maze that children get trapped in. These things don’t move easily in India. The moment you push, the system pushes back. Most would have given up or settled for symbolic victories. Vasu didn’t. He is stubborn in a quiet way, once he knows the truth, he doesn’t let go. Even when government records hid the real data, when meetings felt endless, when change seemed impossible, he stayed the course. Not with anger, but with clarity.

There is something else I want to say here, something that perhaps only those who have worked closely with him will understand. Vasu never treats a problem as “work.” For him, it is personal. When he speaks about a child who dropped out of school, or a girl forced into marriage, or a mother who could not save her daughter, he feels it. He carries their stories until something changes for them, or for others like them. It is this emotional labour, invisible and often unspoken, that gives his professional excellence its soul. Many people become experts. Very few remain human while becoming experts. Vasu is one of those few.

Anyone who has heard him speak will know what I mean. He doesn’t raise his voice. He doesn’t dramatize. He puts facts on the table, and somehow the listener is moved, not emotionally, but truthfully. He has a kind of honesty that cannot be faked.

What I personally admire is his balance. Many activists lose themselves in their work, the cause becomes everything. But Vasu has managed something rare: deep commitment without losing his footing as a son, husband, father, friend, activist and human being. He takes responsibility seriously, yet he also laughs easily, with a full throat joyous laugh. He documents meticulously, yet he never forgets the human story behind the paperwork. There is no ego in him. No competition. No desire for credit. When something succeeds, he credits the team. When something goes wrong, he takes responsibility. It sounds small, but it is the foundation of trust. His phenomenal work to bring in CRT in Kannada literature to reach the masses, is just awesome. 

Sixty is not old. But it is long enough to reveal whether someone has lived aligned with their values or merely spoken about them. With Vasu, the answer is visible in the quietest way, not in awards or visibility, but in the lives changed, the laws and policies influenced, the children protected, and the culture of care that CRT stands on today.

I feel grateful to have known him long enough to see the full arc of his journey; the early fire, the difficult middle years, and now the deep steadiness of a person who has remained true to the work. Children in Karnataka, and far beyond, live safer and freer because of him and the team at CRT. That is not an exaggeration.

So yes, this birthday is special. Not just because of the number, but because of what it represents: a life lived with integrity and compassion, consistently, year after year.

Vasu, if you happen to read this, thank you for being who you are. May your work continue to ripple far beyond what any of us can see today. And may the years ahead bring the same joy and purpose you have carried into the world.

With affection and deep respect,