MEET THE TEAM
Dilip Jain, Founder
Shilpa Mehta, Director
Sonam Bharatkumar Jain, Volunteer
Dilip Jain
The founder of dJED Foundation, Dilip has worked for a few years in the corporate sector with Tata Group. He has been an entrepreneur for over a decade working with Gujarat Infrapipes and founded Aventus Estate. In parallel, he has also been a volunteer with SECMOL, Ladakh and was involved in the renowned Ice Stupa project along with Sonam Wangchuk. He later became a founding member of Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh and was involved in kick starting the university and its ventures. Other than that, he occasionally coaches business owners, entrepreneurs, educationists and most of the money earned is invested in activities of the foundation.
What transformed me
2003-05, those 2 years transformed my life. Thanks to various non-classroom learning at SPJIMR that I had an opportunity to gain wisdom from real life and not get over obsessed with rankings. Let me highlight 4 things in particular that planted seeds which germinated at appropriate stage in my life.
1. I trekked a lot in Western Ghat - Sahyadri’s.
I was born amidst mountains & rivers of Aravalli’s in Jawai, Rajasthan but grew up in concrete jungles of Mumbai. It was during these treks that I once again got up, close and personal with nature, both inner and outer. Now I run dJED Foundation that restores and regenerates natural resources.
2. I went to Ladakh for my Development of Corporate Citizenship (DoCC) internship.
Here I met my friend, philosopher & guide – Sonam Wangchuk. I took voluntary sabbatical, worked with him on Ice Stupa Project and co-founded HIAL. He had great influence on my life & many choices that I made. Today, I try to walk the path out of my free Will!
3. I fell in love with a girl, who is bit different.
She taught me to see beyond eyes, listen beyond words, think beyond brain, and feel beyond touch... This enables me to look at the reality without getting much influenced by the narrative of time or circumstance.
4. I participated in many Entrepreneurship/ Business Plan competition.
This exposed me equations of risk & reward, failure & success. After few years in corporate sector, I became an entrepreneur – ran operations, did marketing, raised/ exited PE investor.
All the above experiences early on ingrained in me Love of Nature, Spirit of Adventure and Service of a Volunteer. These virtues of Courage and Heart reflect in my every day being & doing. I am also good at Strategy & Finance, Philosophy & Bio-diversity but these are just tangible subjects. I am a Chartered Accountant, an MBA graduate but still a long way to become the best version of myself.
I believe that people like me who are educated, privileged and have support system, have responsibility to rise and participate in solving real world problems instead of being in the (virtual) cloud. They should be the guiding light instead of hiding deep in dark comfortable caves.
In this Uni-verse, there is no meaning if few advance tremendously on economic & technology front but vast majority (including other species) retreat due to collapse of ecology, social & spiritual fabric. I doubt if the western model of materialistic growth & development is best for the planet & people. It is high time to draw lessons from the rich heritage of the East… because that’s where the Sun rises!
For me, life is no more about speed (quantity) but direction (quality). I am searching & moving… higher & upward.
Shilpa Mehta
A motivational speaker and an expert in business planning and strategy, Shilpa has worked in the corporate sector in senior management roles with companies like Polaris Software Labs Ltd and Hinduja group among others. Despite having polio, she doesn't shy away from activities that interest her, be it driving, cooking or swimming, but the closest to her heart is the Me2 Kids Club. It provides kids with experiential learning by bringing them closer to their inner nature.
Watch Shilpa speaking at the Rajasthan Carnival held by Nari Shakti Nayi Udaan
Sonam Bharatkumar Jain
Sonam is a chartered accountant working with Henkel. Her professional experience ranges from finance, process automation and business planning and strategy. In her earlier days, she spent time teaching kids from 3 to 21 years, and those experiences helped her build connections and drive programs involving women and children. She likes venturing out of her comfort zone and has been crucial in onboarding donors and overseeing projects of dJED foundation.