Dr. Chandrashekar DP is an alumnus of IIM Lucknow, and is a valued advisor and sought-after speaker at marquee industry events and round-tables of the Indian education sector. CSK, as he is popularly referred to, has worked for over eighteen years at the intersection of education, empowerment, and entrepreneurship. Currently, his life’s mission is to impact one million children through his education, and he wants to leverage his work experience to build a better schooling system in India. He has recently come out with the book One More Step, which he has co-authored with Subramanyam KV. In this triumphant memoir, he recounts his journey with the world's largest contingent of school students to Everest Base camp.

I chat with him about his book One More Step, what inspired him to write this book, book recommendations, and much more.

Hello, Dr. Chandrashekar DP! Tell us a bit about yourself!

I am an educator who believes that every child counts. Today, we see that many children drift away from tapping into their potential due to the distractions in life. As a responsible adult, my primary focus is to enable the children to get in touch with their inherent potential and build their self-confidence.

I am a Bangalorean by birth, and a Hyderabadi by heart. I enjoy long walks, home-made food, and my afternoon naps.

Which authors and books were your early formative influences?

The books that have influenced me a lot include Mahatma Gandhi’s The Story Of My Experiments With Truth, Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind, Dr. Joseph Murphy’s The Power of your Subconscious Mind, Beyond the Last Blue Mountain by R M Lala, and Start With Why by Simon Sinek.

How would you describe your book One More Step in one sentence?

Water, Air and Body is all I had and it is amazing how much I could accomplish with these basic elements of life. 

Now tell us a little more about the book! What can readers expect?

One More Step is a journey. A journey that encapsulates excitement, disappointment, encouragement, challenges, solutions, joy, and achievement. It is a book where readers will encounter a villain in every chapter, a surprise at the turn of every page, and a life lesson at every step.

What inspired you to write this book?

The indomitable spirit of each and every child on the contingent inspired me to pen down this story.

You have co-authored this book with Subramanyam KV. What was the collaborative process between you two co-authors like while writing this book?

As I have said already, this book is a result of the persistence and patience of my co-author Subramanyam K V. My piece was to share my journey and narrate the experiences of the trek from start to finish with my readers. Subbu took upon the task of deep-diving into the lives of the children post-trek and tracking their progress.  

What is the message that you want readers to take away from this book?

It is a disservice to the reader to suggest one message from the book One More Step. If there is one thing that the reviews from our readers suggest, the book is a hard to resist account of grit, gratification and greatness.

How have you been coping with the current pandemic and what will be the new normal for you post it?

The current pandemic is not just a change for all of us but in many senses a transformation. In fact, the single most important difference between change and transformation is the fact that change is reversible while transformation is non-reversible. Hence, it is inevitable for us to come to terms with this fact as soon as possible and redesign our lives and routine around it. In my opinion, this is the best way to cope with the ongoing pandemic.

Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

I am currently reading these two books.

1.   Influence by Robert B Cialdini

2.   Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

The book ‘One More Step’ is available online and at your nearest bookstore.