Deepak Deb, 60, of Shrewsbury, MA, passed away on June 23, 2021. He is survived by his wife Krishna Deb, son Sayon Deb, daughter-in-law Kerry Flett, brother Dilip Deb, sister Bani Chowdhury, and other family and friends. Deepak was born in Tripura, India, on August 10, 1960. After graduating from Hijli High School, Kharagpur, he went on to receive a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Jadavpur University. He worked as a consultant for Capgemini for the last 10 years. 

Knowing Deepak (beloved Deepak da to many of us) was to know what it meant to celebrate life in the face of any odds. He was a passionate and progressive voice, a man of many interests. He enjoyed community theater, traveling, gardening, music, art, and genuinely making people laugh. He was also actively involved in a number of charities in India as well as Massachusetts. 

Since moving to Massachusetts in the late 1990s, he has been embedded in community performing arts through theater, audio plays, and recitation. He has been a well-known and much-loved face on the local stage as a performer bringing classics as well as new literary works to life. Some of his notable performances include Anjan Datta’s  audioplay “Priyo Bandhu”, Badal Sarkar’s “Ballavpurer Rupkatha”, and Girish Karnad’s “Hayavadhana” (in English) to name just a few. Over the last four years he has been associated with the experimental theater group Off-Kendrik and has won acclaim with his performances in Rajeshbabur Ontordhyan (adaptation of Satyajit Ray’s short story Khagom), Dui Hujurer Goppo (Chandan Sen) and his own creation of a street play “Khelure”, reflecting the turbulence of current day Indian politics. 

Deepak’s pride in his Bengali roots was strong and Deepak keenly supported every cultural effort that grew from the community. He was also a champion for several humanitarian causes. He founded an NGO, “We for Hope”, that led several social efforts in Kolkata, established an eye hospital in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Kolkata, and set up a vocational school to help underserved children develop technical skills.  

Deepak’s warmth, generosity, and positive attitude have touched the lives of many. His words, deeds, memories will be in our hearts forever.