'Creativity in classes than mobiles can save our college youth'

Rana Sididiqui Zaman | NT

Bengaluru: Hindi and now south film industry’s actor Yashpal Sharma was among eight siblings in a family riddling with financial crunch, but after his high school from Hisar, Haryana, he had to struggle continuing his education.

“Most of my siblings had to work as we were not home with our finances. When I reached class 11, my mother expired and the emotional stress was overwhelming.”

But somehow, as he reached class 11, that used to be called pre university then, he was scared to see too many students and toppers. They were dominant forces on the campus. Most students used to follow them. During the introduction or the ‘ragging’ period, he was called on the stage for a poetry competition.

“I was a thin boy, immensely shy. My legs were shaking. But I was good at poetry recitation as I used to take part in Ramlila etc., and deliver long dialogues in front of the audiences.”

So, he recited “Ikkesvin Sadi (21st Century) poem penned by the famous poet and satirist. The poem is a satire on a poor man’s tattered clothes and broken shoes, wearing which if he reaches the 21st century, he would fail the glamour of the government. So he must die now. The poem attracted a pin-drop silence in the mammoth hall of the school, followed by standing ovation, and a welcome call by students. This was the beginning of Sharma’s excellent rank in the college in each year.”

Rest they say, is history. For class 12, Sharma took admission in a night school and had to opt for political science as it did not offer the subjects of his choices like psychology and theatre.

“During day time, I used to work petty jobs, in the evening I would go to school and at night, I would rehearse for my theatre.”

Such powerful used to be his performances that the colleges started calling him to take admission “just for be a part of their drama section.”

College time

“This was a miracle of sorts for me. Dayanand College in Hissar admitted me for post-graduation in English Literature but on the first day I saw 25 girls in the class and I was the only boy. I ran away in shyness. But the vice chancellor of the university was kind. He asked me to concentrate on theatre. So, I managed my degree and theatre alongside somehow.

Sharma owes his wisdom to his teachers. “I was lucky to have been tutored under the likes of professor and poet Uday Bhanu ‘Hans’ (the state poet of Hayrayana, whose poems even Amaitabh Bachcan has recited) and Shamim Sharma (now principal in a Sirsa College).

They were my guiding lights. Hans’ sir’s classes were amazing. He would not teach from the books as much as he would take us out of them.

He would talk of world wisdom, philosophy, psychology, poetry, environment, society, reform and theatre.

He would transport us out of class and widen our horizon. He prepared me to face the world and its real challenges while being in love with the poetry and soft arts.”

Soon after college, Sharma headed for the National School of Drama and made an immense contribution to it. However, his filmi journey had been another tale of struggle to work for “only meaningful films” like Hazar Chaurasi ki maa, Lagaan, Gangajal to now his own mega production on Haryana's legendary ‘saang’ (folk songs) singer and performer Pandit Lakshmi Chand lovingly known as Dada Lakhmi, also the title of the film.

The film has now won numerous national and international awards and is counting.

Worried about the new generation lost in mobiles, fed on artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT, Sharma says, this generation is lost in ‘mobile wisdom’.

Colleges, he feels, should ban mobiles in the classrooms and students should be taught the world wisdom, poetry, creativity and so on.

“I am worried that from now on, we may not have original script writers as the AI and chat GPT would snatch the power of creative thinking from the youth.”

Worth an attention?