Writers remember Yashpal Sharma on birth anniversary

Yashpal Sharma was not only a great freedom fighter but also a great writer who directed the freedom struggle of the country.

This was stated by Art, Culture and Language Department Director Dr Pankaj Lalit here yesterday at a function organised to mark the birth anniversary of Yashpal Sharma. He noted that Yashpal was a novelist, poet and a playwright who knew various Indian and foreign languages.

He had written more than 50 story collections and novels — most notably his accounts of imprisonment during the British era.

Lalit said it was imperative to introduce these valuable writings to the coming generations. The department is organising programmes to highlight contribution and other works of various personalities of the state from time to time so that their works could be inspiration to generations to come, he added. Prof Chaman Lal, former faculty, Jawahar Lal Nehru University, read out his research paper titled as ‘Krantikari Shahityakar Yashpal ke Jeevan me Kranti or Sahitya ka Samanjasya’.

He said, in Hindi literature, Yashpal was next to Munshi Prem Chand.

Several authors — including Dr Sushil Kumar, Vijay Vishal, Dr OP Sharma, Dr Prakash Chand Thakur, Rajendra Rajan, Trilok Mehra and Rattan Chand Rattnakar — were among those present at the event.

Yashpal’s son, Anad Yashpal, said the department had been organising this function since 1977, and his family would remain indebted to this gesture of the successive state governments.

Kartar Singh Sonkhle, a Padma Shri awardee, was also present at the event.

A book exhibition on the works of Yashpal Sharma and rare books was organised on the occasion at Government Degree College here.