Remembering Prof. Nilambar Dev Sharma

Early Life and Academic Beginnings:

Professor Nilambar Dev Sharma was born on 6th October 1931, into a top-ranking upper middle-class Dogra Brahmin family. He was the son of Pt. Madan Mohan Sharma; he was a well-known Sanskrit scholar and Jyotshi from Malhotra Street in Jammu, and his reputation reached far into Northern India. Professor Sharma completed his undergraduate degree at Jammu & Kashmir Universitye in 1949-50. During his time at university, he was involved with many activities related to students and was a member of the Student Union. This made him one of the most popular students on campus. Ved Bhasin, Balraj Puri and Ved Pal Deep were Professor Sharma’s closest friends while studying at university and were all considered highly regarded student leaders of that era.

Student Leadership and Lifelong Friendships:

The lifetime friendship formed between four young men has endured forever. The four of them ultimately became the intellectual front-runners of Jammu. In terms of academic excellence, Nilambar Dev was at least the equal of Ved Pal Deep, and the two were always competing - Nilambar Dev's own words indicate that “Ved Pal Deep was my greatest competitor at school (in exams). I have always worked hard to overtake him in exams. He would always be first in my class, and I would always finish right after him.” Following graduation from college Nilambar Dev was accepted at Indian College, Delhi and in 1952 received his Master’s Degree in English Literature from there. A very short period later he taught English at the College in Kairana, U.P., for several months. However, in 1953 he became a Lecturer in English Literature at G.G.M. Science College, Jammu and remained there until 1961. In 1957 he went to Leeds University, England, to study and returned in 1959 with his (three) Honors Degree.

Higher Education and Teaching Career:

Prof. Nilambar Sharma was a well-liked and accomplished teacher who treated his students with kindness, and guided them through various literary and cultural pursuits. Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, the legendary Santoor Maestro, was a student of Prof. Sharma and describes his teacher's support as being instrumental in the creation of a Shadow Play, and that at the time of this production, the Play featured female artists for the first time in Jammu. In addition to being an excellent instructor, Prof. Sharma fostered an environment of camaraderie with students, which encouraged their participation in the cultural activities of the university.

An Inspiring and Compassionate Teacher:

One of the main contributions of Shri Shiv Kumar Sharma to the cultural life of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is the establishment of the Abhinav Theatre. This theatre is the centre for much of the cultural activity in Jammu and is the result of Mr. Sharma's vision and planning. As the founder of the Abhinav Theatre, he asked Shri Bhagwan Sahai, then Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and Patron of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy, to sponsor the building of the theatre and to approve the plans. Today, it is difficult to conceive of a cultural landscape in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir without the Abhinav Theatre. Shri Sharma was responsible for establishing the Regional Office of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy in Jammu. He produced a book that presented the Dogra Basohli style of paintings on an international stage. He was instrumental in producing a book of six selected paintings from this school of art and he arranged for a foreword to be written by Mulk Raj Anand, a major writer and promoter of the arts in India. This book has become one of the most well-known and popular publications of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy and has contributed to the worldwide recognition of Basohli Kalam, especially in the arts community. Shri Sharma also played a key role in the acquisition of a number of original works of both Basohli and Jammu schools of art, including many incomplete works. These original paintings remain part of the collection maintained by the Jammu Regional Office of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy.

Visionary Role in Jammu’s Cultural Institutions:

It is well known that he had a subtle impact on the Jammu Theatre Movement. He, through his scholarship, sponsored Kavi Rattan to attend the National School of Drama in New Delhi. When Kavi Rattan returned after completing his training, Prof. Sharma hired him as a teacher of Drama in the Academy and the story is documented in history. Kavi Rattan was credited for establishing modern Theatrical movements in Jammu and it was because of Prof. Sharma that the Music and Fine Arts Institute was developed in the State with one Institute in Srinagar and another in Jammu. He recruited Nationally Acclaimed Artists as teachers of these Schools to offer craftsmanship training. Prof. Sharma had a vision of developing such Schools into National Centres of Excellence. He was instrumental in getting Kashmiri Sufiana Music recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi. He opened the Regional Office of the J&K Academy in Leh, giving a much-needed shot in the arm to the Cultural Heritage of Ladakh. Together with other initiatives of Prof. Sharma as Secretary of the J&K Academy, Prof. Sharma established concrete building blocks to help the growth of Arts, Culture and Languages in the State.

Strengthening Theatre, Music, and Fine Arts in J&K:

Published in 1965, an English-language book by Professor Sharma entitled 'An Introduction to Modern Dogri Literature' greatly aided the growth of Dogri literature. The timing was perfect because, at that time, Dogri was still a relatively young literary movement with only approximately 15-20 years of written works available at the time. Additionally, all writers who wrote in the Dogri language wanted the Sahitya Akademi (the Indian Government's Academy of Letters) to officially recognise the Dogri language; and this had many reasons for being important to them. However, the people who had the ability and authority to grant this recognition were not aware of Dogri literature because they could not read it.

This publication provides a reference point for the Dogri literature for the non-Dogri [speaking] public and also gives them a view of the rapid growth of Dogri literature in so little time. Because of this, the book helped the Sahitya Akademi (an Indian academy for literature) to recognise Dogri as an “Independent Literary Language” in 1969. However, to say that it has been important does not detract from the contribution made by various articles, papers, etc., in National magazines and newspapers, written by Col. Shiv Nath, Balraj Puri, Suraj Saraf, and other writers, to the realisation of this goal. The recognition of Dogri through the Awards presented each year to Dogri writers, eventually led to Dogri being included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Professor Sharma demonstrated his wisdom once again in a really important moment of time, this time concerning the push for Dogri's inclusion into the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The Dogri Sangharsh Morcha (DSMo) formed as an advocacy group supporting this push has been in existence for a long period of time, and received support from the entire community of Dogra people; however, no accomplishments towards the goal had yet been made. As a result, increasing frustration was developing among Dogri activisits and that frustration was expressed in many ways, including conflict and accusations made against one another. During meetings held by the DSMo, tempers would often flare, and the possibility of the group breaking apart seemed imminent.

Guiding Literary and Cultural Activities:

While many people experienced complete chaos and lack of trust during the time when Prof. Sharma was asked to preside over the meetings, he remained professional and resilient, and in his typical, calm, and cool manner, he was able to manage the meetings towards positive and meaningful conclusions. Through his efforts, the Morcha was able to remain united and in operation, which ultimately led to success in the goals for which the Morcha was formed. Prof. Nilambar Dev Sharma served as the President of the Dogri Sanstha from 1977 until his retirement in 1996, providing 20 years of leadership to the Organization. The Dogri Sanstha was the only organization that existed during the 1970's that represented the interests of Dogri, except for the J&K Academy. The Dogri language was just one of many languages that the J&K Academy represented within the framework of its service to the State. Through the extensive experience that he had in managing cultural affairs and his vision for an ideal Dogri Sanstha, Prof. Sharma was able to create and develop the policies that allowed the Sanstha to become a vibrant and progressive organization that continues to be relevant today. In addition to developing the policies of the Sanstha, he also ensured that there were no conflicts between the activities of the Sanstha and those of the J&K Academy.

A Lifetime Dedicated to Dogri Literature:

He is very instrumental in guiding the Dogri Sanstha during his time as President of the Dogri Sanstha. While he was elected twice as the Vice President of J&K Academy, one in 1978 and then in 1988, he had the knowledge to guide and direct the activities of the Sanstha in a positive way. Therefore, it was under his leadership that the Sanstha put on symposia, conferences, and workshops as well as many other types of literary activities. Although Professor Nilambar Dev Sharma is best known for his literary leadership and his work with the Dogri Sanstha, his heart will always remain true to the literary arts. He has written and edited six English-language literary works, written three creative (literary) works in the Dogri language (short stories, essays, and travelogues), translated four English-language books into Dogri, compiled and edited three Dogri books, and co-authored and contributed to four dictionary projects. In addition, he has a complete manuscript of a novel that is waiting to be published. Thus, the journey of his eventful life parallels the evolution of Dogri Literature; he has done much to further the cause in which he so strongly believes.

(Writer: Vivek Koul)