Ravinder Kaul
Recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award from J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Susham Sharma passed away in Jammu last Sunday. She was the doyenne of theatre and one of the finest actors ever to have donned the stage in Jammu.
She was born in Jammu in the year 1952 and as her father was serving in State’s Geology and Mining Department, she had her initial schooling from Khrew in the Kashmir valley. Her elder sister was a theatre artiste and she later was fortunate to have a mother-in-law who too was a well known drama artiste of J&K.
Beginning her acting career with the Dogri play “Tabbar Tor” she went on to perform in plays Chaar Din, Aadhe Adhure, Khaamosh Adaalat Jaari Hai, Panchhi Aisay Aatay Hain, Baaqi Itihaas, O Jammeya Hi Nehin, Jinn Lahore Nahin Vekhiyaa, Sandhya Chhaaya and Mat Vilaas with eminent directors like Kavi Rattan Sharma, Lakshmi Dutt Shastri, Deepak Kumar, Kewal Krishan Sharma and many others.
Her glorious achievement was her solo performance at Al-hamara, Lahore in the play ‘Aaley’ directed by Deepak Kumar. In the Review of the play, which has been the only Review ever to have been published on the Front Page of Daily Excelsior, this reviewer had written, “Susham Sharma, the main protagonist of the play, once again, dazzled the audience with her sterling performance. With her curved back, her faltering gait and her impeccable diction, she personified the old village woman deserted by her nears and dears.”
Recalling her performance in Lahore some years ago she told eminent author and blogger Avtar Mota, “The audience included many Dogri speaking elders who had migrated to Pakistan from Mast Garh, Sarajaan Di Dakki and other localities of Jammu city . The nostalgia made many eyes moist. I could feel the sighs of the audience, and the satisfying thunderous applause in between, while I performed. And when the play was over, the veteran theatre artiste of the subcontinent, Late Uzra Butt walked up to the stage and hugged me. I vividly remember her words, “You did a great job Beta. It was electrifying”
Another of her stellar performances was in the play ‘Raktbeej’, again a Rangyug presentation under the direction of Deepak Kumar. Writing about her performance, this reviewer wrote in Daily Excelsior,
“Her dialogue delivery, her movements, her expressions were just perfect. The fact that in an emotional scene, tears rolled down her eyes, gave ample proof of the feeling and involvement with which she enacted her role. She indeed is the finest actress that the Jammu stage has ever seen.”
Apart from theatre, she also acted in several feature films, television serials and documentaries including Daraar, Chehre, Nazarane, Sarkari Juta, Himmat and documentaries on veteran freedom fighter Budh Singh, Brig. Rajinder Singh and Dinu Bhai Pant.
While giving her best to theatre, she continued to work as a senior banker who was the first woman Manager of a city branch of J&K Bank in Jammu. She superannuated as Assistant Vice President of the bank some years ago.
Although, in an interview some years ago, she had expressed her desire to be on stage “till her last breath’, it was not to be. After the passing away of her husband Rajeev Bhushan Sharma, Advocate, four years ago, she was not keeping well and remained confined to her house for all these years.
In Susham Sharma Jammu has lost a bright star and the large gathering of people from the world of theatre, art and literature at her funeral is testimony to the fact that everyone in Jammu is feeling this loss.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
