Yathish Shetty — Creatively Blessed Cancer Survivor From NITTE University
By: Team Kys
Tags: Life Lessons, India, Yathish Shetty, Cancer Survivor, Cancer

They say it takes a lot of time, patience and perseverance to achieve something big. Well, every universal truth has an exception, and we have one amidst us. Meet this 21 year old, exceptionally talented young man from NITTE University, located in the Udupi district of Karnataka. On a typical working day in an engineering college campus, you’ll probably find students scrutinizing incomprehensible formulae inside classes. But in NITTE, you’ll find a team of people led by Yathish Shetty, experimenting with creativity and practicing theater performances all day long!

Meet Yathish, and try not to fall in love with him! He’s a student of engineering, well, part time. Otherwise, he’s a (full time) unbelievable actor who’s carving his way into the industry, taking giant leaps. What makes Yathish special is not just his talent in acting and directing, but the courage he displayed during his struggle against cancer that he had to undergo when he was just 16.

Me — Could you tell me about your struggle with the disease?

Yathish — Dude, make me famous, but don’t get me sympathy!

That’s typical Yathish Shetty for you!

However, I have third person reports of his days of struggle, which tell us how difficult the fight was.

Fighting Chest Cavity Cancer

Yathish never showed even a fragment of his sufferings to anyone. For a year, life was all about painful therapies and countless operations that he had to undergo in and around the state. Chest cavity cancer has a survival chance of 8%, and this 16-year old boy made it through. He never spoke a word about it to anyone, including his parents and the closest of his friends. He made it look like he was on vacation, and no one heard anything from him about what he was mentally going through.

Living Life Post Cancer

My fight with cancer has given me an intensified zest towards life. If God brought me back after he kept in ICU for 6 consecutive days, he must have thought I’m worth something. It has been a very valuable motivating factor, that doesn’t allow me to be lazy or uninterested even for a minute. No matter what I do, I give it my best and live life to the fullest. I’ve lived against all odds and I’m not going to let my beautiful doctors’ efforts and everyone else’s prayers go in vain.

Being Creative — The Biggest Blessing

Creativity. That’s something I live by and live for. I have been fortunate to have found my passion at a young age and for having received a lot of support to pursue it. Creativity in acting and direction of plays and short films is what I am exploring at the moment, and I aim to make it large. I am confident about how I think out of the box and I believe that’s my biggest blessing.

Aankhen — The Biggest Accomplishment

I think the promotional short film named ‘Aankhen’ that we made for a cause is my biggest accomplishment till date. It was an event that witnessed 2000 people signing up to donate their eyes. I guess I couldn’t have worked for a social cause bigger than that at this age.

Shaping Dreams Into Reality

There are a number of things that play a role in this. Firstly, it’s about giving everything my best, no matter how big or small the venture is. Along with my friends, I make plays, I make short films, and I participate in all sorts of creative events. I do the best I can, because every experience is valuable. Secondly, every successful leader has a great team, and I am extremely proud of mine. We are a group of like-minded people who are willing to work hard. That is the most important quality in a team for me; people’s willingness to work. This team is my biggest strength, and the mad people in it make me highly confident about my journey.

Also, creativity and experimenting with things is a major thing. When we try something new, it is an accomplishment in itself. I always try to bring out novelty in whatever I do.

What’s In Store For Yathish Shetty?

Who knows? We only take our work seriously when it comes to acting and direction. But we are a group of college mates who have a lot of fun and enjoy life, without regrets about the past or worries about the future. Come what may, we are willing to work hard and give it our best, and this confidence doesn’t let us worry about the future. On a personal level, I have been through my physical and emotional worst, and hence I feel equipped to face any storm. I live for today, and it’s a great experience!

That was the first time Yathish sustained a serious conversation for more than a few seconds. It’s a herculean task getting him to speak his mind, and harder still to sustain a serious conversation amidst his hilarious comments after every question. Being an extraordinary actor, he hides his emotions well, but they do get the better of him sometimes!

But it is a very valuable friendship with Yathish. After one knows him, there is no need of finding an inspiration elsewhere. He’ll inspire us when there seems no hope, and he’ll make us laugh until our tummy hurts. Yathish Shetty is as light as Chandler Bing, and as deep as Albus Dumbledore for those who know him… and now you know him too!