Usually buttons are used to cause validation but I want to use table column to cause validation

Question

Usually buttons are used to cause validation but I want to use table column to cause validation

Something like this

 --------------------------
|________________|  <--textbox

<tabel>
 <tr>
     <td>
     Click it to cause validation on textbox
    </td>
 </tr>
</table>

I know that it can be done using javascript. But is there any other method to perform the same without using javascript.