Jammu :Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) in collaboration with the Dogri Sahitya Sabha, KupparPragalta, organised the valedictory function of the month-long Dogra Folk Festival at KupparPragalta, Jammu. Dedicated to the traditional Dogra folk festival ‘Rutt-Raade’, the festival concluded with cultural performances and public participation.
The programme is part of the Academy’s efforts to support organisations reviving the cultural traditions of the Dogra community. The folk festival ‘Rutt-Raade’, once celebrated widely across the region, has gradually become rare. The Dogri Sahitya Sabha, under the leadership of its President Subash Sumbaria, has been working to revive this heritage, with the Academy extending support to the initiative every year.
MLA Jammu East Yudhvir Sethi was the Chief Guest. The programme was attended by personalities from the fields of Dogri literature, art and culture, besides local residents, writers, poets, scholars and folk artists.
The event commenced with a Dogri Kavi Sammelan, presided over by Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Dogri, University of Jammu, Dr Padam Dev Singh. The poetry session featured recitations by poets including Randhir Singh Raipuria, Sansar Chand Kalotra, Rakesh Verma, Jagdish Singh, Amit Singh Salathia, Rampal Sharma, Gandharv Singh, Neha Sharma, Rajni Thapa, Abdul Qadir Kunduria and Rajendra Singh, among others. Editor (Dogri), JKAACL, ReetaKhadyal attended as Programme In-charge.
Following the literary session, folk music groups presented performances based on the Rutt-Raade festival. Women from the participating folk groups also demonstrated the traditional art of decorating the Raade with indigenous motifs and folk designs.
JKAACL also organised an exhibition-cum-sale of its publications, displaying books and literary works in regional languages, which drew interest from visitors, writers and literature enthusiasts.
