Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 16: J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages in collaboration with Duggar Sanskriti Sangam, Batehra today showcased the most spectular folk form known as ‘Raahde’.
This is a month long festival, being held in the premises of the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Jammu.
The festival starts on Ist Ashaad BK and culminates on Ist of Sharwan BK every year. The women especially young and newly wedded girls sow Kharif seeds of different varities in the terracotta of pitcher necks of different sizes in the courtyard of their house or on the rooftop. They also beautify/ decorate these ‘Raahde’ with natural dry colours made of soft stones of different colour, charcoal, green leaves, red and yellow flowers. On the Ist of Shawna, the festival culminated with big celebrations called as Badda Rutt on the banks of water bodies where the women gather, sing folk songs related with the festival and have feast together.
Welcoming the gathering, the students of the twenty day long workshop in the Academy, parents and staff members of the office, Dr Arvinder Singh Amn, highlighted the importance of the Cultural values. He said that the J&K Academy is organizing this programme in the heart of the city to make aware the young generation about their rich cultural heritage.
Dhian Singh, an icon of Dogri literature, who is considered to be a main source of keeping this festival alive, delivered a detailed and informative lecture about the Raahde.
Laj Want and party, consisting of Shama Devi, Manisha Devi, Kesho Devi, Veena Devi, Raj Rani and Toshi Devi presented melodious folk song related with the festival.
Prominent among those, present there, included Dr Nirmal Vinod, Surinder Sagar, M K Raina and O P Sharma. The prgoramme was organized under the overall supervision of Ashok Gupta, Editor Dogri.
Follow our WhatsApp channel