Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 27: The Senior Citizens SS Club, Chowadi, in collaboration with MAM College Jammu conducted a Dogri speech competition for college and university students, promoting regional language and cultural heritage. A total of 55 students from various institutions participated in the event. Prof. (Dr.) Rajeev Rattan, Director, College Development Council and Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Jammu, inaugurated the competition. A strong proponent of regional languages, he encouraged students to preserve their cultural identity through Dogri. Prof. Archna Koul, Principal of MAM College, was the guest of honour and was lauded for her contributions to Dogri promotion and for providing full support to host the event.
Dr. Naseeb Singh Manhas, Advisor Doordarshan and recipient of several prestigious awards, was the chief guest at the valedictory session. He applauded the high quality of speeches and linguistic skills of the participants. Dr. Kasturi Lal, Chairman of the Sr. Citizens SS Club, welcomed dignitaries, while Maj Gen SK Sharma, President of the Club, highlighted the organization’s outreach activities among youth. The final round featured nine top students selected from three parallel sessions conducted by Capt Lalit Sharma, Padma Shri Mohan Singh Salathia, and Dr. Praveen Yograj. Finalists spoke on topics related to integrating Dogri into formal education and modern tools like OCR and NLP for its preservation.
Surraiyya Bano won the first prize of Rs 20,000, while Kusum Bandral, a blind girl, was named the first runner-up with a prize of Rs 5001, and Ritika secured the second runner-up position. Dr. Vijay Sharma delivered the vote of thanks and Kusum Tickoo efficiently conducted the proceedings.”
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