Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, July 14: The Udhampur Campus (Garnai-Lotta) of the University of Jammu, in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Regional Centre Jammu, marked the grand celebration of the month-long Dogra heritage festival Rutt Raade.
The chief guest for the occasion was Anuradha, a renowned visual and folk artist, accompanied by Prof Suman Jamwal, esteemed historian and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences; Shruti Awasthi, Director, IGNCA, Regional Centre Jammu, and O P Sharma, (Retd PCCF) and noted environmentalist, as the special guests.
The chief guest was joined by local women, men, students, and children in creating vibrant Rangolis around the Raade using natural, plant-based colours, showcasing the unique aesthetic and ecological dimensions of the festival.
In her address, Anuradha highlighted the cultural richness of India, emphasizing the need to preserve and celebrate indigenous traditions. She drew parallels between Raade and Rajasthan’s Gujwar festival, dedicated to Goddess Gauri (Parvati), underlining how such traditions promote community bonding, feminine energy and familial well-being.
Prof Suman stressed the need to contextualize such traditions in the contemporary world and called for decolonizing mindsets to better appreciate indigenous knowledge systems.
Shruti Awasthi, Director of IGNCA, said the Raade festival reflects the Indian philosophical concept of Panch Bhoota (five elements), emphasizing harmony with nature.
O P Sharma emphasized the symbolic essence of the Raade—the germination of seeds as a metaphor for growth, fertility and progress.
Prof Yash Pal Sharma, Rector of the Udhampur Campus, JU, passionately outlined the festival’s multifaceted significance—spiritual, cultural, historical, socio-economic, philosophical, and ecological. He expressed concern about the waning awareness among the younger generation and underscored the importance of cultural education.
Throughout the month, women and young girls from nearby villages beautify the Raade every Sunday with colourful, organic rangolis, reviving age-old practices. The festival will conclude on the following Shravan Sankranti i.e July 16, 2025.
The event was coordinated by Dr Jyoti Sharma, with month-long organizational efforts led by Taruna Dubey, Pradeep, Nikhil Khajuria, Dr Sunita Kumari, Dr Jyotishna, Dr Ritika, Dr Kamini, Dr Prerna, along with the students, non-teaching staff of Udhampur Campus, and residents of Garnai-Lotta village.
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