 Early Times Report
JAMMU, June 15: The Literary Club of Dogra Degree College, in collaboration with the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of Dogra Degree College, organized a vibrant celebration of the Dogra Folk Festival, Rutt Raade. This event highlighted the cultural significance of Raade in Dogra folk traditions, aiming to preserve and promote the rich heritage of the Dogra community.
The festival began with an introduction to the Rutt Raade Festival, emphasizing its essence and significance in Dogra folk culture. Traditionally, unmarried girls plant seeds in pitchers' necks, symbolizing family prosperity. Each pitcher, known as a "Raada," represents a brother, while a larger one, the "Dhamma Raada," signifies the head of the family. These Raadas are carefully nurtured and decorated over a month using eco-friendly colors made from dried leaves, flowers, and charcoal. The culmination of the festival involves immersing these Raadas in local water bodies. Historically, the festival also served an agricultural purpose, helping to check soil fertility and seed viability, a practice now diminished by modernization.
The event took place on the premises of Dogra Degree College, under the patronage of Th. Gulchain Singh Charak, Chairman of Dogra Educational Trust. Dr. Samar Dev Singh Charak, Secretary of Dogra Educational Trust, graced the occasion as the chief guest. He commended the college's efforts to promote Dogra folk culture and emphasized the importance of such events in raising awareness among students about Dogra traditions, language, and cuisine.
Other notable attendees included Dr. Dharamvir Sharma, Dean Academic Affairs, DET; Dr. Geetika Sehgal, Coordinator, DET; Dr. Vikesh Kumar Sharma, Principal of Dogra College of Education; Dr. Shifali Sharma, Management Representative, DET; and various dignitaries.
The event saw enthusiastic participation from students, who planted seeds of rice, wheat, black lentils, green lentils, pearl millet (Bajra), maize, black gram, and sesame in their respective pitchers. The venue was adorned with traditional Dogra decorations, and participants showcased their creativity by decorating their Raadas with vibrant rangoli designs. In total, 12 Raadas were sown, each representing the prosperity of a family's well-being, while the Dhamma Raada symbolized the head of the family's prosperity.
Adding to the cultural experience, a special stall of Dogra cuisines was set up, featuring a variety of traditional dishes such as Halwa, Kyeur, Ambal, Maisu, Gadimba, Babroo, Mitha Rutt, Dum Aalu, Pudi, Pinni, Shasha, Khameera, Meetha Chol, and Gulgale. This initiative aimed to promote Dogra culinary traditions, which are gradually fading from the modern Dogra diet.
The event was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Bela Thakur, Principal of Dogra Degree College. The dedicated staff members who actively participated included Ms. Kanchan Dubey, Ms. Shikha Gupta, Mr. Balwant Singh, Ms. Sonia Gupta, Ms. Anita Sharma, Ms. Amarpreet Kaur, Ms. Simran Thakur, Mr. Ashish Thakur, Ms. Kajal Sharma, Mr. Vishal Singh, Mr. Rahul Singh, Mr. Dimple Singh, and Ms. Kirti Sharma.
Ms. Aditi Khajuria, Convenor of the Literary Club, and Mr. Ravinder Kumar Rao, Member of the Literary Club DDC, supervised the entire program. The event concluded with a formal vote of thanks delivered by the Principal of Dogra Degree College, Dr. Bela Thakur.
This celebration of Rutt Raade not only revived a cherished cultural tradition but also reinforced the importance of preserving the unique heritage of the Dogra community for future generations. |
