Onam Celebrations at Central University of Jammu: Dogri, Punjabi, Himachali festivals are also decided to celebrate

JAMMU: The Central University of Jammu hosted the celebration of Onam, the biggest festival in the land of Kerala, with full zeal and festive fervor under the able guidance of Prof. Sanjeev Jain, Honourable Vice Chancellor, Central University of Jammu. It was organised under the theme "Aarambham" which means "The beginning". The main highlight of the programme was a cultural event which glued the audience till the end, the display of floral carpets and the distribution of the traditional sweet ‘Payasam’. Along with this several other activities were also conducted which were enjoyed by the audiences and brought festivity to the ambiance.

The event was meticulously planned by the students of the University hailing from the state of Kerala and was started with a welcome address by Joji Abraham, a Ph.D. scholar from the Social Work department. He shed some light on the importance of this grand festival and explained, “Onam is the biggest cultural festival of Kerala which is related to Hindu mythology and it is celebrated by all people irrespective of religion, caste, and creed. It unites all communities and everyone enjoys this festival with great enthusiasm irrespective of their age limitations which is the main attraction of this festival. It’s a ten days festival and is a sign of prosperity and harmony among the people”.

The official commencement of Onam celebrations began with lighting the lamp by Prof. Devanand, Vice-Chancellor in-Charge, Dr. Yashwant Singh, Registrar, Prof. Rasal Singh, Dean, Students' Welfare, Dr. Ritu Bakshi, Cultural Officer and Dr. Vinay Kumar, Assistant Dean Students' Welfare, in Brigadier Rajinder Singh Auditorium. In the presidential remarks, Prof. Rasal Singh said, “The students have highlighted the strength of cultural unity in diversity of India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and the fabric of national integration is further strengthened through such cultural events”. Dr. Pavinder Singh, Proctor, Dr. Vandana Sharma, HOD, Department of English, and Dr. J.N Baliya, HOD, Department of Educational Studies, and other faculty members and staff were among the guests for the programme.

Following this, the much-awaited cultural performance called 'Onappattu' which is basically the traditional Onam song was presented by the students. After that, a series of alluring dance performances called 'Thiruvathira ' by the students enthralled the audience. The cultural event was closed with a Vote of Thanks presented by Pavitra S from the Department of Mathematics. The event came to a sweet end when the student coordinators offered 'Payasam' to everyone which is a traditional sweet distributed on the occasion of Onam. Other attractions of this celebration were 'Pookkalam' a floral carpet that was displayed in the reception area of the University along with that some games and competitions were also conducted for the students in the Eco park near the Department of Social Work.

Dr. Vinay Kumar on behalf of the Dean, Students’ Welfare, invited the students to celebrate Dogri, Punjabi, Himachali, and other festivals too in a similar manner and promised to support them in all such efforts in celebrating the cultural diversity of India. Emmanuvel Jose and Rasmitha P from the Department of Mass Communication and New Media were the student coordinators of the entire program.