Logs 3.2 lakh footfall, breaks Year 2019 record
Set to host ‘The Great Dogri Literary Festival’, ‘Bollywood Night’ and lots more
In times of pandemic, the announcement of the first edition of ‘The Great Dogri Literary Festival’ at magnificent hill station of Patnitop is perhaps the sweetest and the biggest offering of its kind for the Jammu region.
Set to be held on 28th October, 2021, as part of ‘Week of Iconic Festival’ celebrations in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the festival will celebrate Dogri in all its forms.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University is organizing the festival along with University of Jammu, GGM Science College, GDC Udhampur, Patnitop Development Authority, Directorate of Tourism Jammu, District Administrations of Ramban and Udhampur, under the overall supervision of Higher Education Department, J&K.
“To popularize as well as to celebrate the literary and cultural traditions of Dogri, an exquisite occasion of festivity, appropriately titled as ‘The Great Dogri Literary Festival’, is being organized in Patnitop on 28th October,” says Sushma Chauhan, IAS, Administrative Secretary, Higher Education J&K.
“The greats of the Dogri literary world – recipients of Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi Award, shall be honored during the day long festival, followed by various engaging activities including Book Reading, Poetry, Panel Discussion, Dogri folk performances, Mushaira, and Ethnic Food Festival – to be held at the beautiful meadows of Patnitop,” she adds.
Prof Ravindra Kumar Sinha, Vice Chancellor, SMVDU, himself a Padma Shri Awardee, states, “The New Education Policy envisions promotion of regional languages, and in consonance with this, ‘The Great Dogri Literary Festival’ is being organized. I am hopeful that this congregation of Dogri poets, authors, singers, artists, journalists, academicians, scholars, admirers, and literary buffs shall go a long way in promoting, and documenting Dogri, which is a lingua franca of Jammu region.”
“Coming from Painthal, the native village of Dinu Bhai Pant ji, known as the doyen of Modern Dogri Poetry, and nanihal of Padma Shri Ram Nath Shastri ji, known as the Father of Dogri, amongst other seniors of Dogri literature, I’ve been associated with Dogri movement since my childhood. Having lived our lives in austerity but travelling to remote places to write about forts, bowlis, temples and so on, we never reckoned that people will recognize our work and that the government will organize such an event to honor us. I am pleasantly surprised. This will encourage us, and boost our passion to work more towards our heritage, language and culture,” Prof Shiv Nirmohi notes.
He is one of the three Padma Shri awardees from Jammu region who have contributed immensely to the Dogri language and will be felicitated on 28th October. The other two are Narsingh Dev Jamwal, and Jitendra Udhampuri.
“A day dedicated to Dogri will certainly give it a new trajectory! When the COVID19 Pandemic has upset our intellectual gatherings, this announcement has come as a breath of fresh air. We’re excited to meet and have discussions about range of topics,” says Jitendra Udhampuri.
From amongst the Sahitya Akademi awardees of Jammu region in Dogri, Mohan Singh states, “It is a matter of pride and honor for the entire Duggar community that such an event is being rolled out to showcase our ‘Virsa’ – from books and poetry written in Dogri to folk songs and dances, from turban tying to eating local delicacies in doona pattal. It is a unique festival and should be made an annual feature.”
Dr Lalit Gupta, a renowned Art Historian, says, “The literary fest is a welcome event. It will certainly bring to public gaze the makers of the Modern Dogri Literature as well as the works created by them. When Dogri is likely to be introduced at the primary level, such a felicitation of creative writers by the academia as well as the UT will go a long way in bestowing a sense of pride for the mother tongue Dogri among the native speakers.”
Sher Singh, KAS, CEO, PDA, says he is glad that Patnitop has been chosen for the incredible festivities of cultural cosmos. He is the nodal officer for these ‘iconic festivals’ at Patnitop.
“Patnitop has successfully hosted Hill Marathon, Monsoon Festival, Sanasar-Shankhpal Trek recently, and is set to host Yoga/Meditation/Spiritual and Wellness sessions, Dogra Art/Craft and Cultural Competitions, Bollywood Night and The Great Dogri Literary Festival – all in a single day, with involvement from various government departments. The celebrations do not end here. We have more events in the coming months,” he says.
Going by the official statistics, Patnitop circuit has witnessed a substantial increase in tourist footfall in the past few months, especially September. Until June this year, the footfall was clocked at approx 1.15 lakh, which has rose to approx 3.2 lakh by 14th October, and has already broken the record of 2019, which was 3.1 lakh.
Vishal, a resident of Jammu and tourism stakeholder, mentions that under the dynamic leadership and with right strategy, Patnitop Tourist Circuit has become the favorite of tourists and government departments alike, while the general public continues to reject the Directorate of Tourism Jammu.
Also: Read my article at The News Now
With plenty of action and celebration, Patnitop is the hottest player this year
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