To encourage and promote the art of regional folk dances, Presentation Convent Senior Secondary School Jammu today organized folk dance festival ‘UMANG’.Minister of State for Health &Medical Education, Social Welfare and Housing & Urban Development Department, Asiea Naqash was the chief guest on the occasion.Dressed up in colorful costumes for group folk dance, students of various schools enthralled the audience with an assorted platter of entertainment and performed folk dance of various states including regional dance.Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that such events help in promotion and preservation of traditional arts besides providing a platform to the students to exhibit and explore their talent in specific fields. She emphasized the need of organizing such programmes on regular basis and assured complete support from the government in this regard. She appreciated the efforts of the school management for taking keen interest in highlighting and endorsing the regional arts of the state.The Minister said regional dance forms demonstrate state’s rich culture and heritage and it is the earnest effort of present dispensation to support such events at all levels. "It is a great pleasure to see that all these performers have unique features which reflect the concern and vast knowledge of these artists towards their culture and traditions,” she said.
Elaborating on government’s initiatives for promotion and preservation of state’s distinct culture, Asiea Naqash said a number of measures are being taken to encourage the budding artists enabling them to compete at national and international levels. She asked the school administration to include more regional as well as rural cultural dance forms and other related acts so that every region gets equal representation to promote and preserve its specific identity.The talented dancers from various educational institutions showcased their talent and mesmerized the audience with their graceful dance moves. It was a feast for the eyes as the participants brought alive the rich traditional heritage of J&K in front of the audience.The schools which participated in the dance competition included Heritage School, Jammu Sanskriti School, Presentation Convent Senior Secondary School, Army Public School Kaluchak, St Peven Karan Vagh, Kendriya Vidyalay (Sanjava) and Air Force School Satwari. The event was judged by the veteran in this genre, Professor at Department of Music, Government College for Women Parade, Kuldeep Raina and HoD Music and Fine Arts, Jammu University, Priya Dutta. The Rolling Tropy was bagged by Army Publice School, Kaluchak, while runner-up and second runner-up trophy was clinched by Kendriya Vidyalay (Sunjava) and Heritage School respectively.