Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Choudhary Lal Singh on Tuesday exhorted students to take it as their onerous responsibility to dedicate themselves to socio-cultural excellence and cultural unity for preserving rich traditions of the State.Speaking during the annual-day function of Dewanini V Badrinath Trust run Institutions namely DBN Amarwila, DBN Mubarak Mandi and SNS Vidya Mandir, the Minister said it is heartening to note that the schools run by the Trust strive to carry forward the Sate’s ageless message of communal harmony and socio-cultural ethos."Badrinath Trust’s committed service in the field of education and for promotion of cultural excellence is laudable,'' he said. “The unity of arts, their essential spirit of oneness, has made us stand united, though we are multi-religious, multi-linguistic and diverse in culture," Mr Singh said, adding that Jammu and Kashmir has nurtured and fostered local artistic and cultural values.
Choudhary Lal Singh, who presided over the function, further highlighted the importance of the mother tongue and urged the students not to shun their language and roots. He also urged school administration not to force students to speak only in English language.“English is just another language. You shouldn’t be ashamed of speaking in your own languages, which give you the identity,” Singh said.The three hour-long event was held at Abhinav theatre, Jammu in which Major General (retd) Shiv Kumar Sharma was the chief guest. The chief guest and guest-of-honour were welcomed by presenting guard of honour by school band. The function began by lightning the traditional lamp by the dignitaries. Chairman of the Trust, Virendarjeet Singh, Nandita Singh, welcomed the guests on the occasion.The students of the school presented a programme on a theme ‘Eik Bharat Shreshth Bharat’ with some of the valuable message for the society.Highlighting the importance of the modern education, the Chief Guest, Major General, Shiv Kumar Sharma said there was a need of convergence to enrich the quality of the education. He highlighted the works of bravery rendered by the soldiers for the country.