Under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) Programme of the Government of India, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu in association with the Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages (JKAACL) and Department of Art, Culture, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, successfully commenced a series of cultural programmes on its Campus.
A troupe of 64 individuals including several officers, officials, and artists from Tamil Nadu performed at IIM Jammu to exhibit the indigenous culture of their region.The event commenced with the lamp-lighting followed by the welcome address by Dr. Ashish Kumar, Chairperson Student Affairs.
The event was graced by Prof. B.S Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu, Prof. Jabir Ali, Dean, Academics, Bharat Singh, Secretary, Sanjeev Rana, Additional Secretary, JKAACL and Cmdr Kesavan Baskkaran, Chief Administrative Officer, IIM Jammu.
These cultural programmes strived to enhance interaction & promote mutual cultural understanding between the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Tamil Nadu. The event was attended by the faculty, officers, staff and a large number of students at the Institute.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. B. S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu said, “The Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) initiative was conceptualized by none other than Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and encouraging all centrally funded and other educational institutions of the country by Ministry of Education, Govt. of India.
He further reiterated that IIM Jammu being an Institute of National Importance in the country having students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and regions will further scale up and serve the objective of the spirit behind EBSB through the cultural exchange between the people in a spirited manner.
I feel that the EBSB programme has also helped us to establish the cultural signature of the institute and its campus, which I have been personally looking forward to.”Bharat Singh Manhas, Secretary, JKAACL addressing the audience said “I would like to extend my gratitude to the Department of Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu, for the initiative.
Also at this juncture, I would like to extend my gratitude to Prof. B.S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu and IIM Jammu for supporting such a noble initiative.”Thiru V. Gopalakrishnan, Assistant Director, Regional Art and Culture, Dept. of Art and Culture, Govt. of Tamil Nadu said, "We are grateful to IIM Jammu and JKAACL for giving these artists to perform at such a grand platform and expressed his gratitude to Prof. B.S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu, and Shri Bharat Singh Manhas, Secretary, JKAACL for organizing such a grand event and hospitality”.”
The event continued with the felicitation ceremony of the chief guest, artists, and dignitaries. The dance forms performed during the evening revolved around the folk narratives of the region. Mangala Isai, Bharathanattiyam, Thappattam, Kaniyan Koothu, Kavadiattam, Kokkali Kattaiattam, Oilattam & Kollattam, and Karagattam were a few of the many classical and folk performances of the evening.
Dancers dressed in traditional costumes showed a strong connection between nature and the Gods. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Shahnawaaz, Editor cum Cultural Officer at JKAACL.