Jammu city launched the three-day Dogri Folk Festival on September 16, 2025, at Abhinav Theatre, organized by the J&K Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages to revive cultural pride post-floods that displaced 15,000 families. The event, drawing 3,000 attendees, features Dogri music, dance, and storytelling, spotlighting traditional forms like Geetru and Karkan, performed by 50 local artists. “Our heritage heals us,” said performer Shalini Devi, whose village in Samba lost homes to floods. The festival, with a ₹5 lakh budget, aims to boost morale in a region where tourism dropped 15% due to Vaishno Devi’s suspension.
Dogri, spoken by 2.6 million (2011 Census), is J&K’s cultural cornerstone, recognized in the Eighth Schedule. The event includes workshops on folk instruments like the ‘sarod’ and sessions on oral histories, engaging 500 students from flood-hit schools. Director Bharat Singh Manhas noted its role in uniting communities, with 70% attendees from rural areas. Amid NH-44’s struggles and ₹1,200 crore damages, the festival fosters resilience, echoing 2014’s cultural revival that increased tourist footfall by 10%. Food stalls showcasing Dogra cuisine, like rajma-chawal, support 200 local vendors. As political tensions linger in Doda, this celebration offers a unifying narrative, promoting harmony in a region with 68% rural population and 23% unemployment, paving the way for cultural tourism growth.
In the heart of Jammu, where the echoes of recent floods still linger in damaged homes and washed-out roads, the three-day Dogri Folk Festival kicked off today at the historic Abhinav Theatre, organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages. This vibrant celebration of the Duggar region’s rich traditions drew over 3,000 attendees on opening day, transforming the venue into a lively tapestry of music, dance, and storytelling that resonates with the resilient spirit of the Dogra community. As Jammu and Kashmir rebuilds from August’s devastating cloudbursts and flash floods—events that displaced thousands and submerged farmlands—the festival serves as a timely reminder of cultural roots that bind people together, fostering hope and unity in times of adversity.
The event, which runs through September 18, opens with mesmerizing performances of Geetru, a quintessential Dogri folk dance where a lead singer-dancer commands the stage while seated performers provide rhythmic beats on traditional instruments like the dhol (drum), chimta (tongs), bansuri (flute), and khanjari (cymbals). Groups of men and women, adorned in colorful traditional attire—flowing ghagra-cholis for women in vibrant reds and yellows, and kurtas with turbans for men—sway in synchronized circles, their movements evoking the joyous harvest celebrations and communal gatherings that define Dogri life. “This dance isn’t just steps; it’s our story of endurance, passed down through generations,” shared lead performer Shalini Devi, a 45-year-old artist from Samba whose village was among those hit hard by the floods, losing homes and livestock to the swollen Tawi River.
Drawing from the Duggar region’s ancient heritage, the festival spotlights a variety of Dogri folk forms that have evolved over centuries as expressions of worship, ceremonies, and pure revelry. Kud, performed by young men in the hilly terrains of Jammu’s middle mountains, mimics the playful antics of shepherds with leaps and twirls to the beat of algoza (double flute) and sarangi (bowed lute). Jagarana, a women-only dance traditionally enacted during wedding processions, fills the air with lilting songs of longing and celebration, where performers link arms in a chain, their footwork quickening to the dholak’s pulse. Other highlights include the energetic Phummaniyan, a serpentine sway honoring Nag Devta during Gugga Navmi in August-September, and the simple yet enchanting Keekli, where girls rotate hand-in-hand without instruments, symbolizing youthful innocence and balance.
The festival’s timing is poignant, coming just weeks after the floods that claimed lives and livelihoods across the Jammu division. Organizers, led by Academy Director Bharat Singh Manhas, wove in themes of resilience, with performances interspersed by storytelling sessions recounting Dogra tales of overcoming natural calamities through community strength. Workshops on crafting folk instruments like the thumbak nari (a small drum) engaged 500 students from flood-affected schools, many of whom arrived with tales of disrupted classes and rebuilt homes. “Our culture is our anchor; it reminds us that after every storm, the harvest returns,” Manhas remarked, noting how the event aligns with broader efforts to revive tourism, which has dipped amid highway blockades and yatra suspensions.
Food stalls brimmed with Dogra delicacies—steaming rajma-chawal, ambal (tangy black chickpea curry), and patissa (sweet semolina fudge)—prepared by 200 local vendors, many from rural pockets like Akhnoor and Ranbir Singh Pura, where farmlands remain waterlogged. The aroma of ghee-laden makki di roti mingled with the strains of folk songs like “Surma,” a poignant lament of a bride separated from her soldier husband, striking a chord in a region with deep military ties. Evening sessions feature Chowki Naach, a dramatic enactment of historical battles with mock swordplay, drawing cheers from families picnicking under the stars.
This year’s edition builds on past celebrations, such as the Lohri events at Kalagram where Geetru once again stole the show, but it carries an extra layer of urgency. With Dogri recognized as one of India’s 22 scheduled languages since 2003 and one of J&K’s five official tongues, the festival underscores its role in preserving an identity spoken by millions across Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab. Literary nods, like the Academy’s “Shiraza Dogri” periodical, complement the dances, with poets reciting verses on themes of renewal. As the sun sets on day one, performers circle in a grand finale of Rouf—a graceful women’s dance with flowing scarves—leaving the crowd humming tunes that echo long into the night.
For attendees like young Riya Sharma, a student from Jammu University navigating the recent fee hike protests, the festival is a breath of fresh air. “Amid all the chaos of floods and fees, this brings back our joy,” she said, clapping along to the chimta’s clang. As Jammu heals—its rivers receding but scars visible—the Dogri Folk Festival not only entertains but heals, weaving threads of heritage into the fabric of recovery. With free entry and live streams for remote viewers, it’s an open invitation to rediscover the spirited soul of the Dogras.