Udaan 2023: The annual cultural festival of CUJ begins

JAMMU: The annual cultural festival of CUJ, Udaan 2023 organised under the aegis of the Office of Dean Students' Welfare at Central University of Jammu began with fanfare in the university campus. The theme for this year's Udaan is Dekho Apna Desh, which reflects the rich cultural diversity and liberal inclusive environment of the university conceptualised under the dynamic patronage of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sanjeev Jain.  Registrar Prof. Yashwant Singh and deans and faculty members from various departments were graced the inaugural ceremony along with a bustling body of students. The inaugural ceremony began with invocation and performance of Saraswati Vandana by the students of the Tarang Dance Society.

Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Devanand Padha raised the curtain and inaugurated the festival. Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Padha laid emphasis on the necessity of cultural and sports events for any university. Registrar Prof. Yashwant Singh encouraged the students to actively take part in the festival and highlighted the importance of an inclusive and diverse cultural environment. The welcome address was delivered by Dean Students' Welfare Dr. Ritu Bakshi, in which she shed light on the importance of celebrating the beauty of life. Dr. Vinay kumar, Assistant DSW delivered the formal vote of thanks.

In order to accommodate the wide variety of events and zealous participation from students, various parallel sessions were conducted across multiple venues during the day. Students with a literary bent found an opportunity to participate in thought-provoking poetry and slogan writing competitions convened by Musings Creative Writing Society. The singing and dance competitions, organized by Sangeet Safar Music Society and Tarang Dance Society respectively, provided the students with an opportunity to display their artistic talents and took place in a jam-packed auditorium; while rangoli making, sketching and painting competitions convened by Socriti Fine Arts Society brought out the vibrant and colorful imaginations of the young minds.Those with an inclination towards intellectual discussions locked horns in a competitive debate competition with live-wire topics ranging from ideological to socio-cultural issues and was convened by the debating society, Dialectica. While the fashion show organized by GlamEth Fashion Society provided a stage for the upcoming stars of the country to make their mark on the ramp, future actors displayed their skills in various acting events convened by First Act Dramatic Society. Photography and documentary competitions organized by the Pixel Society also saw an overwhelming participation from the young camerapersons of the country.

The day concluded with a promise of even more spectacular performances on day two of Udaan 2023, where the winners of all these events will be felicitated and star-studded performances by the Jammu and Kashmir Cultural Academy will entertain the students. Udaan 2023 has become a milieu of different cultures and traditions represented by the diverse body of students from across the country present at the university.