Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra (J&K) along with Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi flagged off the celebrations of the Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav program on 24 February 2022 with an online cultural discourse by Dr V. Shankar on “Journey of Adi Shankara and Cultural Connectivity”. He delivered a presentation on the journey of Adi Shankara and the social-cultural activities of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Adi Shankaracharya started working on national integration several centuries ago.

The discussants of the event were: Dr R. Naresh Kumar from Karpagam Institute of Technology Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and Dr L.Vasu, Nodal Officer, EBSB, Easwari Engineering College (Autonomous), Chennai, Around seventy students from the collaborating institutions and host institution participated in the discussion. The event was moderated by Dr Virendra Bangroo, Director, Regional Centre, IGNCA New Delhi. The convener of the event was Sumanta Sarathi Sharma, Faculty Coordinator, EBSB, SMVD University who also presented the vote of thanks to the speaker, participants and guests.

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in collaboration with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, (SMVDU) Katra organised a webinar on sacred festivals of Ladakh on 5th February 2022. Sh. Sumanta S. Sharma, Faculty Coordinator, EBSB, SMVD University Katra, welcomed the speakers and thanked SMVDU and IGNCA, for the collaborative venture to bring forth the exquisite jewels of our country.

Dr.Virendra Bangroo moderated the session and said that Ladakh is crown of India and the beautiful monasteries spread all across are its real gems. The festivals of Ladakh add to the glitter of these priceless gems.Sh. Tashi Namgyal gave a detailed presentation on cultural festivals and sacred festivals, or monastic festivals celebrated in Ladakh, such as archery festivals, harvest festivals, Snogla- festivals related to vegetation and pastureland, Saka- a festival to start farming after a long gap of winter, Mamani- festival in memory of deceased people.Annual sacred festivals are held in all the monasteries at Hemis, Thiksay, Spituk monastery, Phyang, Lamayuru, Sharchukul, Likir, Diskit, Leh Dosmochay, Matho, Stok, etc. Similarly in Zanskar, sacred festivals are held in Karsha, Stongdy, Phuktal and Sani etc.on fixed date of lunar calendar. Dr. Stanzin Mingyur highlighted the sacred festivals being organized at Phyang monastery in Ladakh, which has a history of more than 600 years. Cham, the mask dance is the prime focus of the festival.

Sh. Tashi Choephel talked about the sacred festivals of Hemis monastery. The monastery is one of the biggest in the whole Ladakh. There are ten sacred festivals (including ritual) celebrated annually in the monastery. Hemis tsetu festival is dedicated to Guru Padmasambhava. There are masked dances, a tantric practice, to restrain negative energies, influences and other significance.Sh. Stanzin Tsetan gave a talk on the holy festivals of Phukthar Monastery situated at Zanskar. The monastery is located about 40 km away from Padum. And it’s built inside a natural cave. The annual holy festivals of Phukthar Monastery are Smonlam , Chuksum Mchodpa, Chonga Mchodpa , Gyalwai Jabstan ,Galdan Namchot ,Phukthar Monastery “Gustor” and Religious gathering or the Chosdra. Ms.Phuntsog Lhamo also participated in the deliberations.The webinar concluded with the vote of thanks by Sh. Sumanta S. Sharma.

21st February: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University today organized a one day conclave on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, to celebrate Dogri along with the linguistic diversity of the region.Also known as 'Matribhasha Diwas', the grand event held at Matrika Auditorium of the University, was graced by the stalwarts of Dogri literary world including Narsingh Dev Jamwal, Jitendra Udhampuri, Shiv Nirmohi, Mohan Singh, OP Sharma Vidyarthi, Inderjeet Kesar, Darshan Darshi, Prakash Premi, Dhyaan Singh, Shiv Dev Sushil and Rajeshwar Singh Raju and renowned artists from across the Jammu region. The recipients of Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi said they have high hopes from the J&K Administration for giving Dogri its due. They reiterated their request for establishment of an Academy of Dogri language, opening of Dogri Departments in all Universities, and promotion of studies in folklore, while congratulating SMVDU for organizing the event and showcasing the accumulated Dogri talent on one stage.

Padma Shri Prof. R.K. Sinha, Vice Chancellor, SMVDU, addressed the audience and asserted the importance of Dogri language and the need for the promotion of mother tongue for the preservation of our cultural heritage and identity.It was followed by lectures titled 'Dehi Ilakajaat mei Dogri', 'Jan Bhasha Dogri', 'Padma Sachdev as Ambassador of Dogri' 'Emerging voices of Dogri', and so on, which highlighted the established tradition of Dogri poetry and prose, remembered the legends, and emphasized the need to promote, preserve and develop this heritage.Vibrant cultural performances by Sh. Subhash Brahmanu, Sh. Ajeet Khajuria and youth icons Sh. Sars Bharti, Juhi of “The Duggar siblings”, and students of School of Languages and Literature, SMVDU, enthralled the audience.

The conclave ended with the technical sessions, the theme for which was, ‘Dogri: The Way Forward’. All the dignitaries actively discussed the challenges and achievements of Dogri language and the approaches to the way forward.Officially sponsored by J&K Bank, the event also featured ethnic food of Dogra culture, 'dhaam'. Nagendra Singh Jamwal, JKAS, Registrar, SMVDU, Isha Malhotra, Head, School of Languages and Literature, other Deans, Heads of Departments, and officials of J&K Bank were present in the occasion.

Webinar on Gujjars and Bakerwals of Jammu & Kashmir: The guardians of nature and the saviour of environment was organized by Regional Centre, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) on 30th January 2022.Dr. Virendra Bangroo, Director, Regional Centre of IGNCA, moderated the session and described the role of the Gujjar Bakerwal community in Nation building and conservation of natural resources.

Sh. Khursheed Ahmed Khatana, writer, in his address, said that Gujjar Bakerwal is the third biggest community of J&K. He elucidated on their active role in the protection and conservation of Nature and the best use of its resources. Sh. Chaudhary Shabir Ahmed Paswal explained that the oral literature and traditions are full of praise for nature and its restricted use. Sh. Rajesh Koul, the documentary filmmaker, is documenting this community for the last forty years and found it most hospitable. He reiterated that this community is truly a saviour of forests and wherever they go there is greenery.Sh. Sumanta Sarathi Sharma, Head of the School of Philosophy and Culture, and Faculty Coordinator Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat at SMVDU, in his concluding address, applauded the role of the Gujjar Bakerwal community in overall development. He envisaged the new generation of the community will play a bigger role in Nation building and thereby inculcating the feeling of pride within and outside. The webinar ended with a formal vote of thanks.

School of Business, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University organized a hands-on training session on the CMIE database for students of the undergraduate program. The session was conducted by Mr. Sudarshan Negi, resource person, CMIE.Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Saurabh, highlighted the necessity and credibility of reliable data in managerial decision-making and encouraged the participants to have a productive and stimulating learning experience. During the training sessions the students were able to understand the importance of the Economic Outlook and Prowess-IQ Database. The Economic Outlook provides a solution to the requirement of reliable data, whereas the Prowess-IQ database is an indispensable source to extract financial information and performance of active business enterprises in India.

The students were empowered to create queries and generate structured reports for the macro-economic indicators and financial analysis of various Industries across the nation for making informed decisions.The session was immensely beneficial for all participants and was concluded with a brief feedback. Dr. Divya Singh Jamwal, coordinator of the training program, moderated the session. The organising team expressed their gratitude to the Vice Chancellor SMVDU Prof. R.K. Sinha for providing the platform for effective learning of the students, and Dean FoM Dr. Suparn Sharma for his motivation.

One-week Faculty Development Program on "Research Avenues and Challenges in Industry 4.0" began at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra, being organized by the Faculty Development Centre (FDC) in collaboration with the School of Mechanical Engineering (SoME) Prof. Ravindra Kumar Sinha, Vice-Chancellor, SMVDU, during the inaugural address emphasised the importance of science and technology, academia-industry collaboration in the overall development of the country and its people.

Dr. Balbir Singh, Coordinator, Workshop, welcomed all participants across 18 states of the country and highlighted the advancement of various technologies such as IoT, big data, cyber security, cloud computing, and others which led to the fourth industrial revolution. Prof. E. Muthusamy, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, SMVDU, conveyed appreciation for all participants for upgrading their professional skills. Dr. Supran Sharma, FDC, Coordinator, SMVDU, highlighted the vision of FDC in developing the skills of the faculty members through various FDPs and workshops in the latest fields/Technologies.Prof. S.K. Saha from IIT Delhi initiated a team-based online project (TOP) scheme to have active learning by all participants from this FDP. Sh. NS Jamwal, Registrar, SMVDU conveyed his best wishes to all the participants for this knowledge journey, a step towards industry 4.0 adoption by Indian industries.