‘Inter Zonal Display Your Talent’ concluded at JU with fanfare Jammu

Dec 19: ‘Inter-Zonal Display Your Talent 2025’ concluded today at the University of Jammu with an impressive Valedictory Function. Display Your Talent is an annual feature of the Department of Students Welfare, University of Jammu. In this event students from the affiliated degree colleges and university departments participate in 24 different competitions viz music, dance, literary, fine-arts and theatrical activities. Sh. Ramesh Kumar, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu was the Chief Guest. Prof. Neelu Rohmetra, Dean Research Studies Presided over the function while Dr. Neeraj Sharma, Registrar, University of Jammu was the Special Guest. Winners of all the events were felicitated by the dignitaries. Prof. Prakash C. Antahal, Dean Students Welfare, Prof. Monika Chadha, Chairperson CCC, Prof. Sarika Manhas, Co-Chairperson CCC, Prof. Yash Pal Sharma, Rector Udhampur Campus, Prof. Vinay Chauhan, Director TBS, Dr. Ravender Tickoo, Principal GCW, Parade and other senior functionaries of the university also attended the programme. A further selected team amongst the winner of this event would represent the University of Jammu in 39th Inter University North Zone Youth Festival being hosted by Chitkara University, Chandigarh. The new format of Display Your Talent has been envisioned by Prof. Umesh Rai, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu which has witnessed a larger participation of the students from the far-flung areas. All the affiliated colleges from Jammu province were distributed into 5 Zones; Tawi Zone, Pir- Panjal Zone, Devika Zone, Ravi Zone and Chenab Zone where Zonal Level Display Your Talent competitions were organized and the winners of those competitions are now competing in Inter Zonal Level. Addressing the gathering, the Chief Guest Shri Ramesh Kumar, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, congratulated the University of Jammu on the successful conduct of the Inter Zonal Display Your Talent Programme and extended his felicitations to the winners. He observed that educational institutions play a decisive role in shaping individuals beyond academics, serving as spaces where values, ethics, personality, and hidden potential are discovered and nurtured. Appreciating the university’s efforts, he noted that platforms such as Display Your Talent allow students to move beyond academic routine and engage meaningfully with music, fine arts, painting, and other creative pursuits that contribute significantly to holistic development. The Divisional Commissioner further underlined that cultural activities are deeply linked with history, identity, and shared values, and commended the University of Jammu for promoting these dimensions through innovative and creative approaches. He remarked that innovation and creativity form a core ethos of the university, reflected in the enthusiastic participation and quality of performances witnessed during the festival. He expressed confidence that such initiatives help students explore their potential while strengthening cultural awareness and confidence. Wishing success to the students who will represent the university at the forthcoming North Zone competitions, he encouraged them to carry forward the message of a progressive, culturally rich, and resilient Jammu and Kashmir. He emphasized that the region continues to make meaningful contributions to the Nation’s development and urged the participants to reflect this spirit as ambassadors of Jammu and Kashmir on larger platforms. Concluding his address, he thanked the organising committee, faculty members, and all those involved behind the scenes for their dedicated efforts, and wished the students the very best in their future endeavours. In her Presidential Address, Prof. Neelu Rohmetra, Dean Research Studies lauded the Department of Students Welfare, the Campus Cultural Committee, and the Students’ Cultural Council for their dedicated efforts in successfully organising the Interzonal Display Your Talent 2025. She described the festival as a historic platform of the University of Jammu that has gained renewed strength under the revised zonal format envisioned by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof. Umesh Rai, enabling cultural activities to reach students in far-flung areas through zonal and interzonal competitions. Congratulating the winners who will represent the university at the North Zone level, she noted that the interzonal event symbolized not just competition, but the culmination of grassroots cultural engagement across different regions of Jammu. Prof. Rohmetra also encouraged students to view both success and setbacks as essential parts of growth, emphasizing that the true spirit of Display Your Talent lies in nurturing confidence, creativity, and holistic development rather than merely securing prizes. She urged participants to value perseverance, self-belief, and continuous self-improvement, reminding them that every experience contributes to personal and artistic maturity. Expressing gratitude to the Chief Guest for his presence, she also acknowledged the crucial role of technical and support staff, volunteers, and organisers, and conveyed the university’s wholehearted appreciation for all those who contributed to the smooth conduct and enduring legacy of the festival. Presenting the event report at the valedictory ceremony, Prof. Monika Chadha, Chairperson, Campus Cultural Committee highlighted that the Interzonal Display Your Talent 2025 marked the successful culmination of a series of zonal competitions conducted across the five zones of the Jammu region, which laid the foundation for this grand cultural showcase. She informed that the zonal events were hosted by Government College for Women, Parade (Tawi Zone), Government Degree College, Rajouri (Pir Panjal Zone), Kathua Campus of the University of Jammu (Ravi Zone), and the Udhampur Campus (Devika Zone), each witnessing enthusiastic participation and high-quality performances from students of affiliated colleges and university departments. The winners from these zonal rounds advanced to the interzonal stage, transforming the festival into a vibrant celebration of excellence, inclusivity, and healthy competition. She further shared that the interzonal event, inaugurated on 16 December 2025, featured 24 competitions with over 1,500 participants across four days, showcasing a wide range of literary, fine arts, music, theatre, and dance events. Prof. Chadha also lauded the participation of students from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, whose cultural performances under an exchange programme added a special dimension to the festival, and congratulated all participants and winners who will represent the University of Jammu at the forthcoming North Zone competitions. Earlier in his welcome address, Prof. Prakash Chand Antahal, Dean Students Welfare, formally welcomed Shri Ramesh Kumar, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, the Chief Guest of the valedictory function, and expressed gratitude for his presence despite his demanding schedule. He described the concluding ceremony as a special moment for the participating students, particularly the winning teams, who were felicitated during the prize distribution. Prof. Antahal also conveyed the best wishes and encouragement of the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof. Umesh Rai, who could not attend due to official commitments, and acknowledged his visionary leadership and continued support in strengthening cultural initiatives at the University of Jammu. Highlighting the evolving format of the Display Your Talent festival, Prof. Antahal noted that the event was organised for the second consecutive year under a revised zonal structure, aligned with the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor’s vision of inclusive participation. He explained that affiliated colleges and university departments were grouped into five zones—Ravi, Chenab, Pir Panjal, Devika and Tawi—to ensure wider outreach, particularly to students from remote and hilly areas. He further shared that the new format, along with the Department of Students Welfare’s flagship training and outreach programme, has significantly enhanced participation and performance quality across most zones. Reiterating the department’s commitment to preserving and promoting the region’s rich cultural diversity, he placed on record his appreciation for the dedicated efforts of the DSW staff, volunteers, and student participants in ensuring the successful conduct of the festival. Earlier, the events of Classical Dance, Creative Choreography and Group Dance were conducted. In Classical Dance, Ajay Aggarwal from IMFA, Neelakshi Anand from GCW Parade and Akshita lamba from IMFA stood first, second and third respectively. In Creative Choreography, the team of GCW Parade stood first while second position was secured by Udhampur Campus. In Group Dance, the teams of GCW Parade, the Department of Law, JU and GCW, Udhampur stood first, second and third respectively. Ms. Micky Verma, Mr. Satish Chander and Mr. Pulkit Jain were the adjudicators while Dr. Sarabjeet Kaur was the Teacher Incharge of the events. The members of Campus Cultural Committee who were the incharges for different events in all the zones were also felicitated at the occasion which included Dr. Geeta, Dr. Harish Dutt, Dr. Pallavi Sachdeva, Dr. Farah S. Choudhary, Dr. Rajbir Singh Sodhi, Mr. Ashwin Kumar Kushwaha, Dr. Tarun Kumar Chauhan, Dr. Prince Sharma, Dr. Parshottam Pal Singh, Dr. Sandeep Dubey, Dr. Jasleen Kaur, Dr. Monika Bhardwaj, Dr. Bhagwati Devi, Dr. Neelam Choudhary, Dr. Shallu Sehgal, Dr. Sarabjeet Kour, Dr. Sandeep Singh, Dr. Inderjeet Singh, Dr. Bandana Thakur, Dr. Harjit Singh, Dr. Ankit Mahajan, Dr. Vimal Kishore, Mr. Vishabjeet Singh Chib, Dr. Surinder Kumar, Dr. Pritam Singh, Dr. Ripudaman Parihar, Dr. Harleen Kaur, Dr. A.R. Manhas and Dr. Shallu Sharma The events of DSW are conceived, planned and organised by the team consisting of Prof. Prakash Antahal (Dean Students Welfare), Prof. Monika Chadha (Chairperson, Campus Cultural Committee), Prof. Sarika Manhas (Co-Chairperson, Campus Cultural Committee), Dr. Pritam Singh (Associate Dean SW), Dr. Shallu Sharma & Dr. A.R. Manhas (Deputy Chief Proctors), Dr. Harleen Kaur & Dr. Ripudaman Parihar (Assistant Dean, SW), members of Campus Cultural Committee, Ms Mansi Mantoo (Media Officer), Ifra Kak (Cultural Officer) and Sumeet Sharma (Drama Instructor). The events were witnessed by the members of Campus Cultural Committee, teachers, students, scholars of the University of Jammu and prominent members of the civil society. The programme was conducted by Dr. Bhagwati Devi. The hall was managed by the scholars from different departments including Sunaina, Poorvi, Ranjeet, Naresh, Janvi, Ananya, Prerna, Sushma, Sulakshna, Raghav, Divangi, Avni, Ivleen Kaur, Dilpreet Kaur, Simran Jaideep Kaur and Adnan. The logistics were looked after by Balwant Slathia, Daleep Singh, Sachin Sharma, Jatinder Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Jasbir Singh & R.P. Singh. The sound was looked after by Kulbhushan Thakur and Arif Paul.