Youth festivals keep 'Haryanvi' culture alive on campuses

The recently concluded Ratnawali Festival at Kurukshetra University saw great enthusiasm among students, visitors, faculty members of the university and the affiliated colleges who had reached with their respective contingents to participate in the state-level celebration.

Amid the fast-paced life at the university where the students are motivated to take advantage of NEP and focus on being entrepreneurs instead of being job seekers, the four-day festival in which the participants dress up in traditional attires, present their potential and skills, showcasing the vibrant and rich Haryanvi culture, forces the visitors to remember the older days and commend the efforts of presenting authentic Haryanvi culture by the youngsters.

Along with providing education, the preservation of folk art and culture, nurturing creativity and leadership are also the duties of the educational institutions, feel the faculty members of Kurukshetra University who had been playing a key role in organising Ratnawali and youth festivals.

Director public relations, Kurukshetra University, and former director youth and cultural affairs Maha Singh Poonia said, “The Ratnawali Festival and youth festivals go beyond performances, serving as a medium to foster mutual cooperation, harmony, and sporting spirit among the students. Under the guidance of Vice-Chancellor Professor Som Nath Sachdeva, Kurukshetra University, is driving a bold cultural movement to safeguard, revive and contemporise Haryana’s folk culture, arts and intangible heritage. The university is committed to making the youth self-reliant and entrepreneurial, and also preserving Haryana’s cultural heritage.

Sharing the efforts being made, Poonia said, “Kurukshetra University began cultural evenings in year 1966. Initially, the stage was rooted in traditional Ragni, Bhajan, Makhoul and theatre. Over the decades, the university stage became the incubator for Haryanvi folk dance, Saang, folk songs and folk instruments. The first Saang was presented in 1984 and the first Haryanvi orchestra was formed in 1985. Between 1985 and 2005, Kurukshetra University led the growth of several genres such as Haryanvi poetry, speeches, theatre, folk songs, folk instrument solo, one act plays, Saang, Rasia dance, solo dance, short film in Haryanvi, and Ragni.”

Poonia said former director of youth and cultural affairs Anoop Lathar played a crucial role during this period, and then during his (Poonia’s) tenure, Ratnawali was further expanded with new disciplines — including Haryana Handicraft Mela, Pagdi tradition, Folk rituals, Haryanvi lullabies and revival of Haryanvi ghazal.

Poonia said from 1966 to 2025, 34 distinct genres were experimented upon at Kurukshetra University. Today, these 34 forms are performed across six major university stages by more than 3,000 artistes annually. Ratnawali has evolved into a contemporary laboratory for Haryana’s folk artistes, art and culture. Similarly across the four youth festival zones – Kurukshetra, Ambala, Yamunanagar and Karnal – Haryanvi cultural activities have been prioritised and strengthened.

Professor Vivek Chawla, director, youth and cultural affairs, Kurukshetra University, said that the cultural events were important for the holistic development of students and to give them a platform and exposure to showcase their hidden talent. The university and the affiliated colleges organised talent shows, then the zonal youth festivals, inter-zonal youth festivals and the students who won the competitions in the festivals got the opportunity to participate in the north west zone and then the national level.

Similarly, the Ratnawali Festival is an effort made by the university to preserve and revive the Haryana’s culture and art. The university played a pivotal role in reviving two extinct Haryanvi dance forms Loor and Rasia, which were a part of the Haryanvi culture.

“The Ratnawali Festival has been playing a major role in reviving and preserving the Haryanvi culture, dance forms, cuisines and art. This year we had a historic festival and we were happy to see older people dressed up in traditional attire reaching Kurukshetra University to see the students and professional artistes performing Saang. The footfall was higher than previous years and people enjoyed the performances. For the experimental basis, Haryanvi cuisine competitions were organised and we received a tremendous response,” he said.

The DYCA director said, “These festivals are not only helping the university in providing a platform to the students where they can showcase their skills, get the confidence to compete at bigger stages and convert classroom learning into real-world entrepreneurial action but also connecting the youngsters with the culture and heritage for future generations. Passing down the cultural heritage, folk art and traditions to the younger generation is essential to strengthen society and bond among the people.”