Anantnag, Aug 21: To harness the power of artistic expression and addressing social issues through singing, dancing, skits, and videography, the University of Kashmir’s South Campus inaugurated SATSOAS – a five-day youth festival.
SATSOAS (thread with seven colours) brings together art, education and capabilities to address critical social issues like drug abuse, domestic violence, climate change and screen addiction and aims to engage, educate and inspire positive change within the community using creative expression.
On the occasion, Secretary Tourism and Culture, Jammu and Kashmir, Syed Abid Rasheed Shah impressed upon the youth to improve and explore their hidden talent for their intellectual capital which will contribute greatly in social change and development.
Terming youth an important asset of the society, he said the university provides an ecosystem to them to grow and harness the ‘demographic dividends’.
“Raise your standards academically to compete at a bigger level & be known for your academic excellence,” he added.
Underscoring the role of women in intellectualising the society, he said: “It is not how long we live in this world but what contributions we make to the society qualitatively that matters .”
Terming the event a historic moment, Dean Students Welfare, University of Kashmir, Prof Aneesa Shafi said the south campus is doing remarkably good & is keeping pace with the main campus.
She said, “This is an opportunity to get connected with the students as SATSOAS has been conceived to provide them a platform to exhibit their skills and talent.”
She said the event is a testimony to the fact that location, time and distance do not matter while calling upon the youth to join SONZAL-2023 at the main campus.
She said, “The whole university is yours. Come out of your classrooms with flying colours & contribute to the society at large.
Stressing on designing a drug policy for the educational institutions, Director, Youth Development and Rehabilitation Centre, Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Muzaffar Ahmad Khan said we have to accept the problem of drug abuse and need to work on its prevention & eradication.
“Not all people are into drugs and that is the silver lining. We can adopt cultural, medical or psychological models to prevent drug abuse,” he said, adding teachers and parents can play a great role in curbing the menace as the abuse trends have changed drastically and are rapidly increasing in the valley at an alarming rate.
Director South Campus, University of Kashmir, Prof Raies Ahamd Qadri stressed on raising voice and talking about issues like domestic violence, drug abuse and climate change.
“We have witnessed a paradigm shift as we explore huge talent at the campus,” he said while stressing on preserving our collective cultural heritage. He also thanked vice chancellor, Prof Nilofer Khan for her support to develop the campus & also in organising such events.
The event witnessed mesmerising cultural performances by the students and an enthralling musical performance featuring noted singer Asif Faiz Mir.