New Delhi, May 9: President of India Droupadi Murmu conferred Padma Shri to Romalo Ram of Jammu and Kashmir in the field of Art during the civil investiture ceremony in New Delhi on Thursday.
Ram is a Dogri Folk artist of the Jammu region and is known as the real founder of the Dogri folk song Geetru.
He revived the dying folk form “Geetru and Bhakh” with his dedication and hard work.
Born on March 3, 1963, Ram received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985 from the University of Jammu. After graduation, he joined as a government teacher in 1987 and started writing Dogri poems and folk songs.
He served in remote areas for better education, particularly of the village students.
He retired as ZEO Ramnagar in March 2023.
Ram started performing Dogri folk in 1980-81 under the banner ‘Romalo Ram and Party’ by participating in local functions.
He served across the Jammu region for a long time and started a new revolution by the name of ‘Mission Maa Dogri’.
His ‘Mission Maa Dogri’ model has become the foundation for the huge success of young aspirants in the region.
More than 150 students are working and learning the traditional art under him.
Ram published a book ‘Geetruyen Di Fouhar’.
His works were published in various newspapers.
His contribution in the form of cassettes, records, and published articles is proof of his excellence in the field.
He was approved as a B-grade artist in All India Radio (AIR) Jammu in 1988 and in 1995 approved as a B-high grade Jammu.
He acted as a member of the General Council Committee of JKAACL to represent Dogri folk music and remained an active member of the Advisory Sub Committee for folk music nominated by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages.
He acted as brand ambassador of the SVEEP programme of district Udhampur and Reasi in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly election 2014.
Ram is the recipient of numerous awards and honours.
He was conferred the honorary ‘Gold Medal’ in the folk song competition at the National Youth Festival, in 1999 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
The J&K government conferred on him a State Award for his pioneering role in the performing arts of J&K in 2022.
JK Sopori Academy of Music and Performing Arts in New Delhi honoured him with ‘Samapanund Rishi Samman’ in 2018.
Doordarshan Jammu and Montage Film Industry felicitated him with ‘Virasat Shri’ in Jashan-a-Virasat, 2013.
He received certificates of appreciation from various government agencies for different cultural participation.
He received Lok Kala Ratan Puraskar, in 2019 in Akhil Bhartiya Lok Kala Mahotsav organised by Karnataka Sahasa Kala Academy.
In 2017, he was honoured by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and J&K Tourism Department at Katra during the Navratri festival.