Basohli is all set to host Basohli Utsav 2026 from today, with an elaborate programme of cultural performances, traditional activities, academic discussions, art exhibitions and public engagements planned at prominent locations across the historic town.

 The first day of the festival will feature an inaugural ceremony at Basohli Fort, an inter-school Santolia competition, a seminar on Geet Govind, Dham Chowkdi, a cartoon exhibition, street theatre, Jhanki and Raavi Aarti, followed by cultural programmes at Rani Talaab.

The three-day festival, scheduled to commence on Monday, will also feature a special cartoon workshop from October 19 to 21, focusing on the themes of 'Vikas Bhi Aur Virasat Bhi' and 'Nasha Mukt Bharat'. The activities are designed to bring together students, artists, cultural practitioners and the general public while showcasing the region's artistic and cultural traditions.

According to the schedule, the inaugural session will begin at 11 am at Basohli Fort. The programme will be anchored by Neelam Sharma and Rabia, while Jagdish Raj Brahmi, Brij Mohan Basotra, Rajesh Kapoor, Manzoor Hussain and Ravi Singh Chauhan will form the reception committee.

Rahul Thakur, Deepanshu Kanotra, Shruti Singh Jamwal and Lakshya Sharma have been assigned the responsibility of coordinating the event, while Amit Sharma, Surjeet Chouhan, Amit Sadh and Ajit Singh will look after prizes and awards.

The scheduled guests include Basohli MLA Darshan Thakur, Jasrota MLA Rajeev Jasrotia, Bani MLA Dr Rameshwar Singh Thakur and Secretary of the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages Harvinder Kour.

The inaugural ceremony will begin with the reception of guests, followed by Pushpa Varsha by students of Churamani Sanskrit Sansthan and Swasti Vachan. The guests will light the ceremonial lamp, followed by a bhajan by Sohan Lal. After the formal introduction of the guests, traditional pagadi tying and badge pinning will be held.

Shruti Awasthi, Director of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), will formally welcome the participants and introduce the festival. A documentary on Basohli Utsav will also be screened, followed by the introduction of guests and artists associated with the cartoon workshop.

Students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Basohli, will present a cultural item. The three MLAs will also be invited to address the gathering briefly. Nameplates written in the Takri script will be presented to the MLA guests and Harvinder Kour by the chairman of Vishwasthali. The inaugural session will conclude with a vote of thanks by J.R. Brahmi, Chairman of Vishwasthali.

Santolia competition, Geet Govind seminar

An inter-school Santolia competition will commence at 12 noon at Ram Leela Ground, Basohli, with Additional Deputy Commissioner Basohli Pankaj Bhagotra attending as the guest. Brij Mohan Basotra will anchor the event, while Naveen Kumar Choudhary and his team will coordinate the competition.

The participating teams will be introduced and the rules explained before the start of the game. The event will include a toss, the competition and compilation of results by the coordinator. The winning team and the first and second runners-up will be declared, with trophies scheduled to be presented on October 22.

A seminar on Geet Govind will also be organised from noon to 1 pm in the fort area. The invited guests include Dr Ayush Nandan of Delhi University, retired professor Dr Anita Billowria and Dr Abhimanyu Singh.

Students from Churamani Sanskrit Sansthan, Government College for Women Parade, Basohli College and Higher Secondary School Basohli are expected to attend the seminar. Neelam Spolia and Chandan Raina will anchor the programme, while Rahul Thakur, Deepanshu Kanotra, Shruti Singh Jamwal and Lakshya Sharma will coordinate it. The session will conclude with the presentation of Takri-script nameplates to the guests.

Traditional Dham Chowkdi, art exhibition at Atal Setu

The festival's traditional and community-oriented activities will continue with Dham Chowkdi at Rani Talaab from 1 pm onwards. Dogri folk singer Dr Gourav Vaid and Amit Mehra are listed among the guests, while Shiv Doblia will moderate the programme. The event will be open to the general public and will feature a traditional welcome, pagadi tying and an introduction to the activity before its commencement.

Atal Setu will host a series of programmes from 4 pm onwards, including a cartoon exhibition, street play, Jhanki and Raavi Aarti.

An exhibition of paintings and other artwork will be organised from 4 pm to 5 pm. Amit Sharma, Dheeraj Padha, Chander Mohan and Aastha will coordinate the exhibition.

A street play, or Nukkad Natak, organised by the J&K Department of Culture, will follow from 5 pm to 5.30 pm. Kulvir Singh and Sushil Thakur will anchor the performance.

A Jhanki will be presented from 5.30 pm to 6 pm, with Amit Sharma, Dheeraj Padha, Chander Mohan and Aastha coordinating the event.

Raavi Aarti is also scheduled for the 5.30 pm to 6 pm slot. The designated participants for the ceremony include MLA Darshan Singh Thakur, Deputy Commissioner Kathua Rajesh Sharma and retired IFS officer B.M. Sharma, former Commissioner Secretary of the Culture Department. The programme will begin with their welcome and traditional pagadi tying, followed by an introduction to the ceremony and the aarti.

Cartoon workshop to promote heritage and social awareness

A major attraction of Basohli Utsav will be the special cartoon workshop scheduled from October 19 to 21 at the Front Park near Basohli Fort. The workshop will remain open from 11 am to 4 pm and will revolve around the themes of 'Vikas Bhi Aur Virasat Bhi' and 'Nasha Mukt Bharat'.

Seven cartoonists have been listed for the workshop: senior cartoonists Sagar Kumar and Madhav Joshi, and cartoonists Manoj Kureel, S. Tariq, Manoj Chopra, Chander Shekhar Sharma (Bunty Cartoonist) and Arvind Sharma.

School students from different institutions, other interested students and artists from the Basohli Painting Centre will participate in the workshop.

The schedule also provides for an exhibition area at the pond during daytime, from 11 am to 4 pm, while the exhibition will shift to Atal Setu from 4 pm onwards. The initiative is expected to provide an opportunity for students and visitors to engage with cartoon art while exploring themes related to development, cultural heritage and the campaign against drug abuse.

Cultural programmes at Rani Talaab

The day's activities will extend into the night at Rani Talaab, where a series of cultural programmes has been planned. A short film titled Vande Matram is listed for screening, followed by orchestra performances by the Police Band as fillers between programmes.

The main cultural attraction will be a Dogri play titled Jasma on Mata Vaishno Devi, scheduled to begin at midnight onwards at Rani Talaab. The participating team will comprise students of Cluster University.

Neelam Spolia, Chandan Raina, Kulbir and Sushil will anchor the cultural programmes, while Ankur Arora, Surinder Mohan, Manik Purohit and Vittesh will coordinate the Dogri play. The programme will begin with the welcome of guests, traditional pagadi tying and badge pinning, followed by an introduction to the play before the performance.

With activities spread across Basohli Fort, Ram Leela Ground, the fort area, Rani Talaab and Atal Setu, the opening day of Basohli Utsav 2026 will combine traditional practices, academic engagement, visual arts and performing arts in a single festival programme.

Note: The supplied schedule lists the short film screening from 11.30 pm to midnight, followed by the Dogri play from midnight onwards. These timings have been retained as given in the document.