The three-day annual university festival “Ekatva 26” concluded, on a vibrant note at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra, witnessing enthusiastic participation from students, faculty members and participants from institutions across the region.
Organized under the aegis of the Board of Professional Activities, Ekatva is one of the flagship events of the university that provides students a platform to showcase their academic, technical and cultural talents beyond the classroom. The festival featured a diverse range of competitions, exhibitions, performances and interactive sessions aimed at encouraging innovation, collaboration and holistic student development.
The festival was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Pragati Kumar, who graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and appreciated the enthusiasm and creativity displayed by the students. He emphasized that such platforms play a vital role in nurturing leadership, teamwork and innovative thinking among young learners. Prof. Balbir Singh Dean Academic Affairs encouraged students to actively engage in activities that promote innovation and collaborative learning.
Earlier, Dr. Sakshi Arora welcomed the dignitaries and highlighted the vision of Ekatva as a platform celebrating unity in diversity through academic, technical and cultural engagement. A major highlight of the festival was the National-Level Project Exhibition “Smart Solutions”, which witnessed participation from teams representing institutions and universities across Jammu and Punjab. The event was also visited by senior officials of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and was widely appreciated for providing a meaningful platform for young innovators to translate ideas into practical technological solutions. A National Level workshop on Advance Materials for Sustainable development was also conducted under the ANRF PAIR programme with Indian Institute of Technology Ropar as the hub institute, bringing together nearly 50 participants including students, researchers, and faculty members.
The festival also featured several intellectually stimulating and technologically challenging school events where students demonstrated their skills through design challenges, debates, performances and problem-solving competitions, creating a vibrant atmosphere of creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration across the campus. The cultural segment of the festival received wide appreciation from the audience, with a mesmerizing Sufi Night by a renowned artist adding a musical charm to the celebrations sponsored by ICCR, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India. Participants also enjoyed the food courts set up by various agencies, while Royal Enfield was the major sponsor of the event.
The festival concluded with a valedictory function, where Dr. Ankush Raina, President, Board of Professional Activities, presented a report highlighting the major events and achievements of the three-day festival. This was followed by remarks from the Dean Students Welfare, Prof. R. K. Mishra, who appreciated the enthusiasm and creativity displayed by the students and emphasized the importance of such platforms in nurturing innovation and collaboration.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pragati Kumar expressed satisfaction over the successful organization of the festival and congratulated the students, faculty members and organizers for making Ekatva-2026 a memorable event. During the ceremony, prizes were distributed to the winners of the Smart Solutions Exhibition, while the much-awaited Best School Trophy was awarded to the School of Computer Science & Engineering. The School of Electronics and Communication Engineering and the School of Mechanical Engineering secured the second and third positions, respectively.
The programme concluded with a formal vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Mir Irfan Ul Haq, Festival Coordinator, who expressed heartfelt gratitude to the university leadership, participants, and organizers for their support and contributions towards the grand success of the festival. The event was successfully organized with the dedicated efforts of the faculty coordinators, Dr. Shashi Bhushan Kotwal, Dr. Sunny Kumar Sharma, and Er. Swastik Gupta, along with the enthusiastic support of student volunteers including Achalendra Pratap Singh, Priyanshu Kumar, Sachin Tripathi, Suraj Rathod, Yash Srivastava, Anushka Tickoo, Pravallika Prasu, and others, whose collective efforts ensured the smooth conduct of the event. The organisers expressed gratitude to Registrar SMVDU, Sh. Ajay Kumar Sharma, JKAS, Finance Section led by Mrs. Kajal Jasrotia (JKAS) and other university administration.
