Edu-trip organized by Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu   

Jammu, June 20: The Department of Environmental Sciences organized a three-day ‘Educational Trip to the Udhmapur-Dudu-Basantgarh-Ramnagar Circuit’ to provide students with an opportunity to understand the regional natural heritage and integrate practical knowledge with informal environments to enhance learning capabilities.

Prof. Piyush Malaviya, Head of the Department, while flagging off the trip, said that the educational tour has been organised in line with the department’s objectives to integrate students and connect them with the regional environments, which serve as informative practical support in addition to their theoretical knowledge gained during classroom teaching. During the trip, the students trekked through lush green forests, streams, and meadows to reach the beautiful Shiv Gali Peak in Basantgarh.

The students were also shown traditional springs, varied vegetation types, and ancient structures of archaeological importance along the Dudu-Basantgarh circuit. Dr. Deepika Slathia, the teacher incharge of the trip, emphasised the importance of preserving and showcasing the beauty of Dogra architecture from an architectural and cultural perspective and talked about the importance of the traditional water bodies in the area and the need for their conservation.

The students also interacted with the local community to sensitise them regarding the importance of conserving the flora and fauna, cultural heritage, and springs of the area. The students also visited several protected monuments, like the Sheesh Mahal in Ramnagar, which is a historical royal mansion built by Raja Ram Singh in 1885. The students were shown the walls of the exquisite palace, which are ornamented with beautiful murals and paintings depicting the stories of Indian epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana.

The Edu-trip was an exposure for the students to understand literary theory practically by visiting ecological and archaeological hotspots in the Jammu region. Dr. Rakesh Kumar and more than thirty post-graduate students from the department participated in the e-trip.

(NOTE: PRESS RELEASE PUBLISHED AS RECEIVED)