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Romalo Ram
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Culture & heritage · Jammu & Kashmir

A teacher who sings Dogri back to life

By day, Romalo Ram taught children in remote villages. On stage, for more than four decades, he sang Geetru and Bhakh, two Dogri folk forms that were fading away, and trained the young people who will carry them on.

Romalo Ramरोमालो राम
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Romalo Ram. Photo: via Hindustan Times

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Born
3 March 1963
State
Jammu & Kashmir
Field
Dogri folk music: Geetru and Bhakh
Honours
Padma Shri 2024
150+pupils (Padma citation)
1987becomes a government teacher
2024Padma Shri

Classroom and folk stage

Romalo Ram’s story belongs to two places: the classroom and the folk stage. According to his official Padma citation, he was born on 3 March 1963 and took his BA from the University of Jammu in 1985.

In 1987 he became a government teacher and worked on the education of village children in remote areas. He retired in March 2023 as Zonal Education Officer, Ramnagar. All along, he kept writing and performing Dogri poems and folk songs.

Reviving Geetru and Bhakh

From 1980–81 he began performing Dogri folk music under the banner “Romalo Ram and Party”. The official citation links him to reviving two dying folk forms, Geetru and Bhakh, and names Mission Maa Dogri as the base for training young people.

The citation mentions a learning and working network of more than 150 pupils. That matters, because his contribution lies less in any single stage show than in building a system that passes the art on.

Culture and education, one cause

The 2024 Padma Shri gave him national visibility, but his core work is in the local language, in folk song and in the steady training of young performers. His years in education kept him close to villages and children.

In his life, culture and education are not separate boxes. Together they help protect Dogri identity.

Sources