Romalo Ram
A Dogri folk singer and retired teacher who revived the folk forms Geetru and Bhakh, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
Romalo Ram is a Dogri folk singer from the Jammu region, known for reviving the old folk forms Geetru and Bhakh. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of art, from Jammu and Kashmir [1].
Teacher and singer
He was born on 3 March 1963 and graduated from the University of Jammu in 1985 [2]. He joined government service as a teacher in 1987, working mostly in remote villages, and retired as a zonal education officer in Ramnagar in 2023 [2]. Alongside teaching he wrote Dogri poems and folk songs [2].
Mission Maa Dogri
He began performing Dogri folk songs in 1980–81 with his own group, “Romalo Ram and Party” [2]. His “Mission Maa Dogri” has encouraged young people to take up the tradition, and more than 150 students are now learning and performing with him [2].
He has published a book of Geetru songs, Geetruyen Di Fouhar, and has been an All India Radio artist since 1988 [2]. He has served on the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages’ advisory body for folk music [2].
He won a gold medal in folk singing at the 1999 National Youth Festival and received a Jammu and Kashmir state award in 2022 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2024: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2024: citation for Romalo Ram — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
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