Low key Dasara celebrations this year too

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JULY 28. For the second consecutive year, the famous annual Dasara festival commencing on October 17 in Mysore will be celebrated on a low key, and a large portion of the funds earmarked for it will be spent on providing drought relief. The inauguration will be bereft of any ostenation such as deploying the Maharaja's ``simhasana' and conducting religious rituals.

The Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Mr. H.Vishwanath (who is also the district in-charge minister), told presspersons here today after meeting the Minister of State for Kannada and Culture, Ms. Rani Satish, and senior officials that the Government had decided not to celebrate the festival with pomp and gaiety, since a large part of the State was reeling under drought.

Suppressing evil forces and upholding the noble values were the essence of the Sharannavaratri festivities, he said adding that although the Government wished to continue the hoary tradition, since the people were struggling to make a living due to the failure of monsoon, there would only be a pooja at the Chamundeswari Temple. Last year too, the festivals were celebrated in a simple manner after the kidnapping of Mr. Rajkumar.

Mr. Vishwanath said that road works and illumination of government and private buildings would be taken up for the festival. Inviting guests from other States and countries had been done away with as an austerity measure.

Ms. Rani Satish said that last year her department had spent Rs.76 lakhs on the Dasara festival, and this year, against a budget of Rs. 73.50 lakhs, only Rs. 23 lakhs would be spent on the Dasara and the rest would be diverted towards drought relief works. The minister said that the sponsors would look after cultural and sports events. Mr. A.Chandrahasa Gupta, Secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture, said that henceforth sponsors would be requested to organise such events. What the government would do was to create a platform for the artistes and the cultural troupes to perform.

Even Mr. Srikanthadatta Wodeyar, MP, would be requested to waive the honorarium paid to him by the Government.

Ms. Rani Satish was asked for her comments on the Subject Committee's recommendations to wind up of the Mysore Exhibition Authority, as it had become a "white elephant." Most of the funds allotted to it were being spent on salaries and transportation, instead of serving any useful purpose.

The Minister said that she had not yet studied the recommendations. The Director of Kannada and Culture, Mr. K.C.Rama Murthy, had visited the exhibition office, and would submit his report to her in a week. She would then examine both the reports and initiate action if there were any irregularities, she said.

Mr. Puttaswamy, Chairman of the Dasara Festival Committee, Mr. B.K.Prakash, Mayor of Mysore, Mr. Nagaraj, President, Mysore District Zilla Panchayat, and Mr. Siddiah, Commissioner of the Sports Authority, attended the meeting.

Earlier, the meeting condoled the death of Mr.Nelamane Deve Gowda, former Chairman of the Kannada Book Authority.

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