The much-awaited Desi Utsav will begin in the City on Tuesday. Several district-level women’s organisations, the district administration, Kannada and culture department and the Women and Children’s Welfare department have been making preparations for this programme, which will be held at the Dr Gubbi Veeranna auditorium in the City.

As part of the Desi Utsav, several folk troupes from all over the district will put up performances. It is for the first time that such a huge folk fest is being held for women. Writer B C Shaila Nagaraj will be the working president of the sammelana.

A huge procession of women’s folk troupes will take out a procession, which will begin at 8.30 am, from the CMC office. Deputy Commissioner S R Umashankar and Triveni Umashankar, legislator-couples S Shivanna Nagaratna, H Ningappa Lalita, J S Basavaraju Shakuntala and S R Srinivas Bharati who will participate will flag off the procession.

Kicks  off

The procession will end at 9.30 am, outside the Gubbi Veeranna Kalakshetra premises, and the unique Desi Utsav will kick off immediately after.

An art exhibition will be part of the Desi Utsav, and will be inaugurated by Zilla Panchayat president Krishnamurthy.

The handicrafts and book exhibitions will be inaugurated by Zilla Panchayat vice-president Gadari Hanumanthappa and former district Karnataka Sahitya Parishat president C N Ekeshwar respectively.

Inauguration

The Desi Utsav will be inaugurated at 10.30 a m, in a ceremony that will be presided over by deputy commissioner S R Umashankar. Writer and popular folk artiste Nirmala Eligar will inaugurate the programme; senior director of the Bangalore doordarshan Kendra Dr Mahesh Joshi, legislator K N Rajanna, Basava Kendra president Siddhagangamma Siddharamanna, journalist S Naganna, former ZP member R Rudresh, Kamala Kumaragowda, R Kamaraj, ZP CEO Manoj Kumar, CMC commissioner Abdul Khayyum, Vijay Prakash Mirji, TUDA president Sultan Mahmood will also participate.

At 2 p m, writer Susheela Somashekar will chair a conference on women and culture. At 4 pm, senior sobane singers will be felicitated.

The valedictory ceremony will be held at 5 pm, and senior writer Prema Mallanna will deliver the valedictory address.

As part of the Desi Utsav, several performances will be given by several women’s folk troupes from across the district.

The convenors say that the Desi Utsav is being held to encourage folk artistes, and bring about awareness among the public about these folk arts. They also said that this was an excellent opportunity for folk artistes in and around Tumkur to display their talents.

As part of the programme, the Siddhaganga Public Education Organisation will hold an exhibition of handicrafts made by women.