Star-studded. This one word could sum up the Dasara festivities this time.
Briefing media persons on the preparation and the events here on Wednesday, district In-charge Minister G T Deve Gowda said musicians of national and international repute will perform at the cultural programmes organised at the Mysore Palace, Jaganmohan Palace, Town Hall, Kalamandir, Veene Sheshanna Bhavan, Natana Ranga Mantapa, Krishna Gana Sabha and Rajendra Bhavan, during the festivities beginning October 12. Shivakumara Swamiji of the Siddaganga Mutt will inaugurate Dasara by performing pooja to Goddess Chamundeshwari atop the Chamundi Hills at 8.30 am. Evergreen Bollywood heartthrob Hema Malini and troupe will present a dance ballet programme at the Palace premises, on October 20, the last day of the Dasara cultural festivities.
More than 50 cultural troupes have already registered to perform in the Vijayadashami procession, the grand finale of the Dasara festivities, with 50 more applications having been submitted. Though the dimension of the tableaux taking part in the procession, has been fixed to the standards of the Republic Day parade in Delhi, only four applications have been received. The tableaux from 27 districts will be part of the Dasara procession, besides those from government departments. Business houses too may sponsor tableaux. The procession which will begin around 2.30 pm, will be arranged so that it reaches Bannimantap from the Palace in three and half hours. DCs and Zilla Panchayat chiefs of all the districts have been asked to send proposals on cultural troupes and tableaux.
Artistes like Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, Mysore Nagaraj and Mysore Manjunath, Anuradha Poudwal, Vidyabhushan, Kadri Gopalnath and Narasimhulu in jugalbandhi, will be performing at the Palace premises. Noted actor M P Shankar will inaugurate the Dasara film festival at the Kalamandir. Actors Ramesh, Anu Prabhakar, Jayamala and director T N Seetharam and others will take part. The fete will be held at Regency, Gokul, Sangam, Thibbadevi, Padma, Balaji, Skyline and Sri Nagaraj theatres. Wild Dog Diaries of Krupakar Senani, Goodbye Lenin, Postman in the mountain dreams, Children of Heaven, Ten Minutes Older, China Whisper, French movie Saint of Green Papaya, besides other Korean, Iranian, Japanese and other English movies will be screened at the Kalamandir between October 12 and 19, from 10 am, except on October 14.
Kannada matinee idol Dr Vishnuvardhan, will inaugurate the Yuva Dasara festivities at the Maharaja’s College grounds that will feature the country’s top bracket artistes like music director Gurukiran, pop singer Usha Uthup, Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan and others. Air show on October 17, besides sports events like wrestling and karate will be part of Dasara. Poets’ meet, pet animals show, heritage walk and events will be part of Dasara. An amount of Rs 80 lakh has been sanctioned for the festivities this year, Deve Gowda announced. An amount of Rs lakh has already been released. While potholes on city roads will be covered before Dasara. Tenders have been called for work on improving the city roads at a cost of Rs one crore 60 lakh. The work will begin after Dasara. A cheque for Rs 15 lakh was presented to Deputy Commissioner Chennappa Gowda, by SBM incharge Deputy General Manager Shivaram on behalf of SBM and SBI for Dasara festivities.
