Those who had come bedecked for fancy dress to Jagan Mohan Palace, with masks, carrying strings of vegetables on their body, wrapped in paper models of fruits, those who had found gods and goddesses as their inspiration for fancy dress, and even the one who was inspired by garbage heap for his attire, all sat patiently, silently (perhaps even suffered for some time) till their turn came. And when it was time to hit the stage, they put the grown ups to shame with their stupendous display of talent and energy.

Makkala Dasara, by and large, has been the best event organised by Dasara Committee so far, with absolutely no credit due to the members. Children stole every bit of the show.

Makkala Dasara, as it is called, was inaugurated by minister for primary and secondary education minister Vishveswara Hegade Kageri. With their flawless narration and singing and dance, children definitely had a lesson or two to the elders, about organising skills.

They enjoyed their time to the core, infecting others with the same spirit that they basked in.

Speaking on the occasion, minister Kageri called for more such events where culture of the land and the greatness of its men and women can be introduced to children, so that they grow up with a sense of pride. A science exhibition was organised outside the palace by students of various schools.

Culture

“Children should be taught about the festivals and their significance too, so that they grow up appreciating our culture. Young generation should learn to protect the meek and good and destroy the evil,” he said.

Lauding the organisers, Kageri said the event infused enthusiasm in everyone. For his part, medical education and district in-charge minister S A Ramdas, who seemed to have recovered from his bouts of anger and its display since Wednesday, came across cheerful and lively. He abstained from making lengthy speech and sought to know answers for few questions related to Dasara celebrations, and gave away cash prize to those who gave the right answer.

Varsha, Suman, Anirudh, R Shruti, S A Vinay, J N Harshith, Abhin Devaiah, Sangeeta, Niranjan, K Netra, Karthikeyan, K S Sukanya, Deeksha, Chetan R Gowda, Gagan, Nitin, Spandana, Soorat, Bharath, Nitingowda and Spoorthi were felicitated on the occasion
Children from Krishnashraya Sugama Sangeeta Shaale enthralled the audience with their high-spirited singing coupled with a bit of animated facial expressions and hand movements. Volunteers or NCC cadets standing at various points in the hall did a great job of controlling the crowd and guiding people towards vacant seats. Dignitaries on the dias included ZP president Suneetha Veerappagowda, CEO Sathyavathy, MLCs Siddaraju, Thontadarya among others.